As COVID-19 restrictions begin to relax, the possibility of returning to work is becoming increasingly apparent.
It’s been months since employees have visited their office and followed their usual work routine, and without a vaccine, extra precautions will be necessary if there is any chance of reopening.
There are a tremendous number of things to consider in order to welcome employees back to work, their mental health, productivity, and overall well being must be considered. At the end of the day, no one has experienced anything like this before.
It’s become clear that in order to support your workforce, you must embrace technology. We have compiled apps and examples of technology that will help you return to a ‘normal’ working environment.
Office safety and management
One of the major adaptations your office will have to undergo is the social distancing of employees.
This means separated desks, meeting areas, and so on.
This isn’t the end of the world, but it is definitely something that requires a lot of thought.
PlanningWiz is a floor planning app that allows you to plan and preview 3D designs. They are easy to create and have a realistic finish, allowing you to design your COVID-19 friendly office.
These plans can be sent to your office team and are clear to understand, making the process seamless.
However, there are so many industries where social distancing becomes a little trickier – trade work, school settings and retail, for example. There will be an app that can help with your new safety and management, customisable for your industry. For example, there’s apps for pre schools that organise spaces and limit the mixing of children, staff and interactions with parents, ensuring that social distancing measures are adhered to as best as possible.
Employee readiness
It may be the case that you have to introduce a limited workforce to operate under the safety requirements of COVID-19, therefore, it should only be appropriate to welcome back those who are mentally ready for the change.
How can this be achieved?
Accessing your employee’s readiness is really simple and can be done through a survey format. There are various paid options available, but a free alternative that is just as effective is Google Forms.
A Google Form is extremely easy to create and customizable to your business.
To complete a form, all a respondent would have to do is enter their email address, making it easy to know who in your workforce has actually completed it.
Given that you will most likely create this at home, you can simply add collaborators to the Google Form and work on it in real-time together.
COVID-19 screening
To help prevent the spread of the virus and overcome this pandemic, it’s important to ensure every employee that enters the office is at sufficient health and no risk to anyone else.
ServiceNow has released a number of apps to help workplaces reopen safely, including a health screening app.
This useful system helps companies screen employees before entering the workplace, with a temperature entry and option to purchase PPE if necessary.
This app is a great way to collect information on your employee’s health quickly and easily, ensuring they are ready to return to the workplace
Check-in and time tracking
For now, physical morning meetings and daily check-ins are definitely a thing of the past, so an alternative must be implemented.
Of course, virtual team meetings and checkups can be done through Zoom or Google Hangouts, but tracking your employee’s time is slightly different.
Harvest is a unique app that can track your employee’s time, in relation to specific tasks and activities they have been assigned.
This can give you a clear insight into how each employee is coping with the change from home to office life, and if they need some additional help.
Also, at the end of the week, a time report is sent to you, outlining the number of hours worked, it’s that simple.
Employee Health
Touching base again with employee health screening, Fitbit may be able to help you.
Recently they announced a solution that will allow companies to engage with their employee’s health and monitor it effectively through an analytics dashboard.
The first step of the process is an app-based experience that involves employees to state whether they have had any recent exposure to the virus/document their test results if previously infected.
Paired with a fit bit, the app will display employees’ heart rate variability and breathing rate, hopefully identifying any irregularities early on.
For more information, visit Fitbit healthcare solutions.
Conclusion
If you are considering returning to the office and welcoming your employees back, their health and wellbeing must be at the center of attention.
It is not a process that should be rushed, and you should only make the transition if the time is right for you, your employees are healthy (both physically and mentally), and your office is designed alongside social distancing regulations.
Here are the apps mentioned in this article:
