Employee monitoring in New York State, USA

Demand in employee monitoring in New York State

The demand for employee monitoring has significantly increased in New York State due to the growing trend towards remote or hybrid work. During the first month of the Covid-19 pandemic, 16% of companies in the U.S. implemented employee monitoring software. Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal conducted a survey revealing that as early as 2022, 67.6% of North American employers with at least 500 employees had already made the switch to employee monitoring software. In addition to the pandemic, some industries in New York State, such as financial services, healthcare, and software development, are required to comply with strict regulations that mandate direct supervision of all employees performing their duties. Apart from compliance, the desire for companies to improve efficiency has also contributed to the increase in demand for employee monitoring software. It allows for the timely identification of issues regarding efficiency and productivity, as well as pinpointing weaknesses within the company where work processes can be improved. These improvements ultimately result in increased productivity and efficiency.

The surge in demand for employee monitoring in New York State is due to a combination of factors, including remote working, regulatory compliance, and the pursuit of enhanced efficiency.

We are WorkTime, a non-invasive employee monitoring software with 20+ years of experience in the employee monitoring field.

What businesses use employee monitoring in New York?

In New York City, employee monitoring has become a common tool among businesses seeking to maximize the productivity of their employees. This practice is especially prevalent in the realm of information technology, where numerous hybrid and remote employees require careful supervision. Of course, it is not limited to one area. It has spread across multiple industries, with a number of key players leading the trend. For example, in the financial industry, control and compliance are paramount. This is where companies utilize employee monitoring to make sure their workers are following the regulations and rules. In the healthcare sector, sensitive patient data is protected through HIPAA & employee monitoring, which helps prevent unauthorized access and guarantees compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Meanwhile, in the technology area, employee monitoring serves as a means of tracking the productivity of individual developers or teams. This industry's unique work patterns, which often involve a mix of in-office and remote workers, make such monitoring all the more essential. Telcos, on the other hand, use monitoring to keep a close eye on their support staff, ensuring that they stay up to code. In the manufacturing sector, employee monitoring is applied to track the performance of production teams and improve the efficiency of work processes, while government agencies rely on this tool to boost productivity, monitor remote workers, and ensure compliance with regulations. In short, employee monitoring has become a ubiquitous feature of modern-day businesses, and its use is only expected to grow in the coming years.

Industries like finance, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, and government use employee monitoring in New York state.

Computerized businesses in New York & monitoring

Employee monitoring is especially beneficial in IT companies where a combination of different work models is practiced. The offices of top enterprises in the industry are located in New York. Among them are giants such as IBM, Verint, Sony Electronics, Canon, Take-Two Interactive, Bloomberg and Corning Inc. Many businesses in this area are in dire need of high-end monitoring, as controlling hundreds or thousands of software developers is a big challenge. Monitoring tools allow these companies to significantly reduce the number of managers and streamline work processes.

Computerized businesses require high-quality monitoring.

Employee monitoring can replace the need for numerous managers and simplify the process of working control.

In office, remote, hybrid settings in New York & monitoring

Remote, office and hybrid models of work in recent years are undergoing dramatic changes, if previously office employees were mostly in the majority, but now the situation is completely different, each company has a completely different policy regarding these three models of work. And now we're going to look at the nuances of this situation in New York City.

Remote work

Many companies in New York City have moved their employees to remote work in response to the pandemic. While it's understandable that working away from other employees reduces the risk of contracting viruses, even after the pandemic has abated, many employees are no longer willing to go back to the office model. There are advantages to working remotely, but also disadvantages in the form of loneliness, communication problems between employees, distractions, etc. Remote work is one of the reasons for the increased demand for employee monitoring is the need for employers to ensure that their remote workers are actually working when they are supposed to be.

Remote work is one of the reasons for the increased demand for employee monitoring.

Without proper oversight, some remote employees may loosen up, being distracted by non-work activities which can lead to reduced performance and poor-quality work.

Office work

In New York City, offices occupy a significant amount of space. To avoid leaving them empty, companies don't switch completely to a remote format. In addition, working in an office helps employees better coordinate their work with each other and build relationships within the team. On the other hand, traveling to the office takes time and money. This research shows the average worker spends an average of $5,000 a year on it. Many companies in New York have shown interest in employee monitoring even before the COVID-19 outbreak. The fact is that the use of this technology in offices provides employers with many benefits. It helps to identify the attendance of individual employees and assess their involvement in the workflow, increase staff productivity, protect the organization from security risks, and ensure compliance with corporate regulations.

The use of employee monitoring technologies in offices can provide a variety of benefits.

Hybrid work

Hybrid model combines balance, such as three days in the office and two days at home per week, seemingly an ideal solution to suit everyone. However, there are problems here too; hybrid work may require additional scheduling and employee coordination. On the other hand, hybrid work allows employees to be more flexible. Ultimately, the choice between remote, office, and hybrid work depends on the specific needs of the employee and the company. It is important for employers to consider their employees' preferences and capabilities, and to provide resources and support for each type of work arrangement.

Outsourcing business in New York & monitoring

In New York State, a variety of businesses use outsourcing for various tasks and processes, such as: Production: Component assembly or testing; Technology: Software development, testing, support; Financial Services: Back office support, data entry, customer service; Healthcare: Billing, coding, administrative tasks; Retail: Supply chain coordination, e-commerce operations, customer service. These are just a few examples of the many types of businesses in New York State that use outsourcing. The decision to outsource is often driven by cost savings, increased efficiency, and the need to focus on core business functions. It is very natural that the increased use of outsourcing in New York leads to increased demand for employee monitoring, as companies may want to ensure that their outsourced workers are performing their tasks to the required standard and are complying with company policies.

The increased use of outsourcing in New York leads to increased demand for employee monitoring.

The law & employee monitoring in New York

A number of laws govern employee monitoring in New York State. They are all designed to align the interests of employers and employees. One of them entered into force quite recently, in May 2022. It requires employers to inform their workers that they are being monitored. Other laws relevant to this issue include the following:

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Regulates the monitoring of electronic communication including tracking of Internet and email use.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Governs minimum salary, the amount of time an employee can be monitored during working hours, and overtime pay.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Regulates the use of private medical information by employees, as well as the use of monitoring devices that may interfere with workers' ability to perform their duties.

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Governs relations between employers and employees, as well as the use of monitoring in trade unions.

To avoid legal and ethical risks when monitoring their workers, employers in New York State must strictly comply with these laws.

Employee monitoring in New York State is subject to regulation by a combination of federal and state laws.

Privacy expectations in New York

New York is very strict about privacy, as is the case in the United States in general. Employee monitoring software must comply with the law and not violate employees' personal boundaries. There are many employee monitoring programs that have nothing to do with privacy, such as those with features that include recording from a video camera (phone, web camera), intercepting all correspondence from social networks, wiretapping from a microphone, GPS location determination, and listening to phone calls. All of these features resemble spy apps rather than employee monitoring programs, and they violate all moral norms and human privacy. Few employees will agree to such spyware.

Employee monitoring software must comply with the law and not violate employees’ personal boundaries. WorkTime does not offer invasive functions. Our task is to provide high-quality non-invasive monitoring of employees.

In short, monitoring with invasive instruments is allowed in New York, but only if it is necessary to monitor employees for regulatory compliance. Employers are required to notify employees each time they are monitored, and no one has the right to monitor an employee's activities without their consent. Although employee privacy is protected in New York State, the extent of this protection may vary depending on the particular circumstances of the monitoring being conducted. Employers are advised to consult with legal counsel to ensure that their employee monitoring practices comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Monitoring - what’s too invasive for New York?

Although employee monitoring is allowed in New York State to some extent, there are certain functions that are considered too invasive even for that state. Some of these functions include:

Remote control of employee devices;

class="blog_link">Keylogging outside of work;

Capturing private messages;

Employee camera surveillance (phone, web camera, home surveillance camera);

Viewing internet searches and browser history on the home computer.

These functions resemble those of spyware, so they are not welcome in New York. In fact, employers who use such monitoring features risk losing their employees, as few people will want to work under such conditions, or it can be detrimental to the employees' productivity. Forbes has also conducted a study on the impact of invasive monitoring on employees.

At WorkTime, we have been providing non-invasive employee monitoring software for over 20 years. We do not use any invasive features, and our advantage is productivity monitoring without intruding on employees' privacy.

WorkTime for non-invasive employee monitoring in New York State

WorkTime helps employers solve many employee management problems without violating ethical and legal norms. Our software is designed for effective yet non-invasive monitoring of multiple employees. This explains why many New York State organizations use this tool. Our clients range from industry giants to startups interested in high-end monitoring that is fully compliant with ethics and the law. Some of the features of WorkTime's monitoring software include:

Viewing website traffic;

Monitoring activity in applications;

Employee's active time monitoring;

Performance measurement;

Off work tracking;

Activity of keystrokes in applications;

Ineffective time.

Our tool provides companies with alternatives to such invasive features as screenshots and keylogging. We deliberately avoid any solutions that can violate the workers’ privacy. Due to this, many organizations in New York State decided to use our employee monitoring software.