The following lines confront an underlying problem regarding the decline of lone worker devices.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of employees that work alone and dedicated lone worker protection gadgets and devices are expensive and steadily becoming obsolete.
If we think about it for a second, with the increasing amount of lone working being carried out in the United Kingdom it does not really make sense for these gadgets and devices to be dying out.
The reason behind the dramatic increase in lone working is due to technological advances. Nowadays almost every person carries a smartphone, maybe a laptop or tablet leading to twenty per cent of the working population working alone in their job. Due to these very same advances in technology, lone worker devices are coming to the end of their useful lives.
Dedicated lone worker devices
A dedicated lone worker device or gadget allows a worker at the touch of a button to call for an emergency response to their location. They can also confirm the safety of the worker allowing them to safely check in and out or alert somebody if the employee is unable to move.
Smarter solutions
The truth is that any smartphone made within the last six or seven years has this technical capability as well. As a matter of fact, the GPS functionalities in modern smartphone devices are even more sophisticated than the technology in these dedicated lone worker devices.
If we take into account that everybody takes their smartphone when leaving home and nobody forgets to charge their phone this is a more robust approach to lone worker tracking. User adoption will be higher as utilising the smartphone is already a big part of the daily routine.
A very simple lone worker protection mobile app can allow firms to provide the highest level of functionality without the need to acquire a very costly device.
You might be thinking right now that there is a problem we have not yet mentioned, and in that case you would be right. How can we quickly activate an SOS alarm when our smartphone is at the bottom of a pocket or handbag? Thanks to advances in technology connected devices can be utilised, such as discreet buttons that are connected to your phone. These can provide an easy to use, cost-effective activation method. With battery lives of over a year, these devices are a hassle-free option if an easy activation is an important requirement for your lone workers.
The days when providers could overcharge us for expensive devices are gone, now that people carry around the necessary technology to protect them in their pockets.
Dedicated lone worker devices will not die out entirely. There is still a place for these dedicated gadgets and devices such as for workers that are not allowed to take their smartphones with them whilst working, or for members of the staff with uniforms with no pockets where a device would have to be worn on a lanyard around the neck.