As companies are eager to get back to their offices, KPMG LLP has launched a new initiative to help organizations navigate workplace re-entry. Based in the Netherlands, KPMG is the third-largest accounting firm globally. Their new solution includes the release of a COVID-19 governance framework alongside a digital toolkit. The company’s holistic approach takes into account changes across the workplace, digital tools, and how to forge new relationships with healthcare providers. KPMG used Microsoft’s Power Platform to create this risk-based, data-driven five-step framework that strives to bring employees back safely.
The mobile app provides one platform to monitor health, ensure proper social distancing, facilitate contact tracing, and provides IoT solutions for safety protocols. It also provides the means to perform a variety of wellness tasks, including daily check-ins, status reports, and travel or stay-at-home requests. The app can integrate with Power Automate in Microsoft Teams to assist with workflow management. Through a risk-scoring engine, the platform can analyze an individual’s risk estimate in re-entering the workplace, which takes into account employer policies and criteria.
KPMG aims to help company leaders make educated decisions around their workplace transitions, and give them the tools to manage performance, facilitate employee communication, manage physical considerations, and stay abreast of healthcare and HR considerations. All of this can be done through a single dashboard. Additionally, the solution provides data models, analytics, and access to cloud technology products that can aid leadership, HR, IT professionals, and employees in quickly assessing fast-changing conditions. The solution has user-customizable blueprints for each of its components, making it adaptable to companies’ individual needs and existing technological infrastructure.
While KPMG says its focus is on how data can be used to keep people safe, initiatives such as this raise questions about how to protect the increasing amounts of personal data being collected. KPMG has found that younger workers are less inclined than older workers to share personal data and participate in return-to-work strategies. Additionally, organizations must take into account policies, laws, and regulations around health data, such as OSHA guidelines, considerations which KPMG aims to help them effectively navigate.
