Every day, companies are looking for ways to make the workplace more streamlined and productive. Technology makes this happen in every job facet, from how inboxes manage emails to how a business hires people. What are a few technologies influencing the workplace now?
1. Workplace Health and Safety Apps
The post-pandemic world has made employees’ health more of a priority than ever before. Every workplace has safety and health protocols, but they are more evolved and complex because of technology. Around 93% of employers focus more now on using tech to keep tabs on visitor tracking as an added security measure.
The most obvious way technology has helped health is by managers implementing systems and programs to allow workers to perform their duties from home and in the office. The ability to work remotely could increase the safety and productivity of other employees because they’ll be a reduced chance of spreading illness.
Other apps allow everyone at work to have peace of mind. Microsoft’s Employee Return to the Workplace is a great example, as it has features like sentiment tracking to check employee comfort. Apps can do everything from checking pulse to having employees submit health checks to enter secure facilities.
2. Standing Desks
As you’ve seen, overall, employee health has become more of a priority for business owners. Standing desks can further that goal. Employers have even said they have more productive meetings while utilizing these alternative desks.
There are plenty of other benefits for standing desks, including:
- Higher productivity.
- Better posture and comfort.
- Healthier lifestyle habits.
- Improved mood and energy levels.
Health is a priority because nobody wants to walk into a barren office anymore. Keeping staff healthy equates to keeping them happy — tools and technologies like standing desks work to mitigate absenteeism and illness.
3. Employee Experience Apps
Employee health goes past the physical. Dissatisfied workers can cause a hostile environment, a decline in productivity, and wasted physical and digital resources. With the rise in awareness about emotional and mental health, there are ways to ensure employees are as happy to work toward your greater mission as they can be. That’s where experience apps — or human capital management (HCM) apps — come in.
Measuring employee satisfaction could help decrease turnover, meaning less money is wasted on training and acquisition. These apps measure workers’ feelings by providing surveys and communication tools to deliver feedback. Many allow this anonymously. HCM apps work great in conjunction with other productivity and workplace-improvement tools.
4. Artificial Intelligence
Traditional workplaces are either adapting or not to artificial intelligence (AI)’s a significant influence. Managers afraid of creating a workforce of robots are oversimplifying the value AI can provide offices. Depending on the industry, it can speed up processes and optimize workflow. Resources like HCM programs assist human resources departments, and performance management programs help evaluate employees.
There are plenty of ways AI decreases human error and improves quality-of-life at work:
- Streamline interdepartmental communication
- Engage with data-determined decision-making
- Increase efficiency by opening up employee schedules for more critical tasks
- Boost your company’s bottom line
These programs have pros and cons, as some workers value opportunities to advance tech. Others are skeptical of algorithmic decision-making regarding their careers because it could jeopardize livelihoods. But, when employees implement technology to complete low-value tasks, they can spend more time with profitable work.
5. Digital Automation
This is different from AI in that it optimizes already-existing technologies. However, digital automation can assist with improving AI by giving it data. Businesses could automate everything from customer service to talent acquisition. Simple apps like SaneBox and Buffer organize social media posts and emails. Taking the time and financial investment to implement these tools could create more budget room for further innovation and goal achievement.
Data processing automation — a market that could reach nearly $5 billion by 2027 — could save thousands of dollars and hours for companies wasting time manually analyzing data. It also decreases human error. On top of administrative assistants like automatic meeting schedulers, these technologies create a more advanced workforce. Automating certain functions to programs could optimize the budget regarding expenses like salaries, leaving more room to increase wages or hire more members for struggling departments.
6. Enhanced Cybersecurity
With cybercrime becoming more profitable, businesses must keep up to protect their financial well-being and staff safety. Cybercriminals threaten consumer and company data daily, but the ever-enhancing cybersecurity industry is helping assure workplaces are secure.
Data breaches could happen in any modern office, from server ransomware attacks to phishing scams in your employees’ emails. Technology can help not only protect but limit and secure access to who can access what data. Administrative controls like multifactor authentication protect confidential data, preventing hackers from compromising data.
Your Coworkers in Tech
Some innovations can improve your business whether you’re a technology skeptic or enthusiast. You could achieve goals faster, enhance the wellness of your workers and earn more profit by saving time and money investing in technologies that serve your mission.
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