The office as we know it is gone. We will return, eventually, but it will be a different environment the one we left in March 2020. People really do want to go back to the office — when it’s ready. In the post-pandemic world, it’s estimated that 80-85% of workers will return to the office.1 But it won’t be business as usual.
COVID-19 is accelerating change in the workplace. The key now is to prepare your work ecosystem for the safe return of employees. In fact, 92% of executives said COVID-19 forced their company to rethink how work gets done.2 That’s why organizations in all industries such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, retail, and hospitality, are looking to adopt strategies and technologies that enable a safe return to in-house operations. One of those strategies is to embrace smart office technologies that will take your workplace into the future while protecting the health of employees now.
Give your building a critical role to play in protecting staff and visitors. Take action, beginning at the door, to show workers and guests that you are doing everything you can to keep them safe.
One of the best, and increasingly common ways, to alleviate health concerns is to deploy contactless temperature screening kiosks, such as the Black Box BDS-8FHA. When someone enters a building, the kiosk’s advanced thermal detection technology automatically scans the person’s temperature in less than a second with an accuracy of ±0.5°. The accuracy of the temperature scan is critical. A deviation of 2° can give sick people entry to the building. In addition, the kiosk’s facial scanning capabilities can help you enforce mask-wearing, prevent strangers from entering the building, and very importantly, be used for contact tracing.
“People everywhere are working diligently to return to normalcy,” said Jonathan McCune, Black Box AV Product Director. “However, in order to return to the status quo, IT leaders need to take precautions to alleviate COVID-19 concerns. The BDS-8 is one tool that can help businesses return to operation safely and effectively.”
NOW, while employees are still working from home, is the most opportune time to deploy a Contactless Temperature Screening system. You’ll be able to get the system fully installed and operational with little or no disruption to building occupants.
If you’re thinking about contactless temperature kiosks, there are several fundamentals you need to consider whether you have one site or are part of a large, dispersed enterprise, such as healthcare or education.
One key component to the successful deployment of kiosks is the ability to easily integrate with existing network and security systems and to be remotely managed. For example, if an elevated temperature is detected, audible and visual alarms alert the affected person, staff, and security so doors can be automatically locked down. Systems like the BDS-8 provide seamless system integration and management.
Wired and wireless connectivity is also key depending on where you need to set up kiosks. If you are deploying kiosks at all building entrances, you may only have electrical connections available and not wired connections. With a wireless option, such as with the BDS-8, you can deploy almost anywhere.
Consider the reliability of the vendor as well. Unfortunately, there are profiteers out there who have taken advantage of the pandemic and launched systems that lack proper testing, documentation, or even support services. The BDS-8 is fully tested, fully backed with proper documentation, and comes with fully staffed customer/tech support services.
Because we are all racing to implement smart, safety technology, this is not necessarily the time for a DIY deployment. You may want to consider enlisting the support of a Global Solution Integrator, such as Black Box, so you don’t have to worry about network integration, connectivity, testing, and validating the kiosk(s). This is especially true if you have multiple sites that involve deploying multiple kiosks at each site and you have a few remote IT resources.
Detailed information on the BDS-8 Contactless Temperature Screening Kiosk can be found here.
If you’re ready to get your building prepared for the return of the workforce, contact Black Box - Global Solutions Integration at 855-324-9909 or email us at contact@blackbox.com.
1. Harry Smeenk, “Unified Buildings Key to Post-Pandemic Return to Commercial Property,” Connected Buildings Mag, October 29, 2020, https://connectedremag.com/smart-buildings/proptech/unified-buildings-key-to-post-pandemic-return-to-commercial-property/
2. Wright, Dave, Workflow, "The new age of innovation", October 7, 2020, https://workflow.servicenow.com/it-transformation/new-age-of-innovation-priorities-post-covid-world-of-work/
