Mobile technology is advancing to provide security, increase productivity, and promote a health and safety culture within the office. In 2011, a Pew Research study found that only 35% of Americans owned a cell phone. Now, that figure has risen to more than 85% of Americans.
This means that businesses can use more mobile applications and technologies to facilitate and automate everyday tasks and improve operations in the workplace. You may be wondering, how does mobile technology help businesses in the office?
Since the pandemic, the scope of safety requirements for businesses has changed. These mobile technologies are helping companies meet those requirements so that employees can safely return to the office. Read on to find out how mobile technology is assisting businesses give their employees’ peace of mind.
What Is A Mobile Credential?
One of the biggest trends in mobile technology that is helping businesses move back into the office safely is mobile credentials. Mobile credentials are an access control feature that allows you to authenticate and use your phone as a key to get access to different parts of your office.
Mobile credentials are easy to set up, and this means employees won’t be waiting for a new fob or key when they join your company or return to the office. A mobile credential access system can be the foundation for building other mobile technologies that will help you organise a safe return to work.
How To Use Mobile Technology To Return To The Office
When organising your return to the office, you should focus on three main goals: keeping employees productive in and out of the office; securing the building from unauthorised visitors to minimise exposure; and your employees’ health and safety.
Many businesses are continuing to work from home, but some are slowly implementing a hybrid work model or fully returning to the office to facilitate productivity.
This list will show you which mobile technologies you can use to achieve all of these goals when returning to the office.
Productivity
You can increase productivity in the workplace upon returning to work using the following mobile technologies:
- Wireless chargers – If your employees are using mobile phones more in the office, you will find that productivity may be hindered by low batteries and employees will be clamouring around for a free plug. To keep your office looking neat and free of wires, consider supplying wireless charging points at employee desks to keep productivity high.
- Mobile access – Mobile credentials allow employees to access different parts of the building without finding their key or fob. They will be able to move around more freely and conveniently, saving time when they need to move back and forth between office spaces.
Security
- Multi-factor authentication– Multi-factor authentication can be built directly into your device that requires users to provide one or more verification factors to gain access.
- Integrations– A mobile credential access system can be fitted with many integrations to boost security in your offices, such as video feed, which can provide you with access information and video information on one interface for a more user friendly business security system.
Safety
- Wellness verification – Your mobile technology access system can require that users provide information regarding corona virus symptoms by completing a survey on their mobile before they are granted access to the building daily. This mobile technology feature will make your employees feel safe and protected at work.
- Occupancy Management– Occupancy management allows you to maintain social distancing in your office by providing logs of how many people are using each room in your building. This way you can manage occupancy to prevent overcrowding which could leave employees vulnerable to germs.
- Temperature checks – Your mobile technology access system can be integrated with temperature checking devices to ensure that people entering the building aren’t suffering from a fever which may mean they need to self-isolate.
Is There Any Downside To Using Mobile Technology In The Office?
If you are planning to bring mobile technology to the forefront of your business plan for returning to work, you need to be aware of any associated negatives so that you can introduce this technology smoothly:
- Work/life balance– If your employees are using their mobile devices for work, this may impact their ability to switch off at the end of the day and enjoy their down time. Since a healthy work/life balance is the key to employee satisfaction, you may wish to encourage employees to set a clear boundary between working and non-working hours.
Summary
Returning to the office poses many problems for businesses involving health, productivity, and security. If you implement mobile technologies in your workplace, you can address all of these issues using a mobile access system with added integrations to provide additional useful security features.
