When a manufacturer can boast a wide-ranging set of tools to the degree of Konica Minolta, it makes the ability to pivot on the changing needs of the workplace that much easier.
When the COVID-19 pandemic caught the business world flat-footed, Konica Minolta’s Future of Work platform called an audible. Not only would end-users require many IT-based tools to facilitate the work-from-home environment—as evidenced by Konica Minolta’s swing in global client service calls from 70/30 in favor of core business requests versus managed IT to an 80/20 split demanding IT requests after COVID-19 struck—the question quickly became what tools and resources would clients need once businesses started returning to work?
The manufacturer wasted little time pondering the question. Backed by its investments and proficiency in All Covered (managed IT), Mobotix and ECM, Konica Minolta mobilized and in four short weeks laid the foundation for its Return to Work solution, with an accompanying website. Simply put, the solution helps employers measure, track and manage the health of its employees, consistent with the standards of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), federal, state and local guidelines, with customization for company-based edicts surrounding if and when an employee is physically well enough to return to work.
Sam Errigo, executive vice president, sales and business development for Konica Minolta Business Solutions, told a June 16 press and analyst briefing that absent the aforementioned trio of competencies, the Return to Work solution is an abstract/ideal that would require years to develop.
“If you did not have IT services, Mobotix and content management, it’s impossible for you to deliver an integrated platform in a manner that allows you to have a seamless experience for this return to work application,” Errigo said. “Konica Minolta continues to redefine who they are in the marketplace in terms of scope of products and services and how we execute that in a very seamless manner.”
Managing COVID-19, Employees
In constructing such a platform, Konica Minolta needed to take into account all of the factors necessary for fostering a safe environment for employees. As businesses mobilized to ensure their facilities were conducive to the requirements demanded of working in the COVID-19 era (face masks, six-foot distancing, reconfigured workspaces and hybrid on-site/remote schedules and staggered shifts), Konica Minolta wanted to equip users with tools that measure and monitor the returning process for employees. It covers four main areas:
- Mobile self-reporting/daily health checks. Employees are sent a pre-work qualifier text/e-mail that asks various questions related to how the person is feeling on a given day and if he/she is showing any signs of illness (cough/fever, etc). Depending on how the questions are answered, the individual could be told to report to work, stay home or contact human resources.
- Thermal imaging/temperature scanning. Konica Minolta provides elevated temperature detection courtesy of its Mobotix thermal camera, which uses thermal radiometry technology to measure the temperature being radiated by the skin surface. Individuals who measure outside the optimal temperature range are then directed to a discreet, secondary protocol with a thermometer reading. A confirmation can trigger the company to request the employee take a PTO day.
- Incident management application. The company’s human resources or health safety officers will have access to cases for employees that have been asked to stay or return home. The application shows all of the logged cases filtered by the criterion selected. Each case can be opened to see detailed information on the history of the individual and how he/she is being treated. The content management tool includes a contact tracing function that outlines fellow employees or clients/partners they may have come into close proximity with during daily interactions.
- Reporting tools. The dashboard reporting function provides a global look at the data collected throughout the organization, for use by executives, human resources and/or health/safety teams.
The Return to Work solution is available in three tiers that address the size/needs of the end-user. According to Errigo, Return to Work is only available through select dealers. He noted that three or four dealers, with qualifications pertaining to the security component regarding Mobotix cameras, have been vetted and are receiving training. Visit the Return to Work website for more information.
