COVID-19 brought about some massive changes in the business world. As nations went into complete lockdowns and social distancing measures were implemented overnight, companies were forced to shift to a hybrid workplace model to maintain their status quo. 

By enabling the global workforce to work entirely from their homes – and now part home, part office – the model accelerated digital transformation efforts. 

From collaboration apps to document management tools and automation tools to performance management applications, hybrid paved the way for a workplace model no one ever imagined embracing. But for admin and facility heads, it has been a bumpy ride.

Enabling the Future of Work Comes with Its Own Set of Challenges

Adopting the hybrid workplace strategy has become a must for organizations worldwide. According to a survey by McKinsey, 90% of organizations will be combining remote and on-site working in the post-pandemic “future of work” scene. 

The same survey also states that C-suite leaders have reported a substantial improvement in employee productivity, engagement, and customer satisfaction after embracing the hybrid workplace model. 

With uncertainty revolving around COVID-19, the hybrid workplace strategy makes it possible for employees to work from remote locations and report to the office whenever needed. And it’s not just COVID-19 steering the demand for the hybrid workplace model. 

Today, much of the global workforce expect their employers to offer such flexibility, which is quickly becoming the norm. But despite all the benefits the model offers, enabling the future of work comes with its own set of challenges for admin and facility heads. Here’s a profound rundown of these challenges:

Social Distancing

Although COVID cases are gradually falling across the world, most health organizations continue to promote the concept of social distancing. For admin and facility heads, enforcing social distancing norms within their establishment, whether a university, retail store, or office building, isn’t easy. Nor is maintaining the required safety standards unless they invest in advanced AI-enabled tools and systems that can monitor employee movement across the establishment. 

Face Mask Detection

Face masks are also an essential requirement for organizations embracing the hybrid workplace model. Since they play a crucial role in safeguarding employees’ health against the virus, there is a pressing need for admin and facility heads to ensure face mask compliance. But spotting who is wearing a mask, who is wearing it incorrectly, and who isn’t, in real-time, is a herculean task. 

Thermal Imaging

In addition to enforcing social distancing and face mask norms, measuring the body temperature of the people entering a building or store – in a non-intrusive and safe manner – is also extremely vital. Such imaging can act as a screening tool to detect individuals with fever and can limit the spread of the virus via early detection, thus, safeguarding the health and safety of other inmates. 

Timekeeping

As more and more employees operate via a combination of remote and in-office working, admin and facility heads also have to think of ways to automate timekeeping. Since biometric scanning and access cards are extremely touch-dependent, they have to explore other mediums such as advanced facial recognition technology to log in employee entry and exit, maintain access control, ensure perimeter safety, and avoid tailgating.

The Solution to All Hybrid Workplace Problems

The hybrid workplace model makes it seamless for employees to carry on with their day-to-day tasks, regardless of the economic or health situation in their immediate surroundings, and rightly so — precisely why it is becoming a global norm. 

This has put immense pressure on admin and facility heads to make the hybrid workplace model a roaring success. Thankfully, the solution to all hybrid workplace problems is simple: intelligent, computer-vision-based analytics.

Computer vision and image processing can play an extraordinary role in enforcing social distancing measures or detecting face masks on people. By analyzing visual imagery on a real-time basis, computer vision platforms make use of AI, neural networks, and deep learning technology to:  

• Calculate the distance between people and verify compliance with social distancing requirements.
• Scan every individual entering the premises and check if the face mask is worn correctly.
• Log compliance data into a centralized system and enable admins to take several actions based on the data captured. 
• Send real-time alerts to concerned people if and when the compliance level deteriorates below a certain threshold. 
• Generate daily, weekly, or monthly compliance reports across different zones and provide real-time visibility into COVID measures.
• Monitor adherence to norms across the enterprise and implement additional measures to boost compliance 
• Enable touchless and contactless access control and keep employees safe and protected.
• Keep a check on employees non-intrusively and leverage visual data to identify leakages and inefficiencies.

In a Nutshell

No matter the industry, computer vision technology opens up an array of possibilities for organizations. In the post-pandemic world, the technology can make enterprise cameras more operative, allowing admins and facility heads to make informed decisions, faster. 

Leveraging precise image data, alerts, and time-sensitive information, computer vision technology can automatically track and analyze compliance and safety measures and deliver end-to-end extensible and scalable visual analytics capabilities to boost hybrid workplace operations.

Learn how KamerAI can put computer vision to inspire action, so you can improve workforce surveillance, identify gaps, and strengthen safety.