As some parts of economies plan to open up after the COVID-19 lockdown, organizations are defining the next steps in the phased return to work. However, the big question looming over these decisions is – are employees ready to return to work?
A survey conducted by Breathe, an HR software provider for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in conjunction with Posture People and HR Central, found that 88% of 482 survey respondents (including business leaders and employees) are not comfortable using public transport to commute to work in 2020.
This will emerge as a big challenge for companies based in large cities, even though over 50% of the respondents to the survey shared that they will limit the number of people in the office and follow rota systems so that social distancing rules can be observed. A shift-based and partial return to work is likely to be the way forward, along with the right technologyOpens a new window to manage such a change.
HR Technology News: 75% of Hourly Workforce Needs Flexibility in Working Shifts, Finds Greene-GroupOpens a new window
A Scheduling App to the Rescue
With the focus on shift-based work schedules, Breathe also launched a new product Breathe Rota. The product is an intuitive staff scheduling and attendance software. It addresses an emerging need for SMEs by providing the functions to create rotas, inform staff about their upcoming shifts, and make changes afterward if required.
Earlier surveys have also indicated that flexibility and the option to choose the hours of shift work will be important drivers of employee engagementOpens a new window .
Other solutions, such as Ximble, Humanity, WorkSchedule.Net, and TSheets, are also designed for workforce scheduling. They offer options such as planning shifts, updating them, and instantly communicating these changes to employees through the same app. The significant difference between them and Breathe Rota is that the latter is free for companies until January 2021, while the others are paid software.
However, in terms of free tools, there are options such as ZoomShift and Sling, which have non-paid plans that work for small teams. Breathe Rota will have to compete with these tools for the next six months as it becomes available in the market.
The range of tools available at the organizations’ disposal is diverse. Using these tools will allow HR teams as well as managers to save time, which would have otherwise been spent in manually creating, refining, and tracking schedules. A variety of apps as well are helping small businesses, especially to schedule employees for tasks, shifts, timetables, and assignments. Some apps, such as Shiftboard, also allow companies to design shifts that comply with overtime rules and are focused on reducing no-shows.
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From Scheduling to Contact Tracing: Employee Safety Is a Top Priority
As companies start reviewing which software or app is suitable for their needs, in addition to shift management, organizations are also likely to explore apps that enable productivityOpens a new window tracking and the safe return to work while being compliant from a privacy perspective. Given that public transport is a concern as per the survey, companies might also need to define safe travel options for their employees such that they are ready to return. For example, if employees need to shift to using personal cars, cabs, or carpooling with known contacts, companies could evaluate how to reimburse the additional costs.
Returning to work, especially when the pandemic is at its peak across the globe, is a cause of fear and apprehension for a majority of employees. Employee safety is a significant area of concern and the reason why organizations are heavily investing in related technology. That has resulted in evaluating solutionsOpens a new window that can enable HR to minimize the risk of exposure for employees by using proper workforce planning. It can be addressed with the use of the right technology, support for transportation, and shift scheduling process.