With the recent spikes in COVID-19 cases across the country, business should be more vigilant than ever about making sure their workplaces are safe and don’t pose a risk. That means making sure offices and other workspaces and common areas are properly cleaned and disinfected, but it also means taking steps to make sure employees are healthy when they come to work.
To help with that, there are already a number of screening apps on the market. Some of them have a whole host of features and integration with other solutions, including testing facilities and EHRs. But not all businesses need that level of complexity. For some, being able to quickly and easily screen employees before each shift and rely on their honesty and desire to not put co-workers at risk, is enough. That’s especially true for companies with large numbers of hourly workers and varied shifts where it becomes difficult to manage workers coming and going without an app.
TeamSense is the first product to come from a joint innovation studio formed by Fortive Corporation and Pioneer Square Labs. It is a mobile app that is designed specifically to help supervisors easily manage their hourly workers during this pandemic. Retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses that rely on hourly workforces have some very different needs from those with salaried employees.
“COVID-19 surfaced a new set of regulations and requirements that are confusing and fast-changing. Managing a large number of hourly workers is already hard. We built TeamSense specifically to reduce the complexities of managing through COVID-19 and to allow managers to get back to doing what they do best: Leading teams and enabling them to work safely, effectively, and efficiently.”
Sheila Stafford, CEO, TeamSense
Like many apps, TeamSense enables customized text messages to every employee before their shift, which allows them to complete a pre-screening questionnaire to be cleared for work.
If they are exhibiting any symptoms, they will get an alert message with notice that a manager or other appointed person will contact them to discuss next steps. The screening process takes about 20 seconds, but can have a material impact on workplace health.
Where TeamSense differs is in its ability to communicate with workers or groups of employees via group chat or even voice calls directly through the app. Combined with the integrated employee roster – with real-time health reporting status – managers can very easily find backup for any employees who may be unable to come to work.
The app also includes an on-site screening mode, which allows approved managers to screen employees on-premises using the same process. This can be very helpful if employees forgot to do it in advance or lost their phones, or for new employees who weren’t yet given the app.
An admin dashboard gives management a concise snapshot of workforce status, including the ability to drill down into individual employees’ status. They can also add notes regarding status, suggested next steps, when they will be ready to resume work, or any other important comments.
The key to making any screening app effective is ease-of use. While many companies are trying to handle the task through phone-ins or on-site recording on paper or spreadsheets, that wastes time and is prone to error. The TeamSense app takes the complexity out of the equation and makes it easy for workers to report in, and for managers to understand workforce status in real time.
“Before TeamSense, we were spending significant time at the start of each shift collecting and reviewing COVID-19 pre-start paper forms. TeamSense’s solution automated the entire pre-start check-in process, allowing us to accurately and quickly pre-screen all of our team members with confidence.”
Barry Price, General Manager, Heroux-Devtek
