It is fair to say that lockdown in the UK has been a strange and testing time with over 35% of Brits doing some form of working from home. However, with lockdown restrictions easing since 19 July 2021 people are starting to return to their workplaces, but with this comes a big challenge that businesses face in adapting office environments to a different way of working.

But with over five million people fearing returning to work what will this look like? Without a doubt, there will be plenty of new safety protocols involving strict personal hygiene and physical distancing, but how do we make this transition as simple and as safe as possible?

As employers, we are all navigating a different territory. The workplace we left many months ago is unlikely to be the same when we return. We haven’t experienced anything like this before, most organisations don’t have plans in place on how to return to the workplace and if they do, they haven’t been tested and in these unprecedented times the reality is likely to be very different.

Using technology to keep your employees safe

Companies across the UK face so many challenges when it comes to opening their offices again, it can be hard to know the best way to ensure employee welfare is maintained.  We’ve pulled together the top 4 features to look out for in any people presence software:

Employee and guest screening

Screening all employees and guests before they come on-site ensures only those that meet your on-site criteria are granted access. Giving you and your employees confidence that only those people who meet your organisations wellness criteria are able to gain access.

It’s also incredibly beneficial to get alerted when you encounter a person who does not meet your criteria so they can be added to a watchlist and automatically denied should they attempt to gain access.

Touchless sign in/out

The less surfaces we all touch in the workplace the better for slowing the spread of germs. Ensure your software has the option for employees and guests to enter and exit your location using a touchless kiosk, QR code poster, mobile app or via the front of house team. These systems reduce health risks, improve overall hygiene, and create peace of mind for anyone entering or exiting your organisation.

On-site policy acknowledgement

To maintain the highest level of hygiene for your employees and guests. Having the ability to ask everyone entering your location to read and acknowledge your onsite policies. This could be as simple as asking them to agree that they will use hand sanitiser or keep 2 meters from another person. Ensure that any question not answered correctly someone in your team can be notified and access to denied.

Limit numbers on-site

Automatically set the number of people allowed to be on-site at any one time rather than leaving it up to an individual. This feature removes the responsibility on the  front of house team or security team ensuring anyone attempting to gain access when on-site numbers are met are denied and one of your employees are notified. A great feature for managing on-site social distancing.

MRI OnLocation offers these and other features to help you keep your organisation and those within it safe and secure. To learn more, get a demo.

More so than ever are we working remotely, with employers needing to rethink office space, collaboration, and requirements within the workplace. As the world population slowly becomes vaccinated, questions are arising as to what the future of the workplace will be. A hybrid style of work is attracting attention, with employees having the ability to work in multiple different spaces, including corporate offices, coworking spaces, public spaces, and most commonly, from home.

What is a hybrid style of work?

A hybrid workplace supports every style of work, with employees confirming that at the heart of this is their desire for flexibility. This offers employees a seamless experience and gives them a greater sense of control and freedom with how they work.

Flexible work is here to stay, so it is essential that employers harness this knowledge and create a workspace that aids collaboration and suits the new style of work employees are demanding. Another significant consideration is an increased focus on employee wellbeing, improving inclusion within the workplace, whether a worker is remote or full-time back in the workplace.

What does this mean for your business?

Warren Buffet acknowledged that “the supply and demand for office space has changed significantly … and when change happens in the world, you adjust to it”. Employers that fail to harness this new style of working will fall behind, with this creating an opportunity for companies to validate employees’ concerns and provide an environment where each individual can succeed.

How can MRI OnLocation help?

MRI OnLocation can help to ensure a safe environment for employees choosing to work collaboratively and come into their workplace. We can provide up-to-date information with how many individuals are onsite at once, ensuring that there is a limit to the number of employees within the workplace, guaranteeing that physical distancing occurs.

Health screening questions can also be included for all individuals coming on-site, including custom questions such as ‘Have you experienced flu-like symptoms in the past 14 days?”.

Top 5 benefits of a hybrid workplace

1. Working from home allows employees to complete uninterrupted work, avoiding distractions that would usually occur within an office. On average, remote workers are 20-25% more effective when working at home, emphasising the success of spending a few days a week at home.
2. Employers have more time to spend on their own mental health and wellbeing after avoiding commutes to and from work each day, greatly increasing their spare recreational time with family and friends.
3. Flexible work hours, as employees have the ability to choose the hours they work whilst still ensuring they complete their dedicated 8 hours.
4. Office spaces can be transformed into more collaborative areas for when employees come into the office, helping to provide the sense of ‘team’ when they are all together.
5. An increased emphasis on productivity rather than efficiency. Management has switched its focus to supporting team members with the resources they need to complete a project rather than viewing it as simply hours inputted equalling to work output.
6. Increased savings for employers as office space is required less, therefore decreasing the amount spent on rental costs. Additionally, employees are also saving as they are now spending less time and money on a commute to work.

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A vast majority of employees surveyed voiced opinions of their desire to regain daily interaction with colleagues, along with wanting to maintain relationships with clients and stakeholders. However, to return safely to the workplace, protective measures will need to be considered to ensure that each worker feels safe and comfortable in their office environment. How can MRI OnLocation help?

Daily contract tracing

Contract tracing is a core disease control measure, helping to prevent further transmission of the virus by quickly identifying and notifying people who may be infected and contagious.

MRI OnLocation has the ability to track all individuals who have entered the building in one day, and therefore the employer can notify any individual who came in contact with an infected person in their building.

Limiting number of people on site

39% of respondents indicated that limiting the number of individuals onsite would also ease concerns of returning to the workplace, ensuring that social distancing occurred. With MRI OnLocation, employers can set a maximum occupancy to limit the number of people that are permitted on-site, and once the limit is reached any further attempts to sign in will fail.

With features like contract tracing and limiting the number of occupants in a workplace, employees can return with confidence that they will remain safe throughout this continuing pandemic. This enables collaboration and connection between workers to resume, with CEO of Apple expressing that working from home is “not like being together physically… I can’t wait for everybody to be able to come back into the office.”

Touchless entry/exit

Touchless entry and exit reduces the spread of germs by eliminating the risk of transmission through high-touch surfaces, with MRI OnLocation offering touchless entry for employees, contractors, and visitors. 30% of respondents indicated that touch-free sign-in and out would be highly valued, helping to minimise the risk of spreading the virus, and reducing wait times. Visitors will have the ability to sign in using our OnLocation mobile app or scan a QR code and sign in from their smartphone’s browser. No app download required.

Part three of this series focuses on a hybrid workplace, follow along to hear how MRI OnLocation can help your company

New to MRI OnLocation?

Get started with a FREE 30 day trial today. No credit card required.