The Great Return to Work Key 2: Using Technology to Increase Visibility
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Find out how partners are using EMS to respond to COVID-19 in ways ranging from real-time notifications to managing dormitory rooms to "hot spot spaces."
By Dan Hurley, Vice President of Sales - EMS
Like many of you, I have heard from a lot of friends over the past couple of months. People are wanting to re-connect and talk about their experiences during this uncertain time. These friends include many of the outstanding people I have met during my 12 years working with our higher education partners.
We have talked a lot about the significant impact COVID-19 has had on our lives and it has been interesting to learn the various ways folks are coping with the current situation. Many have also shared their opinions on the “new normal” that lies ahead.
For one thing, the transition to working from home has proven successful for many organizations and those I have spoken to feel it will likely be a permanent part of the landscape moving forward.
Additionally, many of our partners have shared the ways they are using EMS to adjust how they are responding and adapting to COVID-19. Some of these include:
Things are changing daily and it has been inspiring to see how EMS is helping so many organizations manage through this difficult time.
Bottom line, the way our education partners communicate, instruct, learn and meet, will change forever. The higher education landscape will look very different when everyone officially returns to campus and we keep hearing different opinions on when that might actually happen.
Many institutions are indeed moving forward with a Fall term, while some institutions are exploring the possibility of a virtual Fall term and a physical return to campuses in Spring 2021. Others are considering a staggered return, sending half of their students back to campus this Fall and the other half remaining virtual; the situation would then be flipped for the Spring term. No matter where things land, everyone will have different expectations related to campus health and safety.
Last week, I spoke with the CIO of a large public university in California – a long-time EMS campus user and a close friend of mine. As the CIO, he has a perspective that covers the entire campus – every college, office and department. I was proud to hear that, even 7 years after implementation at his university, EMS continues to be a mission-critical application for navigating today’s landscape.
With the dynamic path that lies ahead, it was no surprise to hear that his expectations for vendor partners are increasing. His institution will continue to partner with trusted vendors that have detailed business continuity plans, the ability to clearly communicate best practices as needs change and the financial backing to weather this storm together.
He mentioned that his institution is working diligently to prepare for ‘the great return’ and is focused on providing a soft landing for all employees, faculty and students, but there remains a lot of debate on what is needed to address the new normal.
Like many, they do not plan on mandating that all employees return at once, instead staff will return in waves. This could involve some employees moving to permanent work from home status and shift-scheduling other staff. Social distancing parameters for workspaces and common spaces will also be implemented.
This also means that the capacity of classrooms, meeting rooms, etc. will need to be reset to align with new guidelines and policies. And PPE along with additional safety controls will remain paramount in the return. Ultimately, things will just be different this Fall and beyond.
There are so many avenues and ideas that are still be being discussed and the narrative changes daily. Bottom line, schools will make decisions based on data and execute best practices based on local, state federal guidelines to ensure the health and safety of faculty, staff and students.
Not surprisingly, we are seeing new and increased requirements for campus scheduling solutions. My teams have been using this time to connect with clients across the spectrum of higher education institutions and have seen some themes and trends emerge:
One of the bigger changes on campus will be related to employee and faculty workspaces. Workspaces and departmentally-controlled conference rooms have always been an outlier on campuses.
Historically, there has been no visibility into occupancy and utilization of these spaces. This will be a different story moving forward. They have had several meetings recently on best practices moving forward related to workspaces and his observations included:
No one has a crystal ball to see the future, nor can we predict where additional challenges may present themselves. Having access to the right tools and data will be paramount in this evolving landscape. Unlike the basic room scheduling solutions, EMS remains an even better partner to higher education institutions in this landscape because of its robust capabilities.
The same room resource scheduling platform that is utilized by over 800 higher education clients is also utilized by the some of the largest corporations in the world, including several of the largest consulting firms that are leading the charge in workplace strategy, technology and personnel engagement. Our corporate clients have developed best practices for the ‘great return’ with standard functionality in EMS and will provide immediate value to our higher education clients in helping to address expanded use cases for your campus spaces.
The COVID-19 response needs to be about people and providing everyone – employees and students – with a soft landing when they return to campus. I would love to hear your ideas and learn more about how your institution is preparing for the return to your campus. Please reach out to me or your account executive with any additional ideas, comments or questions on your approach.
We will be hosting a series of webinars over the next few weeks to discuss best practices and trends that are developing. Click here for additional details and to register to attend.
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