The past ten years have been a crazy ride when it comes to technology. Don't agree? Think about it the iPhone is 10 years old. Today you can use VR in your living room and have 3D printed dinosaur shower head.
We can imagine a bit where technology will be in the next 5 years but the crazier part is that in 10 years things will exist that we can’t even fathom. There is no doubt that technology has revolutionized the way people provide safety training to their employees. Yet, we can find hesitation in people, still, when it comes to implementing new technology. Which is totally understandable.
We know what you're thinking — the technology changes so fast it isn't worth adopting new safety technology if it will be obsolete within a couple years. That is a valid concern. But, there are many tried and true technologies that will help you organize and run a business without drastic change.
Here are five advantages to new technology in the workplace.
The first technological innovation that revolutionized communication was email. Since the days of AOL, people have adopted email as their main source of communication, replacing paper mail and faxes (in most cases). And even more businesses are opting into live chat services like Slack, Hipchat, or Stride which can be downloaded onto smartphones.
This makes general communication, meetings, and safety training a lot easier and more efficient. Keeping an open channel of communication makes everyone feel like they are a part of the team while increasing efficiency, productivity, and safety.
The same technologies that improve communications will help with time and space constraints. Remote or “decentralized” work has become more common in the past 10 years. In fact, freelancers or contractors are expected to become more than 50% of the workforce by 2027.
You may already be feeling this mobility shift — maybe it has always been a thing. Your workers are out in the field, at job sites, and more. If the only place they can get safety training is in the office, who is keeping them safe in the field? Now with tools like Ving your employees can have their lessons always handy on their smart phones.
Human resources has seen a drastic change in the past 10 years, as well. Safety lessons can be shared with the click of a button and are easily accessible. No more lengthy, boring classroom safety trainings. That impacts not only safety training, but the way companies interact with their employees about important company events or news. Being well informed and up-to-date makes employees feel that they matter to their employer.
According to a recent study, an average of 20% of the workweek is wasted by searching for information. The study found that 8 searches were performed before workers found the right document. But many services have helped solve this issue with data storage and sharing platforms.
Safety documents or lessons can be easily shared and organized in folders or online “clouds”. There are also sharable digital packets of information that can be shared with employees. Many of these services provide strong security features to help protect data and information. That is an often overlooked aspect of keeping up with new technology. Outdated technology is a severe risk factor to security.
No matter what sector you work in, there are technologies that will increase the productivity and efficacy of safety training. In healthcare, there are concerns for both employee and patient safety, which may make it more difficult to provide adequate training. Many sectors are integrating digital safety training to increase efficiency and accessibility of safety training for remote workers, like Ving. It’s any companies best interest to make sure they are on top of the lasted technology that will increase productivity and safety in their workplace.
Those are five pretty good reasons to consider when weighing the advantages of new technology in the workplace. But there are many more to think about. Regardless of any personal feelings towards technology, there is no denying how important and integral it has become for employee safety, whether it is work or personal. Technology has made those two realms of our lives seep into each other, it’s hard to imagine it any other way, now.