The control to effectively manage the remote working phenomenon

The Covid-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects on all our lives. It has presented profound challenges for business, for example in the requirement to remotely manage large workforces when administrative offices are frequently closed and the people and resources there, dispersed.

Working without a central hub

This is an issue for many sectors as they emerge from lockdown. For the construction sector, major infrastructure projects and other works are re-starting with new strictures on working practices and social distancing. The FM sector must continue to report, test and evaluate. Local government organisations have to maintain their engagement with the communities they serve.

Yet the central hub is often missing. ONS figures show[1] that in April 2020, 46.6% of people in employment did some of their work from home. Of those people, 86% did so as the result of the pandemic.

The challenge for business – providing proof of service

How, then, can a remote workforce be effectively managed in real time to ensure that reporting, inspections and incident reporting and timesheet management are all efficiently achieved? How can proof of service be provided, showing that the specified work has been done - and how does an employee or service provider ensure that they are getting the correct levels of guidance and support?

A secure answer that provides trust

Blockchain technology provides a solution to this need for clear, unequivocal trust. A powerful, secure means of holding information, It provides an irrefutable record of actions that have occurred for the business or organization that has established it.

This removes the need to rely on any individual intermediary or agent for the truth. The distributed structure of blockchain has security baked into it.

Powerful tools for remote workforce management

At Catenae, we use blockchain technology to power a range of people-centric products that enable trust, certainty and control for businesses, employees and service providers. For example OnSite TaskManager combines real-time management of a remote workforce with paperless inspection and reporting, encompassed with an audited proof of service and work carried out, underwritten by the immutability of blockchain.

The growth of remote working may well be a permanent feature of the future working landscape. Catenae has the technology to ensure that businesses, employees and service providers can all thrive in this new environment, with mutual trust assured.

[1] ONS.gov.uk, Coronavirus and homeworking in the UK: April 2020 #one, #two, #three