Maintaining Business Continuity during the Great Resign 

News flash! 33 million Americans have quit their jobs since the spring of 2021.  

To be honest, this startling statement is no longer news. We have all watched as large numbers of employees have either moved to other employers or simply removed themselves from the workforce. As of this writing, we are beginning to see talented workers rejoining the American workforce. 

The COVID Pandemic took a toll on businesses and individuals as we all struggled with physical, mental, and social constraints. Social scientists are not completely blaming the mass exodus on the pandemic, however.  

Many point to the antiquated policies and procedures that many companies continue to subject their workforce to, even though the new generation of workers appear to be motivated by different factors.   

In this article, we’ll focus on how technology can be used to lessen the impact of future workforce fluctuations.  

There are numerous areas where technology can support companies when the employee marketplace drastically shifts. Here are a few examples: 

1. Use Exciting Technologies and Tools that the Next Generation is Comfortable With 

• • The best way to acquire and retain the best technology talent is to utilize state-of-the-industry tools and methodologies. The new generation of technology workforce is not interested in using antiquated tools to do their jobs. Not only is it not stimulating, but it also puts their future marketability at risk. 

• • Technology Example –Mesh for Microsoft Teams is a concept for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) meetings. Mesh creates new possibilities for digital meetings with personalized avatars in 3-D settings. Replacing your live image with a virtual avatar that animates based on your voice and movements enables your team to acknowledge that you are present and engaged. This solution combines the mixed-reality features of Microsoft Mesh that allows people in diverse physical environments to engage in collaborative and shared holographic experiences with the productivity tools of Microsoft Teams, where people can attend virtual meetings, send chats, collaborate on shared documents and presentations hosted in Microsoft 365 in a safe and secure manner. 

2. Use Technology to Automate Tasks Normally Done by Humans 

• • While efficiency-gaining technology abounds, companies still retain far too many activities that should have been relegated to automation.  Doing so would not only make workers more effective but reduce the burden of tedious and time-robbing activities.  

• • Technology Example - The ‘Power Platform’ is a collective term for three Microsoft products: Power BI, PowerApps and Power Automate (previously known as Flow).  

• • These tools provide the means to help the workforce easily manipulate, surface, automate and analyze data. The Power Platform can be used with Office 365 and Dynamics 365 (as well as other third-party apps and other Microsoft services). 

3. Use technology to help employees build new skillsets 

• • The brightest employees are those that not only want to do the job they were hired for but also want to constantly grow their knowledge and skills. 

• • Utilizing the latest technology allows these employees to push the envelope of their own capabilities while providing a shot in the arm to the company's productivity.  

• • Technology Example - Viva Learning is a centralized learning hub in Microsoft Teams that lets you seamlessly integrate learning and building skills into your day. In Viva Learning, your team can discover, share, recommend, and learn from content libraries provided by both your organization and partners. They can do all of this without leaving Microsoft Teams. 

• • Viva Learning makes it easy to create learning and growing opportunities for your organization without the need to step away from the communication tools you already use. 

4. Use technology to improve communication between your company and its customers/partners 

• • As the younger members of our aging workforce will tell you, communication is not “everything,” it’s the “only thing.”  And they expect communication capabilities to be instantaneous, multi-channeled, and omnipresent. There are many options for tools that satisfy their hunger for more and faster communication. 

• • Technology Example - Teams is Microsoft’s take on chat-based communication for business; Teams is also Microsoft’s answer to competing platforms such as Slack and Zoom. It's functionality makes Teams a robust solution for collaboration among business groups, all while keeping you connected to colleagues around the globe. It is a particularly useful tool today as entire workforces are operating from home, many working remotely for the first time. 
    

Conclusion 

While one can pray that society never experiences another debilitating pandemic, history has shown us that another deadly disease is inevitable.   

Though the hope is that the next one is far off, companies need to prepare now in case the next world-wide event comes sooner than later.   

While technology should never be viewed as the solution but instead an enabler, it certainly provides tools and techniques to support industries as it battles the world’s challenges.   

As a boutique Information Technology Firm, BINARC has been successful in bringing technological improvements to its customers. We have implemented the latest Microsoft tools that significantly improve multi-way communication between our clients and their customers.  

We have also migrated our customers’ stale operations to more agile and powerful cloud environments, giving them more time to focus on the valuable services they provide. Please invite the BINARC team in to discuss how we can further optimize your operations.   

We can be reached through our website or call 202-681-7787.