Why Digital?
Nearly all staff within my organisation now have a smartphone for work purposes, and most also own one for personal use, as well as having a tablet or laptop and wifi at home. Where I work everyone is expected to use work based IT to some extent, whether it is just to clock in and out and record their mileage, undertake elearning and read emails, or to manage their calendar, record assessments, input details of their client contact, collate supervision records, undertake recruitment and staffing stuff, authorise or apply for leave, record sickness absence and run reports. Much information is stored on the organisation's staff website, and staff who do not access this regularly risk losing touch with current news and developments relevant to their role.
Assessing workers already spend more than half of their time in front of a screen, so it makes sense for people to be able to make the technology work for them, as well as the other way round.
In terms of my role in the organisation as a middle manager, there are a number of challenges
1) We are now working in partnership with Health, but our systems don't yet "talk" to each other
2) Some staff (especially younger workers) are very proficient and comfortable with technology and can adapt quickly to new equipment, apps, etc intended to improve quality and efficiency. Others are less confident or proficient and experience stress and anxiety when they have to change long-established ways of working. They need time and support to adapt. As time goes on this is likely to become less of an issue.
3) Although generally speaking staff within our organisation feel ready to embrace digital technology, they often feel frustrated that some of the systems used by the organisation are barely fit for purpose. Some systems have been added to and tweaked for so many years that they bear no resemblance to the original system, and have become inefficient.
In terms of digital learning, most staff learn many digital processes by shadowing and consulting with more experienced colleagues. There are also e-learning packages, training sessions provided by IT, and many staff do the ECDL passport. A number of degree level training courses which staff have access to are also conducted online, and most of the organisation's induction can now be accessed online.
We are now using satellite technology to monitor the whereabouts of staff using Council pool cars. Although there is a "big brother" side to this which is not entirely welcome to users, there are also great benefits in terms of Health and Safety, as it enables us to make sure staff are driving safely, and that if a person becomes lost or breaks down they can be found quickly. In case of a crisis or service change, or during out of hours, Coordinators can quickly identify whereabouts of all staff and work out the most efficient, re-allocation of staff resources.
An exciting development in my area of work is the piloting of digital devices for users of our services. Clients who may be socially isolated, or confined to their home, or with other support needs can use these devices to Skype friends, families and support staff, communicate with their neighbours, and access services, information, and entertainment, as well as attending virtual appointments online. Each device can be set up in a personalised way to meet the person's own outcomes. The devices will add to the range of supports people already access through telecare and telehealth. Our team are going to be first in our organisation to be trained up, so that they will be able to support clients to access this technology.
Reading through all of this I realise my place of work and team (myself included) are already probably a bit more proficient and confident around going digital than I had first thought.
Assessing workers already spend more than half of their time in front of a screen, so it makes sense for people to be able to make the technology work for them, as well as the other way round.
In terms of my role in the organisation as a middle manager, there are a number of challenges
1) We are now working in partnership with Health, but our systems don't yet "talk" to each other
2) Some staff (especially younger workers) are very proficient and comfortable with technology and can adapt quickly to new equipment, apps, etc intended to improve quality and efficiency. Others are less confident or proficient and experience stress and anxiety when they have to change long-established ways of working. They need time and support to adapt. As time goes on this is likely to become less of an issue.
3) Although generally speaking staff within our organisation feel ready to embrace digital technology, they often feel frustrated that some of the systems used by the organisation are barely fit for purpose. Some systems have been added to and tweaked for so many years that they bear no resemblance to the original system, and have become inefficient.
In terms of digital learning, most staff learn many digital processes by shadowing and consulting with more experienced colleagues. There are also e-learning packages, training sessions provided by IT, and many staff do the ECDL passport. A number of degree level training courses which staff have access to are also conducted online, and most of the organisation's induction can now be accessed online.
We are now using satellite technology to monitor the whereabouts of staff using Council pool cars. Although there is a "big brother" side to this which is not entirely welcome to users, there are also great benefits in terms of Health and Safety, as it enables us to make sure staff are driving safely, and that if a person becomes lost or breaks down they can be found quickly. In case of a crisis or service change, or during out of hours, Coordinators can quickly identify whereabouts of all staff and work out the most efficient, re-allocation of staff resources.
An exciting development in my area of work is the piloting of digital devices for users of our services. Clients who may be socially isolated, or confined to their home, or with other support needs can use these devices to Skype friends, families and support staff, communicate with their neighbours, and access services, information, and entertainment, as well as attending virtual appointments online. Each device can be set up in a personalised way to meet the person's own outcomes. The devices will add to the range of supports people already access through telecare and telehealth. Our team are going to be first in our organisation to be trained up, so that they will be able to support clients to access this technology.
Reading through all of this I realise my place of work and team (myself included) are already probably a bit more proficient and confident around going digital than I had first thought.
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