Engaged Inactivity Detection

Engaged
Inactivity Detection

Don’t Miss a Moment of Meaningful Work!

Desklog’s engaged inactivity detection is an advanced feature designed to identify and record periods of valid work where user input is minimal or absent. It’s built to recognize that real productivity doesn’t always involve continuous keyboard or mouse activity.

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Modern workflows frequently involve extended periods of focus during activities like strategic meetings, virtual conferences, or analyzing dashboards. Traditional time trackers often misinterpret these moments of deep engagement as idle time. This results in misleading productivity reports and unnecessary friction.

Engaged inactivity detection solves this by intelligently recognizing such moments as productive, ensuring that essential non-interactive work is accurately tracked and valued.

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What Is Engaged Inactivity Detection?

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How Does It Work?

This feature operates on a context-aware basis rather than pure activity detection. Once enabled:

Admins define specific applications, URLs, or app categories that qualify for engaged inactivity detection.

Desklog continuously tracks user sessions within these categories.

If no input is detected, but the session remains within an approved context, the time is logged as productive engaged inactivity, not idle.

This adaptive logic ensures fair tracking for workflows involving concentration, review, observation, or upskill training.

Key Configuration Options

  • Enable/Disable Detection Admins can toggle the feature on or off from the Time Tracking settings. When enabled, selected users will not be marked as idle during approved sessions.
  • Teams Choose one or multiple teams to apply the feature to. Only users in these teams will be affected by the detection logic.
  • Category Select application categories (e.g., video conferencing, tutorials, analytics dashboards). Time spent on apps in these categories will be tracked as engaged inactivity.
  • Added Categories View, edit or remove configurations under this section for greater administrative control and flexibility.
Admin configuring settings

Fair Tracking for Smarter Teams

Set up engaged inactivity detection and give your employees the recognition they deserve.

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Practical Use Cases

This feature is valuable for professionals whose tasks require critical thinking over mechanical input:

Team in an online meeting

Meetings & Presentations

Ensures time in video conferencing apps is accurately logged, even if no typing or clicking occurs.

Person reviewing documents

Content Review & Planning

Captures time spent reviewing reports, strategies, or design files in tools like Figma or Google Docs.

Employee watching tutorial

Learning & Training

Accounts for sessions where employees watch tutorials, product demos, or compliance videos.

Professional analyzing data dashboard

Data Monitoring

Recognizes engagement while users analyze dashboards, trends, or performance data.

Key Benefits

More Accurate Productivity Metrics

Enhances the accuracy of productivity reports by logging non-interactive work, ensuring a truthful representation of how time is spent.

Recognition of Cognitive Labor

Captures essential but passive contributions such as strategic analysis, research review, and idea conceptualization, offering proper credit.

Increased Employee Trust

Supports a more respectful monitoring environment. Employees trust Desklog when they know their efforts are fairly represented.

Customizable and Role-Specific

Admins can define eligible applications and assign settings based on the unique working styles of different functions.

Enhanced Workflow Visibility

Gain deeper insight into how teams engage with passive tasks. These insights help improve workload distribution and resource planning.

Admin configuring settings

Technical Controls and Configuration

Desklog gives administrators granular control over this feature:

  • Application Whitelisting: Choose specific software or browser-based tools.
  • Idle Threshold Settings: Set inactivity detection windows (e.g., 2, 5, 10 minutes).
  • Role-Based Enablement: Turn the feature on or off for different departments.
  • Log Segregation: View engaged inactivity sessions separately for transparency.

Integration with Other Desklog Features

Engaged inactivity detection works seamlessly alongside Desklog’s broader productivity ecosystem:

  • With App & URL Tracking: Identify whether non-input periods occurred within approved platforms.
  • With Attendance Logs: Ensure passive work contributes to daily presence and work hours.
  • With the Wellness Module: Distinguish engaged inactivity from actual breaks or disengagement.
  • With Activity Reports: Highlight patterns of high-engagement non-interactive tasks.
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Admin Dashboard

Centralized Control for Smarter Productivity Tracking

Desklog’s Time Tracking Settings under the Admin Dashboard offer a seamless way to manage engaged inactivity detection across teams and categories. This centralized panel ensures that administrators can apply, adjust, or revoke detection rules with precision, without disrupting workflows.

  • Enable/Disable Feature: Easily turn engaged inactivity detection on or off for selected teams.
  • Team-Level Control: Assign detection logic to specific departments or user groups based on their nature of work.
  • Category-Based Rules: Whitelist app categories (e.g., Video Conferencing, Design Tools) where passive engagement counts as productive.
  • Manage Existing Rules: View, update, or remove existing configurations through a consolidated interface.
  • Instant Sync: All changes reflect in real-time across activity logs and productivity reports.

Compliance & Transparency

  • All tracking configurations are visible to admins.
  • Users are notified of active monitoring policies.
  • No tracking beyond defined application boundaries.
  • Logs can be anonymized for compliance.

Don’t Let Deep Work Go Unnoticed

Set up engaged inactivity detection and give your employees the recognition they deserve. Start using this feature and showcase the full scope of team productivity.