How Can the Channel Help Customers Get Back to Work Safely?

Last week the British government announced that anyone who could work from home should. It was part of preventive measures in the face of a predicted second wave of the coronavirus. This is despite a few weeks previously encouraging employees to go back to work to help bolster the economy.

Nevertheless, partners are still trying to get their customers back to the office or physical premises safely and securely. This is because for some organisations, having employees work from home just isn’t a practical option.

Stan Lequin, SVP and GM, digital innovation at Insight, contends working from home isn’t a one-size-fits all solution.

Insight’s Stan Lequin

“There are myriad reasons for many teammates to return to work in a physical location,” he said. “But every company’s priority should be to do so as safely as possible. Safely bringing teammates back to work means making smart decisions that reflect government and official health guidelines.”

Safety won’t just depend on smart decisions — smart building technologies are likely to play a bigger role in the future. Lequin said Insight already is working with customers to safely bring workforces back into the office.

“We can use smart cameras with two lenses to check both temperature and detect people moving within six feet of each other and whether they are wearing a mask. RFID-enabled employee badges can also be used to monitor social distancing or link up to smart hand sanitizers. This is especially useful in hospital or health care settings. There are myriad technologies and solutions available to employers,” he said.

“We are rolling some of them out and bringing that knowledge and experience to the work we are doing with clients.”

Monitoring Movement

This move to smart building technology is confirmed by IDC’s COVID-19 research. The analyst found 27% of European firms plan to invest in touchless fixtures. These include door sensors, automatic sinks/soap dispensers and voice-activated elevators. These seek to eliminate frequent touchpoints within the building which could be hot spots for spreading germs.

Firms that monitor the movement of their staff can focus activities such as cleaning in areas with the highest congregation. This allows firms to prioritize virus mitigation activities in areas of highest risk, said Matthew Wilkins, senior research manager, European services at IDC.

IDC’s Matthew Wilkins

“Firms which have already implemented such technologies on their premises will have an advantage in understanding areas for prioritization. Firms which have not deployed such solutions represent opportunity for partners with buildings management solutions,” he said.

However, businesses aren’t solely concentrating their efforts on smart building technology. IDC found that 30% of European firms plan to invest in temperature sensing and other health monitoring technologies.

“We have seen offerings from vendors such as heat detection cameras that measure the temperature of staff as they enter a building,” said Wilkins. “[They are] capable of immediately raising an alert when an individual has a high temperature — a leading indicator of COVID-19. While this financial investment could have a limited window, some offerings … include a normal camera allowing continued operation beyond the pandemic.”

Insight’s Lequin believes COVID-19 might push companies to act now, but the ROI can be ongoing with the right solutions.

“An access control camera panel can be deployed with thermal screening but still be useful post-COVID-19 for building access. Like Apple’s FaceID, but for buildings. In a restaurant, your initial objective might be to ensure employees and guests are fever-free. But over time it can still be used as …