Leading with Digital Technology in a Post-Pandemic World 

Responses to COVID-19 have speeded the adoption of digital technologies by several years across all industries throughout the world. As we entered 2020, and before the pandemic unfurled, there was a huge technology shift already taking place, businesses were rolling out new digital strategies to meet commercial demands – in the way they sell, in the way market themselves and in the way they recruit. The gig economy was booming and employers were very quick to look at changing their business models to suit. No one could have anticipated the speed of implementation when COVID hit and lockdowns were enforced.

The cleaning sector emerged from ‘hidden’ workers to frontline workers overnight. If we were to get a handle on the virus, then cleaning was a number one priority if business operations were to continue. A British Cleaning Council audit of members in December 2020 showed that organisations and individuals had to adapt rapidly to the major changes brought by the virus.

A consistent theme throughout, is praise for the dedication of the cleaning and hygiene operatives who have been doing vital work protecting the health and wellbeing of others and keeping key industries going since the pandemic began. 

The contract cleaning sector has changed significantly throughout the pandemic, lots of buildings and businesses closed and many staff were furloughed. Clients have had to change their requirements on an almost daily basis depending on whether offices for example, are open full-time or operating on a hybrid-working basis. Cleaning companies have had to demonstrate agile and flexible working practices enough to reflect that. 

To top a very difficult situation, commercial cleaning companies who had not already embraced digitalisation for managing their remote workforce, suddenly, they needed to have systems in place to track and schedule their staff and ensure payroll was fully integrated.

The method and frequency of how people are paid can have considerable impact on how they manage their finances and how they approach their daily duties. Add to that a pandemic, new key worker status, cleaning operatives needed the security and knowledge that they were being looked after appropriately by their employers. Financial stress can be a huge distraction at work for employees, and many employers recognise the direct impact it can have on productivity and engagement.

The notion of streamlining payroll was all of a sudden viewed essential by employers, regardless of industry or size. The emergence of new technologies started to roll out to help transform payroll for the benefit of both employers and employees, and more so in commercial cleaning and facilities management sectors where hours and locations can be varied.

Cloud-Based Automated Payroll Systems

Streamlining payroll processes and adopting intuitive cloud-based management technology in your FM or cleaning company can be a two-fold initiative; meaning both the employer and the worker get to realise the benefits.  With many systems already under pressure, payroll is a drain on administration and often takes several days to complete.  Providing your employees with a portal, wallet or app that easily shows them things like wage slips, money transfers, PAYE, requests for drawdowns etc. means they are in control and responsible for their financial well-being and financial visibility.  

As the world of work continues to change, so does the desire for greater speed, security, flexibility and financial security, driving people - regardless of the industry they work in, to question about how they work, why they work and how they are paid.

Ezitracker was acquired by The Access Group in March 2021. They are a solution partner that supports cleaning or FM business in the day-to-day people management process. By providing a comprehensive yet modularised solution, designed for the proactive monitoring of your people wherever they are, Ezitracker allows their customers to focus on service delivery and operational excellence. Unlike many, Ezitracker provides a solution that works with our dynamic user billing model you essentially ‘Pay as you Go’ for your people’s usage of the system.

www.ezitracker.com