A digital revolution that incorporates risk assessment to optimise the application of "agile work" concepts in the time of Covid-19: now, as part of an ambitious programme for the dissemination of new Cloud technologies and tools, Sacmi has launched the new Smart Booking service. Operational since July 1, the service lets all employees already involved in smart working book their in-company workstation directly via the app on SharePoint or their Microsoft Teams dashboard.

The three cornerstones of the service are user-friendliness (users can immediately view available workstations, manage and modify bookings and integrate them into their digital calendars), safety and effectiveness. "As with all the communal areas in the company, the new workstation layout", observed Paolo Mongardi, President of Sacmi Imola, "already takes into account social distancing rules. This lets all staff manage their in-office hours in the certainty that they're complying with standards designed to ensure everyone’s safety".

The Smart Booking service is part of a wider digital revolution with which Sacmi, also via the use of new enabling technologies, is accelerating the diffusion of new organisational models. Thanks to the Digital GYM training courses, launched in the early stages of the emergency, Sacmi has helped colleagues develop the digital skills needed to work from home effectively, thus aiding the implementation and efficiency of new smart work methods and, therefore, continuity of operations.

These courses have been attended by over 2,000 Sacmi employees from a dozen or so Italian production plants. Paolo Mongardi noted that "there was an immediate need to make staff training easier by offering them a 'place' to familiarise themselves with the new Cloud applications. The response has highly positive: we've made extraordinary progress in a matter of weeks, both in terms of the effectiveness of the new models and in terms of awareness on the part of the team".

Feedback from users during the implementation phase of the Smart Booking service proved to be vital. For example, we've since added the possibility of booking part-time workstations. Similarly, Smart Booking lets users book workstations on behalf of guests (consultants, partners, customers) and take advantage of a certain number of wildcard desks, even in different Group facilities, to cover all operational needs even if the standard workstations are already booked.

Equally important, from an organisational standpoint, is the role of the various team/department managers, who receive detailed daily attendance reports so they can better manage shifts and effect real-time assessment of needs.

From a technological viewpoint, instead, Smart Booking uses PowerApp technology, an app and services suite that offers a rapid development environment in which to create customised apps for business needs. "One of the advantages of this technology", pointed out Gianluca Nardone, Sacmi Group HR & Organization Manager, "is that it lets you write low code applications that enhance the user experience: a few clicks, a user-friendly interface, easy integration with other Cloud applications. This aspect constitutes a powerful tool for changing the mentality inside the company, as it combines implementation of new services with immediate benefits in terms of quality of work and the development of corporate culture, now increasingly oriented towards concepts of empowerment, trust and delegation”.