From envelopes to apps – the evolution of efficiency and the ongoing importance of the tissue…

The news today that, this year, (some) GCSE students will be able to receive their results via an app brought me up short. But what will become, I thought, of the character-building ‘opportunity’ that is the opening of the fateful envelope, engulfed by peers and teachers, and, if you’re really lucky, a TV camera crew – tears and hugs abounding in equal measure? On second thoughts, an app that allows those who want to, to dodge that particular occasion seems sensible for all sorts of reasons.

…which brought me to thinking about the use of apps in the workplace – are they similarly a good idea? Their use is certainly becoming more common – there are apps for shift allocation, apps to facilitate team planning, you can book onto training via an app, log your hours on an app and so on – but are they always a good idea? Now before you sigh deeply and write me off as Gen X-er who still misses her 1990s Dictaphone, I do get it. We are a nation on the move, we’re time-pressed and tech that speeds things up can be super-useful. But as with any new workplace innovation, it’s always worth a sense-check before we ‘download and open’. 

If you're releasing a new app to your people, you’ll already have evaluated its benefits, of course, but do you also take a moment to identify what might disappear or be circumvented by its introduction? If not, it’s a worthwhile exercise as it will allow you to assess whether the introduction of the app has any knock-on consequences for your workers or business that need to be addressed.  For example, you’re introducing an app that’s designed to facilitate project team collaboration. Yes, it will save time – fewer emails, instant feedback and automatic reminders – bingo! But will it mean that a team that normally meets once a week will no longer need to – no problem if they are all on site 5 days a week but what if the team works remotely or away at client premises? Might your manager miss a sign that someone is not quite themselves or might the lack of personal interaction mean the pandemic-inspired practice of ‘quiet quitting’ can proliferate? It doesn’t mean you back away from the app, but it might mean you schedule a regular team check-in that you wouldn’t otherwise have done. 

In addition, make sure you put in parameters around how the app is to be used. For example, if you are looking to make time-savings, be clear on expectations around when and how people should use it otherwise there’s a risk of duplication of effort with people sending back-up emails or Teams messages ‘just to be sure’.  

It will also be important to be clear on when you expect employees to check the app as they may feel they are always ‘on duty’ if the app is on their phone. The government has promised a statutory code of practice on the right to switch off, where these types of issues are likely to come into play, so it's worth thinking about your approach. 

It's also sensible to reflect on other possible trip hazards as part of your pre-implementation sense-check. For example, shift allocation via app is an efficient way to schedule and swap shifts. But what happens when an employee needs to change or cancel an allocated shift? Do they have to communicate this through the app or are they also able (and encouraged) to speak to their line manager if they need to? Employees may have childcare issues or health-related problems necessitating the change in shift and if they are met with a ‘computer says no’ reaction from the app, with no human backstop, this could result in discrimination issues arising. Active manager involvement, in these instances, also means that any issues with employee behaviour are more immediately visible.  

The new duty to prevent sexual harassment means employers may well be looking to introduce an app that allows incidents of harassment to be reported anonymously to foster an environment where employees feel confident to speak up. Again, there are lots of reasons why this might be positive. Indeed, certain sectors, financial services being one such, have used these apps for years to support whistleblowing reporting. But again, take a moment to assess what other avenues are available for reporting – not everyone may be confident to tap sensitive data into an app – so put in place identified contacts within your HR or your well-being teams who are also equipped to respond to reports.  Equally important is to make sure a person or team is responsible for checking the app to ensure any reports which are submitted are followed up and that the data is reviewed so that any reoccurring issues are quickly identified.    

And, of course, we mustn’t forget data protection. Workplace apps may well involve the processing of large amounts of employee personal data so a data protection risk assessment should be carried out in advance to ensure the processing is lawful. 

I’m all for apps (and not just Dictaphones) when coupled with a people-focussed mindset. They can and do make our lives easier and our work more efficient, but it’s important to think about what we might lose or overlook before going all-out. By reviewing the convenience of technology through a people-focussed lens, our workplaces can remain not just efficient, but also effective and inclusive.

And what of those GCSE pupils, come August? Well, the option to troop into the assembly hall will remain – as it should, of course, because whether the tears are happy ones or sad, one thing the app can’t give you is a tissue. 

GCSE results day to change for thousands of students with new app

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2e2z1y1pko