Employee Activity Reports: What to Consider and How to Analyze
It's no secret that employee productivity is crucial to the success of any organization. For this reason, managers are tasked with regularly reviewing employee activity reports. However, do you know what to look for in an annual report? And how can you use data to increase employee productivity?
Occasionally, activity reports can appear colorful and packed with lots of things. In this blog post, we'll tell you what these things are and how you can use employee activity reports to your advantage. Stay tuned for more!
Being an employee isn't just about getting in and out, the approach is more holistic than that! Yes, being productive at work is important, but employee productivity goes beyond that. It's also about engaging with company culture, displaying company values, and working towards common goals.
An employee is an extension of the company he works for, and their productivity is reflected in the company as a whole. Therefore, it is important for managers to understand employee productivity, what factors affect it, and how they can use employee annual reports to improve it.
Employee annual reports are a way to measure employee productivity and verify whether employees are meeting the company's goals.
While there are other ways to measure employee productivity, annual reports are one of the best ways to give managers a snapshot of employee behavior. Let's take a deeper look!
What is an Employee Activity Report?
Employee activity reports are documents that track employee productivity and effectiveness. Managers use these reports to monitor employee performance and identify areas for improvement. Employee activity reports can include information such as how much time employees spend on certain tasks, how many sales they make, or how many calls they make.
The purpose of employee activity reports is to provide managers with a snapshot of employee productivity. That's pretty significant given that the average worker is only productive for 60% of the workday, according to Zippia - an office worker's productivity drops to 31%.
Information obtained through an employee activity report can be used to make decisions about how to improve employee productivity and performance.
Employee activity reports can be generated in a variety of ways. Some companies use employee time tracking software, while others rely on manual time sheets. Employee annual reports take many forms, but there are some standard rules they should follow, let's take a look at them!
What Does the Employee Activity Report Look Like?
If you're wondering what an employee activity report looks like. Below is a quick overview of the different items that are typically included in these reports:
Employee name: This is usually the first piece of information included in an employee annual report. This is followed by the employee's job title and department.
Date range: The next piece of information usually included in an employee activity report is the date range being reported. This allows managers to see how employee productivity has changed over time.
Task description: The next section of the employee activity report contains a description of the tasks completed during the reporting period. This may include information such as the number of sales made, calls made or emails sent.
Total time: Total time is the time an employee spends working during the reporting period. These can be expressed in hours, days or weeks.
Percent productivity: The productive percent is a measure of how much time an employee spends working on productive tasks. This can be expressed as a percentage or ratio.
Percent unproductive: The unproductive percent is a measure of how much time an employee spends working on unproductive tasks. This can be expressed as a percentage or ratio.
Below you can see an example of what an employee activity report looks like! Colorful, right?
As you can see, employee activity reports can contain a lot of different information. The specific information included in an employee annual report will depend on the needs and goals of the company. Now, it's time to be more detailed about it.
What Should Be Considered in the Employee Activity Report?
When looking at employee activity reports, it's important to pay attention to key metrics such as employee engagement, project completion rates, and overall productivity levels. It's also helpful to track employee progress on individual tasks and specific goals.
Time Spent on Task
This metric can provide insights into employee productivity and focus. An employee who consistently shows longer time spent on tasks can produce high-quality work immediately.
On the other hand, an employee who spends less time on tasks may struggle to stay focused or complete tasks efficiently. It is important to note that there may be valid reasons for variation in time spent on tasks, such as taking breaks or dealing with unexpected events.
If you manage remote workers, MonitUp offers a great feature of an employee daily activity log designed to help individuals and teams increase productivity and efficiency.
Business Quality
Of course, time spent on tasks can be directly related to the quality of work delivered. This can be measured by looking at metrics such as the number of tasks completed, the accuracy and efficiency with which they are completed, and whether they meet or exceed expectations. Also, through a combination of project success and manager/client feedback.
Number of Errors
When reviewing employee activity reports, it's important to take a closer look at the number of errors. While mistakes are inevitable in any job, a consistently high error rate can be an indication of employee training shortcomings or a lack of attention to detail.
It can also point to faulty processes or equipment that needs to be addressed.
Additionally, considering the employee's error rate compared to others in the same position can provide valuable information about their performance.
Communication skills
When reviewing employee activity reports, it's important to take a close look at an employee's communication skills. This may include their ability to communicate effectively with superiors, colleagues, and clients.
It is also important to consider the quality and frequency of their written communications, such as emails and reports. Another important aspect of communication skills is the employee's ability to listen to information actively and effectively.
Attendance and Punctuality
When analyzing employee activity reports, it is important to consider attendance and punctuality. Consistent absences or delays can negatively impact a team's workflow and productivity.
A consistently high rate of absenteeism or chronic delays can be a red flag for potential problems with employee engagement or commitment to the company.
However, there may be extenuating circumstances that play a role, such as emergencies or pre-approved leave. In such cases, it is important to consider the employee's overall track record and whether they have consistently fulfilled their obligations in the past.
Customer happiness
If you are in the sales industry, this is a very important metric! Measuring employee performance against customer satisfaction levels can provide valuable insight into their ability to provide quality service.
Monitoring metrics such as call processing time and resolution rate can provide insight into an employee's efficiency and effectiveness in dealing with customer queries. However, it's also important to keep track of things like customer feedback scores and repeat complaints, as these can indicate a lack of satisfactory resolution or poor communication by the employee.
Well, we've covered the basics. What are you doing with this information?
How Are Employee Activity Reports Analyzed?
As we've told you before, employee activity reports can provide valuable insight into employee productivity. However, it is important to know how to analyze these reports properly. Here are a few tips:
Look for trends: Look for trends while checking employee activity reports. This will help you identify which employees are consistently productive and which are not.
Sudden increases and decreases in productivity: Employee productivity can increase or decrease at certain times. This may be due to various reasons, such as changes in workload or personal circumstances. It's important to identify these spikes and lows so you can address any underlying issues.
Analyze employee workloads: Pay close attention to employee workloads when analyzing activity reports. If an employee is constantly working on tasks beyond their scope, it may be an indication of a problem.
Compare employee activity: After evaluating employee activity reports, compare the activities of different employees. This will help you identify which employees are more productive than others.
Identify areas for improvement: When reviewing employee activity reports, identify areas where employees need improvement. This will help you develop strategies to increase employee productivity.
How Often Should You Make Employee Activity Reports?
The frequency of employee activity reports will depend on the needs of the company. Some companies may find that weekly reports are sufficient, while others may need daily or monthly reports. It is important to determine the frequency of employee activity reports according to the company's needs and goals.
Daily Report: The daily employee activity report can be used to monitor employee productivity on a daily basis regarding workload. This way, you can assess whether your employees are able to carry out their assigned tasks, or give them more or distribute them better among staff.
Weekly Report: The weekly employee activity report can be used to monitor employee productivity over a longer period of time. This report should include a summary of tasks completed, upcoming projects or deadlines, and an analysis of efficiency and effectiveness in meeting goals for that week.
Monthly Report: At the end of each month, it is important to prepare an employee activity report to evaluate individual and team performance. This report should include clear metrics such as sales figures, project completion rates, customer satisfaction scores, and attendance records. It may also include qualitative assessments of managers or peers about their job performance and collaboration skills.
Annual report: For this particular period, the company uses performance reviews to track employee activity reports, but when you gather all the information gathered during an annual report, you'll see where each employee is succeeding or struggling and will help identify overall trends within the team.
Employee Performance Reviews and Employee Activity Reports
Employee performance reviews and employee activity reports serve similar purposes for tracking and evaluating an employee's progress and performance. However, there are fundamental differences between the two.
Employee performance reviews typically include a 360-degree evaluation where superiors, colleagues, and even the employee themselves provide input on their job performance.
On the other hand, employee annual reports focus more on specific tasks and assignments completed by the employee rather than their overall performance as a whole. Both can be valuable tools for measuring and improving employee productivity, but it's important to understand the distinctions between them.
Ultimately, a combination of both types of assessment can provide an employer with the most comprehensive understanding of its employees' strengths and weaknesses.
Package
A well-managed employee activity report can provide your company with a wealth of information about employee productivity. However, it is important to know how to analyze these reports properly. The tips and advice in this article will help you get the most out of your employee annual reports.
Additionally, employee annual reports can be a valuable tool for identifying any training or development opportunities for staff members.
However, it is important to remember that employee activity reports are not the only indicator of an employee's performance – they should also be supported by regular check-ins and performance reviews. In general, employee activity reports can provide valuable information about team and individual performance when used in conjunction with other assessment methods.
We hope this guide has helped you understand employee activity reports. If you have any questions, feel free to scroll through our blog post archive, we've got a lot more! Thank you for reading!