Now that children are finally back in school, “normal” feels that little bit closer.
With the Government’s roadmap laid out and parents physically able to start returning to the office once the “stay at home” rule officially lifts, it might not be so long before offices in London and the southeast are back in businesses.
But businesses that haven’t prepared properly for the great return are going to miss out on productivity and, ultimately, profits. Is your building’s mobile signal up to scratch? If you can’t say a definitive “yes”, keep reading.
Mobile phone reliance up
During the last year, weekly screen time reports have skyrocketed, surveys have reported a 37% increase in texting and a 32% increase in video calling.
And Facebook’s reported a whopping 70% increase in group calls via Messenger.
It goes without saying that this has been the year for other calling apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams too.
In other words, it’s been a year when mobile connection has been more crucial than ever before.
Thankfully, smartphones offer such flexibility that these resources have proven particularly effective for managing social and work responsibilities, and that’s a trend that’s unlikely ever to change.
During the pandemic, increased teleworking and changes to social interaction have altered the way smartphones are used.
Our phones are even more a part of us than they ever used to be. They’re the things that keep us connected to friends and family, the things that ensure we feel safe, the things that make us feel normal!
Mental health more important than ever
There’s no hotter topic than mental health, and taking it seriously while your employees return to the office is going to be top of your priorities we’re sure.
For some, stress can be a motivator that drives productivity and performance. But after virtually a year in lockdown, with multiple stresses coming at your employees from every angle, doing everything you can to reduce their stress in the workplace is going to be extremely valuable.
Research shows that stressed employees take more sick days and are more likely to leave for another role. In the US, healthcare costs for people who’ve reported being stressed at work are some 46% higher than “non-stressed employees”, which results in a $150 billion productivity for the US economy every year.
On the flip side, businesses that deal with stress head on benefit from a much lower turnover rate and better employee satisfaction levels.
What causes employee stress?
A recent survey by Zinwave found that 35% of workers feel that inferior mobile signal contributes to workplace stress, while 74% of respondents said they often or sometimes experienced poor mobile signal at work. 32% had been forced to leave their building to make a call or connect to the Internet.
What’s even more concerning for employers is that 58% of respondents say that their employer or building owner is to blame for the lack of signal, rather than the mobile provider itself. Meanwhile, 26% claimed their productivity was disrupted by poor signal.
So once more of your employees are back in the office, will great mobile signal cause productivity to soar? Or will a bad connection do just the opposite?
If your building suffers from poor signal and you’ve noticed it’s been a problem in the past, with staff having to stand next to windows to make calls or even go outside, now’s the time to do something about it – before workers begin to return.
How to reduce stress, increase coverage and welcome your employees back with open arms
Thankfully, there’s a solution to this problem, and it’s one that’ll guarantee your employees a much more positive return to the office – and mobile coverage in every nook and cranny of your office.
It’s called a mobile signal booster, or a mobile repeater.
These nifty little devices can be installed in any building that needs a signal overhaul, without any hazardous cables or ugly antenna, and without you having to ever worry about mobile signal-related stress again.
At Signal Solutions, we use Nextivity CEL-FI technology to install reliable boosters that receive super strong signal and churn it out throughout your office.
Your staff stay connected, feel more secure, stress less and work more productively as a result.
Nextivity CEL-FI: the only legal booster technology on the UK market
Unlike most boosters you might find on the market, ours are 100% legal and fully compliant with Ofcom licensing laws.
They’re unconditionally network safe too, and accepted by all the UK’s regulators.
And they’re compatible with every mobile network, meaning that your staff can stay connected, whichever provider they’re with.
Our boosters increase signal by as much as 1,000 times, transforming your office into a place where your employees will feel secure to return, and where they’ll be able to work with less stress, enjoy more reliable connection while talking to customers, and generally feel happier to be back.
If you’d like to talk about how we can help you prepare your office for the great return, give us a call on 020 3823 7365.
