INTHEBLACK April 2022 - Magazine - Page 71
Left: Azure Virtual
Desktop allows
employees to access
their work desktops,
applications and data
from anywhere.
Below: intelliHR
includes analytics to
help managers keep
track of employee
engagement.
Left: Envoy’s app
allows hybrid
workers to book
desks or rooms
before they come
to the office.
Right: Jostle’s Links
feature provides a
customisable
launchpad for quick
access to apps,
intranet resources
and more.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT APPS
Keeping remote and hybrid staff engaged with
the business can be challenging, but there are
HR apps that can help improve the remote
employee experience.
For example, intelliHR not only makes
onboarding and other HR processes simpler
for both HR teams and employees, but also
offers employee analytics. The app provides
insights into employee engagement based on
regular feedback, allowing managers to
understand staff issues and take steps to solve
them.
Moodflx takes employee analytics to a
whole new level by monitoring employees’
moods. The data is anonymised, analysed and
shared with managers, so they can take steps
to improve staff morale when needed. The key
to the app’s success, however, is employees’
willingness to record their moods regularly.
A staff helpdesk app may be a more
pragmatic tool, providing employees with
quick access to the information they need or
solutions to their problems. With OfficeAmp,
for example, employees can ask a question,
which is intelligently answered by a bot if it’s
a frequently asked question, or else the issue
is routed to the most suitable person.
Engaging with other team members is
important, of course. Chat and collaboration
apps are now essential, but sometimes
employees need a nudge to participate. Slack
and Microsoft Teams offer dozens of add-in
apps that may help. For example, Kudos and
Trivia enable employees to show their
appreciation for each other’s work or just have
some fun on either Slack or Teams.
FLEXIBLE PHYSICAL WORKSPACES
While digital workspaces are now vital,
traditional physical workspaces are as
important as ever. However, they are changing
to support the hybrid workforce.
Some organisations are adopting more
flexible office configurations, such as hotdesking.
Apps such as Envoy can help companies
manage flexible office environments by
allowing employees to book desks and
meeting rooms.
Reliable, high-speed wireless networking is
also essential, while smart office technologies
such as climate and lighting control systems
can improve the workplace experience and
minimise utility costs.
Workplace safety is an important
consideration, no matter where employees
work. Remote employees are working longer
hour and home offices should be set up with an
ergonomic chair and desk, along with a good
monitor, keyboard, mouse and other home
office tools (see INTHEBLACK June 2020).
Employees can use desktop computers at
home, while accessing business apps and data
via VDI, DaaS or cloud solutions. However, for
most remote and hybrid workers, a good
laptop is a must.
If there is one piece of equipmentarticularly
suited to hybrid workers, it’s a docking station
– two of them, in fact, one for home and one
for the office. The docks should be compatible
with your laptop and be set up to allow you to
plug in and unplug your laptop with just one
cable, making it easy to switch between both
locations.
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au April 2022 71
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