How Are Leading Companies Using Technology to Return to Office?

The pandemic put a full-stop on business as usual, paving the way for organizations to become more digital-centric and agile and at lightning speed. The pandemic has sped up the adoption process of technology by three to four years for most organizations. And the share of digital-enabled products in their portfolios has accelerated by seven years. For leaders across global companies, the question is how to keep this momentum going for the upcoming years. 

This kind of speed has unleashed a wave of innovation in our workplace. Nothing similar to what we have seen before. The crisis has pushed every organization to experiment with ways to become flexible. Technology has become the launching pad for the global leaders, who are showing us the way out of this crisis. 

While the vaccination drive is a massive part of the plan enforced, technology plays a large role in it. Big names like Goldman Sachs, Apple, Amazon, and Ernst & Young have already started implementing a return to office strategy. These large incumbents, who are driving the digital transformation battle, analyze certain technological aspects before implementing the return to office strategy. 

A Complex Set of Considerations Before We Return to Office 

When governments across the globe mandated lockdowns, most companies didn’t have much choice other than going remote. But like we mentioned earlier, the vaccination drive has opened several avenues. However, it is important to understand that the post-pandemic return to office is in no way cut clearly, and executives of large companies have to juggle various considerations that include: 

• Establishing safety guidelines 
• Evaluate policies to follow protocols 
• Monitor employee sentiment 
• Determine the company’s role in rolling out vaccines 
• Implement a phased communication to maintain transparency 

Now, these are quite challenging when you first think about them. However, leveraging technology is enabling the return to office strategy effectively for large companies. Let’s see how. 

3 Ways Large Companies are Using Technology To Return to Office 

Leaders from the big names in the industry are relying on technology to gather the information that will help them implement a flawless return to office strategy. Now, technology can be used for three main aspects of the return to office process: planning, communication, and generating reports. 

Planning for a Return to Office 

Technology has been playing a significant role in enabling the return to office. For instance, companies like Deloitte are using technology to conduct regular surveys combined with RTO data to form new policies and understand employee expectations for the post-pandemic work environment.

 As importantly, technology is providing the data and metrics required to make informed decisions, primarily to determine who comes back to the office and when. SaaS products like WorkInSync are also helping organizations lay the blueprint for new work settings. It is identifying employee groups by their eligibility to work remotely, on-site or hybrid. It is also providing leaders with the insights to refresh the existing policies. 

Finally, technology is assisting leaders in mapping out a workplace contingency plan if there is another outbreak. 

Communicating the Return to Office Plan

Effective communication is critical to implementing a return to office strategy. A leading food-service company was operating its stores during the pandemic. They used customized messages to alert the different categories of employees. 

It is challenging to deliver relevant messages to the related people during complex situations. Leaders have to maintain transparency, keep their employees engaged, and build trust. Most companies are using email dashboards and communication platforms to keep their employees informed about the latest developments. 

To execute a smooth return to office strategy, leaders are relying on technology that will help them manage personalized communication campaigns and schedule alerts. It is playing a massive role in enabling them to reach out to the employees with information that educates them. With the help of technology, two-way communication is also being established. 

Analyzing Return to Office Implementation 

Technology is most commonly used to record data and analyze trends across the industry. With a new workplace setting, which is essentially hybrid, technology is providing leaders with the information and insights required to execute their return to office strategies. 

For instance, floor occupancy data is helping them track the number of people in the office at any given time. A desk booking software is optimizing office space and reducing cost. With a vaccine management dashboard, executives are tracing each employee’s health status, analyzing potential risks, and further curbing the spread of the virus. 

Using technology, executives are keeping track of everything occurring when returning to the office. 

To Conclude 

The upcoming months will be challenging for leaders. Uncertainties and complexities are a part of the return to office strategy. However, these industry leaders are paving the way for the rest. The success of the strategy, well, only time will tell.