Productivity can be difficult to judge from the outside, especially when much of the work happens behind a screen. A busy week might look productive in the moment, but consistently long days, missed breaks, and little time to recharge can tell a different story.
For more than 15 years, Vendon has been developing innovative technology for the vending and coffee industry. Today, this Latvian company supports operators in more than 110 countries with advanced telemetry and payment solutions and is a proud member of the international Azkoyen Group.
Within the company, that same long-term perspective shapes how Vendon approaches productivity. We spoke with Zane, HR Lead at Vendon, about how DeskTime helps employees reflect on their working habits, from the hours they put in to the breaks they take, and build routines that are sustainable over time.
How can time tracking tools help prevent employee burnout?
Vendon has had cases where colleagues began showing signs of burnout. In those situations, DeskTime data gave the employee and their manager something concrete to look at together, from overall workload and working hours to how regularly the person was stepping away from their computer.
The idea isn't that time tracking can diagnose burnout. Instead, patterns such as consistently long days or too few breaks can prompt a conversation about whether something needs to change.
“DeskTime helps our team structure their days in a way that supports long-term effectiveness. We do not expect people to do a month's worth of work in a single week and then burn out. This is where healthy work habits and proper work hygiene play an important role,” Zane says.
For Vendon, that's an important distinction. A highly productive week doesn't mean much if the way someone worked to achieve it isn't sustainable month after month.
Can time tracking software help with workplace compliance?
Regular breaks aren't only about feeling refreshed. Vendon also uses DeskTime to support its approach to working-time requirements and healthy practices for employees who spend long periods in front of a screen.
“It also helps us make sure we’re following labor requirements around breaks and rest. We can see whether employees are taking their lunch breaks, stepping away from their screens regularly, and following the recommendations for working long hours at a computer. We encourage people to use DeskTime’s Break Time reminder to help with that,” Zane explains.
That turns time tracking into something employees can actively use themselves. Break Time reminders encourage them to step away regularly, while their own data can help them notice habits such as repeatedly working through lunch or going for long stretches without a break.
How do time tracking solutions improve performance reviews?
Vendon doesn't judge productivity based on a single day or week. Every six months, employees are encouraged to reflect on their long-term work habits as part of their performance and development discussions. These conversations include a dedicated focus on time management, helping assess how effectively employees use their time and resources while maintaining a sustainable and productive way of working.
DeskTime data gives them something concrete to bring into that reflection. At the same time, Vendon takes into account the nature of each person's role. A salesperson may spend much of the day away from their computer, and creative work isn't always neatly reflected in tracked activity, so the numbers aren't treated as a rigid performance score.
The same approach helps Vendon accommodate different circumstances outside work. Employees who are studying, for example, can review their working time across the week alongside their studies to understand whether the combined workload is manageable. Parents can organize work around family responsibilities while still keeping track of their hours.
Managers at Vendon can access their teams’ DeskTime data, but that doesn’t mean they’re constantly checking it. Reports are more useful for looking at patterns over a longer period or for taking a closer look when something seems unusual. This keeps the focus on long-term working habits rather than individual days.
“We don’t check DeskTime every day, or even every week. Its real value for us is seeing the bigger picture over time, rather than focusing too much on any single day,” says Zane.
