What’s all this hype about a “connected worker”?

Stop for a moment and picture a front-line construction worker. 

Are you thinking of someone wearing a bright yellow hardhat walking across a construction site with a walkie-talkie in one hand and a thick binder filled with pages and pages of instructions, inventory checklists and timesheets in the other?  

If so, you’re imagining the “disconnected” worker, a relic from the past…quite!

Now, visualize a different front-line construction worker: someone wearing a bright yellow hardhat walking across a construction site, holding a device that instantly links them with access to data to enable faster, better decisions. This worker is connected to inventory management, cloud-based timesheets, and field inspections. This worker gains instant access to any field expert for support and expertise, is integrated into their environment, and is empowered with real-time data. 

Instead of a field worker wasting time wandering endlessly to find colleagues, imagine one that uses wireless signal amplifiers to connect, identify and locate colleagues, or enable project teams to come together. This is the connected worker, the one who is revolutionizing today’s industries. They are a fast-growing breed. 

Across industries such as construction, healthcare, education, manufacturing, businesses, etc., connected workers are on the rise. Companies are shifting to best adapt their employees for data-empowered remote working.

The benefits of workforce digitization are significant. A study by mCloud found that connected workers reduce operational spend by 8 percent and wearables increase productivity level by 8.5 percent. Outside of being cost effective and increasing productivity, other benefits include:

• Reduced human error
• Increased efficiency
• Improved safety 
• Enhanced decision-making
• 24/7 monitoring
• Prevention of harmful incidents 

Companies are preparing by shifting to field-ready any device, anytime, any location business applications that increases productivity, enables real-time data, drives efficiency, and improves safety.  

In industries like manufacturing and construction, complex systems and paper-based processes increased work complexities. Through a digital, field-ready business application, workers simplify these processes through one system that’s easily accessible to anyone within the organization. 

In construction, where assets can be widely spread across a geographic area, a construction management software system can create a profound impact. A project manager may notice wear-and-tear on a machine and issue an alert to the maintenance team. This alert will then come handy for the engineering manager during the asset planning stage. That same alert will also notify the business department of an upcoming expense, so they can budget and automatically issue purchase orders for replacement. If a scheduled project be delayed due to maintenance, the system also issues advance alerts to all parties. Neat.

Now, imagine a project manager using cloud-based intelligent software to readjust plans and inform users of materials required for new plans, immediately after building plans are updated. The benefits are endless if you see it right, and act in time.

There’s no doubt that companies around the world will go for connected worker technologies to create a data-driven work environment. It is only a matter of when. Are you ready?

Learn more about CEM’s applications made for your industry. We make your digital transformation simple with our solutions customized to your needs!