The Tech Your Workplace Needs During COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of work seemingly overnight. Companies are struggling to find a new normal amidst a sea of recommendations and best practices for a problem no one has ever encountered before. Businesses have been running remotely for months at this point, some more successfully than others. By utilizing the latest HR tech, your office can adapt to the ever-changing landscape that COVID-19 has created. When considering COVID-19 re-entry, it is important to recognize that solutions are being made available daily, and some of these technologies are the answer to getting back to work.

COVID-19 Management System

Sometimes remote work isn’t an option and your staff will need to be on site. COVID-19 re-entry can be a big adjustment after months of quarantine. In addition to following the CDC’s guidelines for reopening businesses, consider utilizing technology to minimize your staff’s risk of bringing COVID-19 into the workplace.

SymTem™, for example, is the latest in InfoMart’s product suite. An app designed to keep workplaces and their staff safe and healthy, SymTem creates a simple process to determine who should and should not come into the office.

1. Each morning, employees record their symptoms and take their own temperature in the app.
2. The app then provides them with either a ready-to-work badge for the day or a work-from-home directive, depending on their results.

SymTem is backed by a robust management portal, which allows supervisors to manage daily screening results, monitor internal hotspots, oversee disinfection and PPE requests, and more. It’s the premier COVID-19 re-entry tool for HR, security, wellness, COVID task teams, and more. With the ability to add in telemed provider information and an anonymous reporting hotline for employees who aren’t following your company’s policy and procedures, it’s the all-in-one COVID-19 risk-management tool every company needs.

Teleconferencing Software

Most businesses have already discovered Zoom, a teleconferencing app that allows people to set up virtual meetings between multiple participants. But if your team has found that Zoom does not work for them, there are plenty of options out there to meet your teleconferencing needs before and during COVID-19 re-entry.
Many of them happen to be free! Google Hangouts, Skype, UberConference,
and Slack are just a handful of the zero-cost teleconferencing programs available to businesses.

If your team is still getting the hang of teleconferencing software, create a clear outline for how these tools should be used:

• Will you require employees to have their cameras turned on?
• Should those not currently speaking mute their microphones to avoid interruptions?
• Will you require a business dress code for virtual meetings?

These are questions your company must address in order to use these tools effectively. Encourage your employees to bring forward any questions or technical difficulties they may encounter. 

Not only are these tools useful for meetings within your company, they can also be used to meet with potential clients, conduct interviews of potential employees, and facilitate any kind of workplace-related conversations. It also keeps everyone safe after COVID-19 re-entry; the CDC still recommends that people avoid groups of ten or more, which can be difficult when it comes to department or company-wide meetings. Even if you’re working in the office again, by moving your conversations to Zoom (or a teleconferencing app of your choice), you greatly reduce your chances of exposing your team to COVID-19.

Drug Screening Goes Virtual

A few years ago, many in the industry would have scoffed at the idea of virtual drug screening. Now, it is an innovative way to ensure your business stays a drug-free environment during COVID-19 and COVID-19 re-entry. Many companies are now resuming their hiring practices in the wake of COVID-19, and screening should not be overlooked. One thing that hasn’t changed in recent months is the importance of safety at the workplace, and with a variety of virtual options available, drug screening has never been easier.

InfoMart offers a simple, virtual method for employment screening and drug testing. Our method allows candidates to complete a mouth swab test while on a video call with your company’s wellness or HR representative. These types of tests are ideal for screening candidates as they offer easy-to-follow instructions and allow candidates to be observed during the entire screening process. If the test results read negative, no further action is needed, and the individual is ready for work. If the test results read presumptive positive or inconclusive, the candidate will need to visit a drug testing facility in person to provide a urine sample.

21st Century Supply Chain

2020 has brought on the advent of Supply Chain 4.0. by delivering disruptive and innovative technologies you can incorporate into your business’s supply chain. The Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, cloud computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality can all be strategically implemented into your business strategy to create an interconnected supply chain.

For example, the adoption of robotics has revolutionized deliveries. Since in-person package or food delivery could potentially expose both parties to COVID-19, many restaurants and companies in the US and China are utilizing adorable delivery robots to safely deliver customer purchases. However, companies need to
establish clear protocols to safeguard the sanitary condition and safety of any delivered goods.

Heavy reliance on paper-based records, a lack of visibility on data, and lack of diversity and flexibility have made existing supply chain system vulnerable to any pandemic. The integration of Big Data and cloud computing encourage data sharing and discourage reliance on physical documents. By creating an interconnected digital supply chain, you can enhance the accuracy of your company’s data and encourage data sharing after COVID-19 re-entry.

Voice Technology

If you have ever said the words “Hey Alexa” or “Hey Siri,” you are likely already familiar with the benefits voice-activated technology can provide. By utilizing voice commands and voice-activated software, you can drastically reduce the amount of surfaces your employees are required to physically touch after COVID-19 re-entry. Opening and shutting doors, printing and copying—any commonly touched surface could potentially become voice activated in the future.

By reducing the number of surfaces that employees have to regularly touch, you can greatly hamper the spread of all types of illnesses throughout the workplace, not just COVID-19.

Technology is changing the way we work for the better, starting with our physical health. By managing this crisis with flexible new technology, this ordeal could
bring about new innovations decades earlier than expected. As we adapt to our new normal, it is important to keep an eye on where we will be in a year or two’s time. Do not let your immediate focus on this pandemic set your company behind the curve.

About Tammy Cohen

Tammy Cohen, an industry pioneer and expert in identity and employment screening, founded InfoMart 30 years ago. Deemed the “Queen of Screen,” she’s been a force behind industry-leading innovations. She was most recently the first-to-market with a fully compliant sanctions search, as well as a suite of identity services that modernizes talent onboarding. Tammy revolutionized the screening industry when she stepped into the field, developing the first client-facing application and a due diligence criminal search that has since become standard for all background screening companies. Cohen has received national awards and honors for her business and civic involvement, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 25 Women-Owned Firms in Atlanta, Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year award, the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s Kathryn Woods Racial Justice Award, and a commendation in the 152nd Congressional Record. To learn more about Tammy, visit www.tammycohen.com.

About InfoMart

InfoMart has been revolutionizing the global background and identity screening industry for 30 years, providing businesses the information they need to make informed hiring decisions. They develop innovative technology that modernizes talent onboarding, including a first-to-market biometric identity authentication application and a verified sanctions search. The WBENC-certified company is a founding member of the Professional Background Screening Association, and they have achieved PBSA accreditation in recognition of their consistent business practices and commitment to compliance with the FCRA. The company is dedicated to customer service, speed, and accuracy, and it has been recognized for its success, workplace culture, and corporate citizenship with over 45 industry awards. To Get the Whole Story on InfoMart, please visit www.InfoMart-USA.com, follow @InfoMartUSA, or call (770) 984-2727.