Just when we thought employees would be ready to come back to work, the Delta variant is making pandemic cases surge once again in many places across the world. Many mask mandates and safety precautions are returning and some employees are even insisting that vaccines be a condition of employment. Many companies are also keeping travel on a wait-and-see status while keeping their employees at home. Companies are rethinking their back to work plans, and for good reason. Let’s examine some technologies and processes that any business can use to stay safe and creatively productive amid such uncertain times.

Repair, Don’t Just Replace Your Smartphones

While many of us are tempted to go out and buy the latest and greatest shiny new thing, is that always a productive use of time and money? Certainly not. Being able to repair – instead of replacing – everyone’s smartphones could be a significant time and money saver for all. People are used to their existing phones and know how to use them. It’s time to explore the secondary repair economy. Just because an employee breaks their smartphone screen doesn’t mean they are ready to upgrade just yet. Taking a closer look at the useful life of your technology devices can help you save big in the long run.

Reducing phone spam

Reducing spam calls through STIR/SHAKEN could be the way of the future so your employees aren’t spammed, and those that are reaching out on behalf of your company are not getting blocked. Companies will now be able to verify their phone numbers to help all be more productive... except the spammers, that is.

Email Spam

Phones aren’t the only things in the office that are getting spammed. It’s more likely that you’re getting a great deal of email spam – a growing concern by the day. This is especially true since many of these annoyances are rapidly escalating as phishing scams, which can compromise your entire business through cyber attacks.

Can Cyber Insurance Help?

If you do get hacked and have to deal with a case of ransomware, what do you do? Of course, having a great defense is the best offense and it’s important to invest in people and systems to keep you safe. But, let’s say that the cybersecurity threats make their way into your business anyway. Getting proper cyber insurance coverage could be a great path in case of such emergencies.

Encouraging Side Hustles

While you might think that it sounds wild to encourage side hustles for your employees, think again. Encouraging your employees is healthy for their creative minds (and wallets). In a recent eBay (News - Alert) study on recommerce – the secondhand goods ecommerce economy – a typical person had a total of 26 items just sitting around that they could sell online, which could bring them $5,660, on average. If you don’t allow your employees to thrive, especially when constrained to pandemic lockdowns and rules, they might eventually want to leave in search for greener pastures.

Bringing it all together