What Is A Hybrid Work Environment & Where Do Digital ID Cards Fit In?
The days of requiring everybody to show up to the office to do work are quickly coming to an end. Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses are now realizing they can still get the job done even when their best people are working remotely. This blog post talks about hybrid work environments and how digital ID cards can be an ideal solution to identify and manage remote workers.
So what has changed since 2020?
For starters, there was and still is a disease called COVID-19 that has been turning everyone’s lives upside down. COVID-19 requires tons of changes to how we live every day life, such as social distancing, wearing masks, and constantly needing to sanitize every surface. The business word reacted to COVID-19 by basically shutting every office down and having their employees do work remotely.
Now that the vaccine is becoming widely available and COVID-19 infection numbers seem to be on the downslope, businesses are exploring how they can re-open, for both their employees and their customers. This is where a hybrid work environment comes in.
What is a Hybrid Work Environment?
A hybrid work environment can be defined simply as a business model that combines remote work with in-office work. The specific setup may be different from business to business, or industry to industry, but in a nutshell, a hybrid work environment both:
A) Gives workers increased freedom and ability to get work done whenever they want, wherever they want, and
B) Allows the business stakeholders to better control their environment (IE- facilities, work-sites, etc)
A hybrid work environment may be necessary to get the work done, since COVID-19 has shut down many normal facets of life, including schools, daycares, and other essential services that workers rely on daily.
Maintaining this type of environment can be pretty tough for managers, especially if they are unfamiliar with navigating things like:
1) Managing health & safety at the workplace
2) Adjusting HR policies & processes for the “new normal”
3) Keeping communication gaps from causing problems
Navigating a hybrid work environment can be a real pain without the right tools. Enter digital ID badges.
What Are Digital ID Badges?
Digital ID badges are supercharged ID cards that connect every worker together in your organization. Typically, managers have no idea that with digital identity, their businesses can easily solve problems related to identity, compliance, and risk management.
Digital ID badges don’t require any hardware beyond a smartphone, meaning they can be issued rapidly and on-demand for any worker. Once issued, a good digital identity system will track all of the user’s attributes, which are defined by stakeholders. For instance, if a business requires a health & safety training certificate or COVID-19 waiver forms, employees can upload a credential or sign a form in their badging application. Using digital ID badges can even be as simple as taking a selfie!
Digital identity is driven by easy workflows that allow employees, contractors, and staff to:
1) Onboard themselves seamlessly, even when remote
2) Upload various required documentation, certifications, and credentials
3) Vet themselves before being allowed to participate in business functions
4) Present a simple ID card on their phone when required
5) Automatically notify staff when they have arrived on-site
Many of our clients believe that digital ID badges are an ideal solution to implementing a hybrid work environment. Here’s how:
Where Do Digital ID Cards Fit In To Hybrid Environments? (Best Practices)
When workers are remote, digital identity helps to keep everybody connected and coordinated through the cloud, just like magic. Digital identity can be implemented in many different ways to help a hybrid environment, depending on business-need:
1) Issue simple, smartphone-based ID cards remotely to any worker
2) Integrate with internal Human Resources systems to automatically badge everyone
3) Manage compliance requirements to reduce liability
4) Promote safe work habits that ensure proper health & safety guidelines are followed
5) Know who has been in and out of the office at any given time
Because managers are always connected with workers through digital ID badges, many issues can be dealt with much faster than normal. Managers can instantly change badge-holder statuses, such as deactivating a badge if a worker becomes sick, or approving a new required training certificate. All information collected by the digital ID system will be stored in a secure cloud environment, ensuring documentation can be reproduced at any time.
Conclusion
Successful hybrid work environments need a personnel management system that makes it easier to keep track of a large, spread out workforce that operates remotely. Traditional plastic ID card systems simply can’t cut it in terms of being able to identify, manage, and ensure compliance. Our clients have discovered that digital ID cards can function as far more than “just an ID badge”, and provide far more useful capabilities for managers looking to keep their businesses open and workers productive. Learn more about Virtual Badge by reaching out to our team today.
