How to manage the return to work digitally

The message from the UK Government has been clear in recent days – it’s time for people to return to the office if you can run the working environment safely. Business leaders need sound data from which to make decisions on when, where, and how to re-open and the need to track and report progress will be key.

Facilities and operational managers readying locations in a phased manner as waves of workers return will be learning and adapting as they go. The size of the challenge is clear.

As with many business problems, there’s a digital solution, which can aid in putting your business back on its feet and give customers confidence that you’re open for business in a safe and secure fashion.

A turnkey Return to Work solution, such as the one based on Microsoft’s Power Platform, will kickstart and underpin your business continuity plan.

The solution offers the following:

• Location Readiness - allows facility managers and task force leaders to determine the readiness of their facilities and make quick decisions using critical factors like COVID-19 infection rates and the availability of supplies
• Employee Health and Safety Management - gives employees self-service tools like remote check-in and self-screening to help them work safely, confidently and productively  
• Workplace Care Management - gives health and safety teams the tools to actively manage COVID-19 cases, identify hotspots, and import data from contract tracing systems to manage the health and safety of the workforce and workplace  
• Location Management - helps facility managers support a safe environment with tools for monitoring occupancy, health supplies, safety procedures, and other facility-related best practices

It takes hours to deploy the standard solution, but as the needs of every business are different, you may wish to consider making your own specific tweaks to best fit your operations. The templated approach of the Power App gives that flexibility for rapid deployment of change, driven by business need. And when situations can be fluid, well, that’s a real benefit.

The cost of the solution will vary, depending on how you source your licensing from Microsoft. But in terms of monthly billing, the Return to Work system on a pay-as-you-go model is a worthwhile investment to address a very real business problem.

The faster and more efficiently you can return to ‘normal’, the better

Globally, organisations face the challenge of implementing a safe working environment while continuing operations as smoothly as possible. If you can return to full working capability in the new normal efficiently and rapidly, you will reap the benefits.

Learn more about the lean business accelerators available

To get the most out of the platform, consider working with a partner like Columbus, who knows the difficulties of your industry before your turnkey solution is implemented. If your business is facing the challenge of adapting to the new normal, we have a range of lean business accelerators that can help you enable your own team to adapt and create your own solutions for any issue that your business might face.

Transitioning to the cloud can be facilitated by tools like Power Apps, Automate and a common, secure data platform with the ability to link on-prems apps that manage workloads such as health and safety, facilities and human resources.

Our next Power Hour session will cover how you can place data that sits on your equipment into the hands of those that need it using cloud-based techniques. Sign up today to discover what’s possible and how the Power Platform can help your business go from surviving to thriving.