3 Ways Technology Can Enhance An In-Office, Remote, Or Hybrid Environment

COVID-19 has permanently disrupted the way organizations around the globe do business. Even though we are hopefully beyond the peak, the pandemic has forced organizations to rethink how they do business.

While some have opted for a complete return to work, most have adopted a delayed reopening or a hybrid work environment.

That is where technology comes in. Technology can act as a helpful bridge for companies willing to embrace technology the same way most did when working remotely.

As an independent technology provider, LDI works with clients to identify and manage technology to support their needs. LDI has helped many customers of all sizes assess and optimize their office environments and technology during the last two decades.

This article will identify three ways technology can support your company’s return to work, whether that means a return to the physical office, more efficient use of remote solutions, or a hybrid of both.

We will then cover the areas where technology can optimize your business efficiency, productivity, and user experience. By the end of this article, you will have learned how technology can enhance your business.

What Are 3 Ways Technology Can Reshape Your Environment?

Whether you have already considered and built out your technology or are just beginning to look at how technology can bridge the gaps, here are some things that you may want to consider.

Let’s dive into the three ways technology can best support your business.

1. Supports Your Safe Return To A Physical Workspace

For those returning to a physical workplace, there are several things you can do to ensure the health and wellness of staff and visitors entering your space.

Let’s take a look at the different types of technology your business can implement.

Temperature Screening

Temperature screening ensures the safety of your employees.

Placing a temperature kiosk at the front of your office is a good idea in monitoring those who enter and leave.

Why? Well, temperature kiosks are FDA-cleared, automated, touchless clinical thermometers that can screen the body temperatures of employees and guests before entering and leaving the office.

Temperature kiosks use thermal imaging cameras to detect elevated temperatures. Temperature kiosks can be configured to track and record an individual’s date, time, name, and temperature.

Additionally, they can perform mask detection where that requirement exists and record the temperature of the individual.

Digital Signage

You can think of digital signage as a streamlined way to share public information and encourage safety protocol. 

Digital signage works electronically and can be programmed to display pictures and messages and target those entering and leaving the building.

It can be updated as much or a little as you want and stands as the perfect reminder of what distancing protocol is being enforced in the office. 

For example, suppose you’d like to enforce that employees and visitors alike wear masks when walking around the office and keep a 6ft distance from their coworkers.

In that case, an administrator of your office building can program your digital signage technology to specify those rules.

Another helpful example may be reminding your employees to wear their masks if they are not vaccinated.

Digital signage can help enforce rules that employees may have forgotten or allow them to be more mindful of their coworkers.

Security Surveillance Cameras 

Nowadays, surveillance technology does not have to be used to catch theft or monitor people entering and leaving.

Surveillance technology such as security camera systems can help keep track of all employee behavior within the office to ensure that social distancing protocol is being followed.

Real-time surveillance can help monitor employees or guests, ensure that employees abide by proper social distancing etiquette, and not overpopulate one shown in the office.

2. It Optimizes The Remote Experience

To enhance your employee’s remote experience, implementing a cloud migration strategy can be beyond helpful.

Cloud-based technology and solutions can ensure seamless collaboration, communication, and productivity.

Unified Communications & Video Conferencing

Video conferencing enables employees to seamlessly communicate, collaborate, and gather virtually using unified communications such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, CiscoWebX, and others.

These platforms enhance business operations by providing an easy, user-friendly, streamlined way of enabling employees to call, message, hold a video conference, share a document, schedule meetings, and eliminate travel to move from one meeting to another.

A significant perk of utilizing a unified communications tool is the surplus of options built into the platforms, whether in the office or home. These may include recorded meetings, file sharing, voice transcription, and event ticklers, depending on the platform.

Employees can use online and in-person interactions to serve their business needs better.

There are various video conferencing setups that your business can play with to make your meeting room the safest it can be.

However, suppose you rather your employees use video conferencing to meet at their desks virtually. In that case, this is also a viable option.

While video conferencing enables you to join in a meeting room with your peers, it also provides the stand-alone option of taking a call from your platform of choice remotely.

3. Safely Supports The Hybrid Work Model 

Suppose your organization is abiding by a hybrid work model. In that case, it’s important to consider implementing safe technology solutions to ensure that your team stays safe.

As we outlined above, video conferencing and digital signage are equally supportive in ensuring that your team remains safe and productive.

However, another technology to consider for your business is enforcing proper security measures through a touchless setup, especially when completing print jobs.

Touchless Printing

Every business makes copies or shares documents via the cloud.

Employees can effectively release print jobs via a security badge or through a mobile application through a touchless interface through software applications like uniFLOW and PaperCut.

While most employees are used to pressing a button on their printing device touch panel, secure print applications now make it easy to protect your confidential data while keeping you from touching an interface that you don’t need to.

By simply scanning your security badge over the device, the print job in your print queue will release and be printed.

Is Upgrading Your Technology Necessary? 

Most companies quickly deployed ways to access files online and use new unified communications platforms to stay in business at the beginning of 2020.

Companies now have to decide if those same quick fixes still fit the needs of their business, employees, and customers. Why?

So now that employees have proven to be productive while working remotely, will your business need to upgrade its office technology completely? Yes and no.

Each company needs first to evaluate its current environment.

Once you have assessed your infrastructure, you can decide which technologies can effectively transition employees back into a safe and productive setting. 

Is  Your Business Ready To Return To The Office? 

If your company wants to reopen, then taking touchless and tech-enabled precautions is essential.

Considering your office technology can help better serve your employees, improve their productivity, and even provide some cost benefits.

At LDI, our team of account managers, experts, and certified specialists is happy to discuss how our services can enhance your working environment.

Reach out to an LDI representative today to learn how different technology can help your company return to the office.