Protecting the Anywhere Worker (Webinar Recap)

The pandemic necessitated that many businesses reconsider transitioning to a more distributed workforce. As organizations large and small have come to terms with employees not being physically present in the office every day, some employees have taken advantage of their newfound freedom to potentially work from anywhere in the world. This, in turn, has created unpredictable risks and communication challenges for employers.

We recently explored this topic in a webinar in partnership with Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ), entitled Protecting the Anywhere Worker. The featured guest speakers were:

• Peter Steinfeld, AlertMedia’s Senior Vice President of Safety Solutions, and
• Sara Pratley, Vice President of Global Intelligence at AlertMedia

During the webinar, Peter and Sara addressed the benefits of implementing an anywhere worker policy and the challenges associated with ensuring the safety of an increasingly mobile workforce. They also offered tips on how to effectively protect, monitor, and communicate with on-the-go workers.

If you missed the conversation, you can access the recording here.

Many organizations are discovering that the traditional workplace structure is unlikely to return and are offering employees the choice to work when, how, and where they want. This concept is often referred to as the “anywhere worker” model.

The term “anywhere worker” has become a popular trend developed through the flexible work movement. While traditional remote work is typically a fixed location like a home office, anywhere workers are digital nomads who could work from the office one day, work from home the next, then travel to a different city, state, or country to work for a period of time.

The Challenges of Protecting Anywhere Workers

While there are compelling benefits of implementing an anywhere worker model, such as cost savings and increased employee satisfaction, businesses should assess the challenges associated with protecting anywhere workers to determine if this model is suitable for them.

Anywhere workers face numerous potential threats, and preparing for these threats can be challenging for employers. From a safety perspective, organizations must prepare for a wide range of critical events— from physical threats and acts of terrorism to extreme weather and global pandemics.

Communication and monitoring can be challenging as well. How will companies communicate with their workers effectively if employees are increasingly mobile and dispersed? How will they monitor hundreds if not thousands of individual “offices”?

With this multitude of threats and challenges, employers would be remiss not to consider the potential impacts on the workers and the organization. Impacts can include:

Impacts to employees

• Physical safety
• Mental health and well-being
• Perception of company values

Impacts to the organization

• Business continuity
• Security
• Loss of productivity

Threat Intelligence for Anywhere Worker Safety

Identifying threats early and knowing who is impacted requires significant resources and time. To solve for this, Sara suggests a modern mass communication system that includes Threat Intelligence. This solution allows you to:

• Identify threats to your organization and people faster
• Activate a response from one intuitive platform
• Receive automated impact assessments
• Notify your people of threats in real time
• Utilize a full-featured mobile application

Why is this crucial to protecting your anywhere workers?

AlertMedia’s Global Threat Intelligence Team comprises former security leaders from Fortune 500 companies, global news organizations, law enforcement, government intelligence agencies, meteorologists, and more. They operate 24/7 to monitor, identify, and verify possible threats and only provide you with information relevant to your organization—helping your team make informed decisions.

How to Safeguard and Communicate With Anywhere Workers

To keep anywhere workers safe and connected, Peter and Sara suggest that your organization:

1. Require safety and security awareness training for your employees.
2. Empower your people to play an active role in their safety.
3. Invest in a robust emergency communication solution such as AlertMedia.

For additional resources related to protecting anywhere workers, the speakers recommended The Employee Safety Podcast and Remote Worker Guide.

We have seen a substantial shift in workforce dynamics due to the pandemic. Organizations must adapt and evolve to protect their most valuable asset: their people. Companies prepared for the challenges and potential impacts of an anywhere worker policy will benefit from it the most.