The Safest Workplace Environment is a Flexible, Mobile One
Heading into 2020, one of my predictions for this year was that technology increasingly would "humanize." What that means is that technology will no longer expect its users to fit into predefined experiences. Rather, tech will evolve to craft experiences around the way humans want or need to behave on specific channels.
At its core, every company I've founded has had this human-facing — not tech-facing — approach. Thus, my own concern over today's world events focuses primarily on human needs, whether as part of facilitating connected communications every day or during a time of crisis like in the case of the current pandemic.
At no point in history has the demand for such "humanized" technology been more pressing than right now, not only for efficient and uninterrupted workflows, but also for basic physical safety. Pick up any newspaper today, and the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on humans and our ability to work dominates the headlines. No one anticipated that a pandemic would cause such disruption to the flow of business, let alone our everyday lives, but we do know that the world can be unpredictable and requires contingency plans. While it's unfortunate that this pandemic is what's forcing businesses around the world to adopt digital transformation rapidly, I am heartened that communication solutions can help put fewer people at risk, enable kids to continue to get an education, provide business continuity, keep families connected and more.
Absent the ability to communicate without interruption, a lot of companies would suffer great losses. Customers demand service even if flights are grounded, roads are closed and employees physically can't get to a meeting. These are all solvable problems with minimal risk to employees and with maximum reward to customers via technology platforms that allow for uninterrupted workflow from the relative safety of any mobile device. For many reasons, the time is now for every company to heighten its focus on such digital transformation.
The most "humanizing" thing we can do in high tech is to meet our customers and their employees with digital tools that serve them under any set of circumstances. Without its people, a company is nothing — and the magic of today's digital tools is that people can work and the economy can move along, with business continuing from any mobile device. People can be at work virtually without needing to be there physically.
The statistics bear out that this direction is where work is trending, both by choice and by the necessity of circumstance. When the unexpected does occur, whether it's a bad snow day in New England or travel restrictions to China, people can stay safe and still do their jobs. Both of those things — in that order — are significant concerns in today's business environment.
Part of what excites me about being a chief innovation officer is that I'm at the helm of developing products in this human-focused way. In essence, by the time our customers need something, they already ought to have it. In the face of some significant geopolitical and health challenges right now, both employees and customers can have what they need at their fingertips with digital solutions that allow for ongoing workflow regardless of circumstances. Coupled with modern lifestyle's demand for more flexibility and for businesses' need for more scalability, often beyond what their brick-and-mortar buildings can hold, companies can't focus on digital connection fast enough.
The safety of employees is paramount for any company that values its staff, and one way in which a company can show that it prizes its employees' well-being is by enabling their work through platforms that allow for real-time seamless connection, communication and collaboration. Then, in an unexpected circumstance like a pandemic, business continuity is ensured, safety of employees is respected, and customers are served in the best possible way given the circumstances.
Originally published in Forbes