Has technology become the saviour of global pandemics?

Unprecedented times… A global pandemic… The new normal – they’re all phrases we’ve heard almost on a daily basis over recent months. One thing is for sure though, it most certainly changed how businesses worked.

As we began to climb to the peak of the virus the Government encouraged businesses to send their colleagues to work from home wherever possible – resulting in pictures across the media of deserted cities and near-empty trains.

It’s certainly factually correct to say that without technology, businesses would not have been able to remain so agile during this global pandemic. With the Office for National Statistics identifying that 86% of those who worked from home in April reporting COVID-19 as the reason, technology’s role in keeping businesses moving became all too clear.

As Teams calls and catch ups over Zoom became the new way of life, businesses also began to put their technology systems and processes to the ultimate test. For businesses managing their recruitment resourcing through an applicant tracking system (ATS) or vendor management system (VMS) this temporary relocation from a shared office space was achieved somewhat autonomously. Provided clear processes had been built into the workforce management system, the geographical location of colleagues bared little impact on ensuring the process could continue without complications.

The wide-scale adoption of video calling also supported the hiring process remotely – with businesses choosing to hold interviews virtually. By utilising technology, they could reduce any potential delay in selecting suitable applicants – ensuring that time-to-hire did not increase, which could incur additional resource costs. For businesses managing a large volume of temporary contractors, technology helped ensure that the sudden increase in demand for critical projects could still be met with the correct level of resourcing.

The massive disruption COVID-19 has had on businesses, certainly highlights the need to ensure that systems and processes can remain uninterrupted even when a global pandemic is at its peak. For businesses who had to play catch up to attempt to quickly implement the technology they needed to ensure their business remained able to deliver services to their clients, COVID-19 delivered a clear message – business processes must be led by the right technology, running streamlined processes.

Reference: Office for National Statistics April 2020