2020 has been a truly unusual year for everyone. From business owners to consumers, everything we know about working practices has changed to cope with COVID-19. More people are working from home, and those who are still physically working will have had to get used to new business practices, such as more frequent hand washing, social distancing and more stringent disinfection of equipment and surfaces.
Everything has changed, and we all need to do our part to ensure that our workers can return to work in a safe environment with enough measures in place to reduce the risk of virus transmission. Fortunately, at GSM Barcoding, we have technology solutions to help. Our asset tracking and barcoding systems are ideal for a social distancing environment, allowing you to get your business back in full swing in a safe way. Here’s how we can help you cope with COVID-19.
Asset Tracking
Asset tracking software has always been an excellent solution for saving money by ensuring you always know the whereabouts of your assets. Asset tracking allows you to monitor your entire warehouse floor and assess where problem areas are using real-time data that enables you to come up with cost-saving solutions.
But in these COVID-19 times, asset tracking can offer an additional helpful solution to our new ways of working. With constant knowledge of where your assets are at all times, you can use asset tracking for device traceability and the cleaning of shared items. When you know who has been handling what, you can ensure that your workers are thoroughly cleaning and sanitising shared devices before they are used by others, helping to prevent a potential breakout.
At GSM, we stock the latest in asset tracking technology from top brands, including Zebra and Honeywell. Zebra has introduced MotionWorks Proximity, which combines contact tracing with user alerts to help prevent the contamination of shared devices. Whereas Honeywell has included new features on their devices including asset check-out and check-in for specific users to create a custody chain to allow for device tracing data, ensuring that employees are aware of who has handled what and when they need to disinfect devices.
Disinfection Ready Housing
Sanitation and disinfecting equipment has never been so important. With many employees all sharing assets, it’s paramount that they are cleaned between uses to ensure that germs cannot spread.
That’s why our devices have disinfection ready housing on the likes of mobile devices and printers to ensure easy cleaning. These devices utilise plastics designed to withstand frequent use of harsh cleaning and disinfectants without compromising the lifespan of the equipment. So you can sanitise equipment after every use ready for the next employee to pick up, secure in the knowledge that you are preventing the spread of the virus but without any damage to your assets.
Easy Mobility
Mobility in the workplace has always been essential and conducive to productivity. Being able to move around a large workspace like a warehouse or factory while being able to carry around a mobile scanner or printer has a multitude of benefits. But in the current climate, mobility is more important than ever.
Social distancing is still recommended and likely will be for some time. So it’s not a good idea to have employees crowding around a single printer or piece of equipment. With mobile technology, you can enforce social distancing guidelines effectively in the workplace. Employees can take mobile equipment with them where they need it, preventing them from coming into close proximity with other employees too frequently.
Updates have also been made to the equipment so that IT can access devices remotely to assist employees with troubleshooting, further ensuring social distancing protocols.
Proximity Software
Mobile technology can be great for ensuring social distancing, but the technology itself can further help assist with this with its new features that have been added in the wake of COVID-19. Honeywell has added social distance proximity detection, which monitors the proximity between devices and logs alerts if users get to close to another user with a device. Zebra has also added similar alerts that minimise false alerts with a 60-second wait period to allow employees to adjust to new workflows safely and confidently.
These devices can also provide web-based reports so you can gain actionable insights into workplace safety. You can filter the data by day or week so you can see where traffic is building in the workplace and implement changes to ensure social distancing is more strictly adhered to.
In these unusual times, make sure you are following government guidelines and ensuring that your workplace is safe for all employees. With some new auto-ID and barcoding technology, you can make sure you get through the pandemic in a safe way while still being able to operate your business to maximum efficiency. If you’re looking for mobile devices, asset tracking or barcoding solutions, contact GSM Barcoding today. We would be more than happy to talk to you about your business needs and offer the perfect solution for you and your business.
