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‘Can’t Beat’ Spector 360 at
Florida Commission on Human Relations
The Setting
The Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR) is a state government agency based in Tallahassee, Florida. Formed in 1969 to serve as a resource to directly address discrimination, the FCHR is dedicated to eliminating discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or familial status. To ensure that businesses, individuals, and communities are aware of their rights and responsibilities, FCHR offers strategies, recommendations, and technical assistance to resolve intergroup tensions statewide.
MIS Manager Fredrick Smith oversees a network of approximately 130 workstations, including remote laptops, running Windows XP.
The Challenge
"There was a management perception of low productivity, and there was a suspicion that it was based on Internet misuse," said Smith. "We wanted to ensure that employees were not abusing or misusing computer systems in our office."
Smith said the concern arose at an FCHR management meeting.
"Based on the discussion, I was asked to look at employee monitoring software," said Smith. "We suspected too much time was being spent on the Internet, some inappropriate web site content was being accessed, and that employees were tampering with computers by installing unauthorized software … but primarily it was Internet use. For example, we looked over our employees and wondered, how many are on MySpace?
"When it came to chat, we knew there was a lot of it because everyone has access. Management does not mind using IM because it is a good business tool, but not when abused."
Search for a Solution
Smith said his prior experience with monitoring software helped greatly when he was directed to look for a product to combat frivolous and inappropriate PC and Internet behavior at the FCHR.
"I found three candidates, including SpectorSoft," said Smith. "I was familiar with SpectorSoft from computer lab work in college. What I remembered most about SpectorSoft is that it had a great product and it was easy to use.
"After reviewing the options, SpectorSoft’s monitoring technology, as well as service and support, stood out."
Discoveries
"Spector 360 showed us that not only were our suspicions accurate, misuse was more widespread than we thought," said Smith. "Not only were the actions surprising, but also the persons responsible for the actions. You could not imagine … some of the things you see, you just shake your head and wonder … how could you not know to stay away from that kind of stuff?"
- Smith said the FCHR has terminated "quite a few" employees based on the results of monitoring with SpectorSoft technology. Smith estimated that approximately 80 percent of the terminations fell into the category of "excessive Internet use" and about 10 percent were in the "excessive chat" category.
"The remaining 10 percent made up the ‘Explicit’ category, a mixture of both inappropriate content while on the Internet and inappropriate content in chat conversations," said Smith.
- "We discovered that people were spending hours surfing the Internet or chatting," said Smith. "That’s EXCESSIVE. This type of activity requires a talk … where we let them know we found these things."
Smith said some employees initially deny the behavior but when confronted with Spector 360 reports, the tune changes quickly.
"The documentation is there," said Smith. "Once they take a look at it, they usually say ‘yeah, that’s me.’"
- Spector 360’s Search feature provided FCHR management with an innovative way to evaluate program productivity.
"Not too long ago, an agency initiative required nearly everyone to research a certain topic," said Smith. "Using the Spector 360 Search function, we identified everyone conducting the requested research. It was a great report … instead of just scratching our heads and wondering if they were researching, we had a clear answer. We saw that some were, some weren’t … and we knew which ones were which."
Awareness
Smith said the FCHR has an Internet policy and it must be signed as a condition of employment. In addition, all PCs display a Logon Notice, making the existence of monitoring quite clear.
"Use of Spector 360 fell right in place with our written policy," said Smith. "Spector 360 put teeth into our policy. The work PC is not private. The PC is public and subject to monitoring. There is no expectation of privacy. They are state employees and they understand they can do personal stuff on breaks and lunch, but beyond that it’s not ok."
Working with Employees
As part of the agency’s disclosure of employee monitoring, Smith said he conducted a demonstration of Spector 360 for the entire staff, introducing the subject of monitoring by discussing what he calls "the two Es": Excessive, and Explicit.
"We break it down very simply here … Excessive … Explicit," said Smith. "Using a laptop and projector connected to the network, I just pulled up Spector 360 and I showed them the system … and told them you can’t beat the system!"
Spector 360: The Software of Choice
"After the Spector 360 presentation, numbers got better, productivity increased," said Smith. "Employees became more conscious of their activity on the computer, and spent more time working than playing."
- Smith said the information presented by the Spector 360 Dashboard is impressive.
"With Spector 360, you can see the information across the board. I don’t have to manually do the calculations … I can just pull the report," said Smith. "From the Spector 360 Dashboard you have access to instant reports. It’s simple to pull them up and easy to change the view using drop-downs … the ease of comparison is awesome!"
- Smith said past FCHR employee behavior has dictated the popularity of two Spector 360 Quick View reports:
- Users spending the most time on Websites, and
- Users spending the most time using Chat/IM.
"The reports that come with Spector 360 cover all my needs. In case I have a need in the future, I have used the new report feature, and it’s very simple and straightforward."
- Smith values Spector 360’s Data Explorer feature, calling it "a detailed look."
"I use Data Explorer for something very particular," said Smith. "For example, I might go to Data Explorer if a manager asks me about the activities of a particular person. I’d probably start with the appropriate Quick View report and see if the person appears in the Top 10. If they’re not in the Top 10, then I would drill down into Data Explorer and User Explorer to look at the detailed information."
- "Spector 360 is simple to use," said Smith. "Also, Spector 360 has good instructions … you follow the instructions and it works. For example, I downloaded for install, ran it and it installed correctly … no problem. I was impressed.
"Plus, SpectorSoft customer service is AWESOME! If you have a Technical Support question … by phone or email … you get a response and a solution almost immediately."
"Has Spector 360 restored order?" said Smith. "Exactly. Employees are on notice … and I think it is important to let them know … that we not only SAY but we DO."
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