Building A Tech-Enabled Workplace For The New Normal

The impact of the pandemic on businesses is unprecedented and extends beyond economic crises. When the virus first struck, most of the organizations were forced to go remote, allowing their employees to work from home because of the safety concerns. Things are challenging as businesses reopen, with employee health still being the biggest concern. Thankfully, technology came ahead as a savior in both the situations- it enables a seamless switch to the remote model and is now driving the workplace safety initiatives in the new normal.

From enabling outbreak prevention to facilitating worker safety, ensuring regulatory compliance and bringing peace of mind for employers and employees, there are many ways in which technology can help. When it comes to availing these benefits for your business, everything boils down to using the right technologies at the right places for optimizing your operations. Here are some measures businesses can adopt for building tech-enabled workplaces in the new normal.

Manage social distancing with sensors

Social distancing in the workplace is one of the most significant factors in curbing transmission. However, implementing it is easier said than done since you cannot expect to move into a bigger office or invest in refurbishment during the crisis. While you can change the seating plans, it may not be easy to keep people apart after long isolation. It would be a good idea to use room occupancy sensors in the pandemic world. These smart sensors can help you monitor occupancy and even reduce costs and boost employee productivity. You can also use them for creating daily reports to manage social distancing.

Rely on remote collaboration tools for meetings

Even as the work-from-home phase has come to an end, businesses can continue leveraging remote collaboration tools in the office settings as well. It makes sense to avoid crowding in conference rooms and have meetings from work desks with these smart tools. The best part is that your employees will probably be comfortable with using them as they have been doing it for the last few months. Moreover, there is an advantage of letting people join in from anywhere, whether they are in the office or staying home because they are symptomatic.

Along with collaborating, it’s crucial to organize remote team building activities with your team from time to time utilizing time tracking tools such as Time Doctor to help your team be more productive.

Offer remote IT support for the employees

Another aspect of tech-enabled workplaces in the new world is remote IT support. Remember that your employees will need IT support at all stages, whether in office or at home. The right way to do it at this point in time is by collaborating with remote IT support specialists who can offer contactless services. This practice will ensure social distancing yet ensure that your employees never have to struggle with tech issues. Further, it is far more cost-effective as compared to having an in-house team for handling IT problems. Look for a partner you can trust for delivering support around the clock so that your company never has to face downtime.

Pay attention to employee experience

While you cannot go slack with workforce safety in the new normal, employee experience requires equal attention. Engaging your employees is the key to enhancing productivity, increasing motivation and driving retention, all of which matter the most right now. Luckily, there are several smart tech tools that can help you with employee engagement. Consider using gamification as a part of employee incentives. Similarly, you can invest in employee feedback apps to keep track of their concerns and issues and address them sooner rather than later. 

Prioritize cybersecurity in the crisis

A good tech-enabled workplace is not just about physical safety of your employees but includes coverage for your networks as well. As businesses are focused on protection against the virus, this is an opportunity for hackers and cybercriminals. This makes it all the more important to prioritize cybersecurity in the crisis. Have a dedicated cybersecurity team that is responsible for the network and users, whether working from office or remotely. Right now, you may also need to review and realign your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy as well because a majority of employees are using personal devices for businesses. Ramping up your cybersecurity initiative may require considerable investment but it is absolutely worthwhile.

Building a tech-enabled workplace will take some effort but the initiative can help you make your organization future-ready. A company that goes the extra mile to ensure employee safety and well-being is regarded as an ideal place to work. Similarly, investment in productivity, communication and IT support and security technologies can drive extensive business growth in the future.