Safeguarding Hybrid Workers: A Modern Enterprise Imperative

By Liz Nguyen, CTO at Intrado

Hybrid and remote work environments have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. More than half (53%) of remote-capable jobs are now hybrid, while over a quarter (27%) are fully remote, according to Gallup. This shift has presented new challenges in ensuring employee safety in emergencies. As enterprises adapt, employers and business leaders must reconsider their approach to emergency response and duty of care preparedness.

Challenges of Ensuring Employee Safety in the Hybrid Work Era

The rise of distributed workforces has complicated traditional methods of emergency response. With employees working from various locations, it can be difficult for companies to identify worker locations accurately during emergencies. The limitations of legacy 911 systems, which were not designed to handle modern work environments, are a core obstacle overcome for the 21^st-century enterprise.

Enterprises that leverage legacy 911 systems must now grapple with key issues in emergency response, including location tracking, call routing, dispatchable locations, and internal notifications. Location tracking, or pinpointing an employee's exact location, especially when they work remotely or regularly move between different offices, is crucial for effective emergency response. Ensuring that 911 calls are directed via call routing to the correct public safety answering point (PSAP) is vital, regardless of where the call originates. Providing precise dispatchable location information to first responders, beyond just a street address, is essential to address any emergency quickly. Finally, alerting the organization’s relevant stakeholders about an emergency is critical for coordinated response efforts.

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These challenges are further complicated by the nature of unified communications and internal messaging systems in hybrid workplaces, which typically consist of a patchwork of solutions and platforms that may differ between office locations, departments, and teams. Legacy 911 solutions were not designed with these types of multimodal messaging networks in mind, and they do not possess the capabilities necessary to ensure emergency notifications reach impacted employees regardless of their location or communication medium. 

Despite these challenges, ensuring robust enterprise 911 preparedness by deploying modernized 911 solutions offers significant benefits. Improving emergency response times, reducing organizational liability, and enhancing employee safety is foundational to ensuring duty of care and the ongoing success of any enterprise as it protects its most important asset: the workforce. In addition, enterprise 911 preparedness and modern 911 solutions are now required to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations such as Kari's Law and RAY BAUM'S Act. These require enterprises to route 911 calls to the correct PSAP with precise dispatchable location information, regardless of whether an employee works in-office or remotely.

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Practical Considerations for Implementing Enterprise 911 Technologies

Effectively planning for, identifying, and implementing enterprise 911 solutions to address challenges presented by remote and hybrid workforces can be daunting, especially for organizations unfamiliar with recent public safety technology advancements or regulatory requirements. That said, there are key considerations that can help guide enterprises through their modernization journey. 

Evaluate current capabilities

Assess existing 911 infrastructure to identify gaps in coverage, especially for remote and mobile workers. Consider accessibility to 911 from any location, device, and communication platform, as well as the availability of logistical data such as floor plans, access points, and gate codes to inform first responders. Also, understand whether current systems can track employee locations across devices, route calls to the appropriate PSAP, and integrate seamlessly with enterprise communication platforms. 

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Prioritize user experience and multi-platform communications

Ensure that security protocols and platforms are user-friendly to prevent employees from bypassing them. Adopt solutions that integrate with various communication platforms, enable seamless emergency call routing, and automatically communicate location data to 911 dispatchers. 

Go beyond compliance, ensuring duty of care

Enterprises must adhere to safety regulations and laws at both the state and federal levels. However, an employer's duty of care extends beyond mere regulatory compliance, and fulfilling the full scope of duty of care offers significant benefits for employer reputations and employee experiences. As such, organizations should consider implementing incident management solutions that provide supplemental data to first responders, such as floor plans, standard operating procedures, and emergency response plans.

Plan for incident management

While it’s not a technological initiative, drafting and implementing actionable plans for incident management can be instrumental in determining the outcome of an enterprise safety situation. Enterprises should develop comprehensive incident management plans with documented policies and procedures, identifying key stakeholders and decision-makers, and presenting clear communications and recovery plans.

911 Readiness Is Business-Critical

Ensuring workforce safety in a hybrid work environment is complex but crucial. The ability to ensure employee safety, regardless of their work location, is not just a matter of compliance but a fundamental aspect of an organization's duty of care. Leveraging advanced E911 technologies and implementing comprehensive emergency response strategies creates a secure work environment in which enterprises can adapt to the needs of the modern, distributed workforce while fulfilling duty of care. By doing so, businesses not only protect their most valuable asset – their employees – but also mitigate risks and enhance overall organizational resilience.

About the Author

Liz Nguyen is CTO at Intrado.