In relation to the unprecedented change to working life, businesses are having to make major operational changes, including closing affected sites, halting all company travel, and cancelling corporate events.
The consequence of this means finding new ways to communicate, and this has led an expansion in the use of communications apps and software.
As such, remote working is growing steadily in popularity. This is being driven by a host of digital tools, including Web conferencing and e-mail to mobile collaboration applications. Also being used are virtual event platforms.
Beekeeper, which produces a communications app for frontline workers, has undertaken a review in relation to Europe. This reveals there has been a 48 percent increase in usage of apps among healthcare workers. Plus, there has been an overall 25 percent increase in overall active users of communications apps start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Looking at twenty economic sectors that use Beekeeper’s specific app, the data shows the step-change in this alternative form of communication. The key sectors contributing to the increase are:
Logistics (up 51 percent)
Health (up 48 percent)
Construction (up 44 percent)
Manufacturing (up 32 percent)
Government (up 32 percent)
Financial Services (up 25 percent)
Interestingly, not all of the sectors would fall under the definition of key workers, suggesting that some businesses are continuing to operate outside of recommendations. Nevertheless, the growth with healthcare personnel is a sign that health services have stepped up operations to address the increased of SARS-CoV-2.
In terms of the geography of the increases this has mapped the spread of the disease. The biggest increase in this form of digital communication has been seen with Italy, being triggered from February 26th; this has been followed by France and Spain, both on March 11th; and then with Switzerland and Germany on March 16th. Outside of Europe, the U.S. saw its biggest increase in use occurring on March 18th.
As more people move to adopt remote working, the use of digital communication is set to substantially increase.
