ZURICH (Reuters) – Siemens is rolling out its Comfy mobile phone app to hundreds of its offices around the world to help staff safely return to the office after the coronavirus shutdown.
More than 100,000 staff in 30 countries will get access to the app, which gives data on occupancy levels and updates on the local COVID-19 situation so they can comply with physical distancing regulations.
Staff worried about COVID-19 infections among fellow workers can also use a contact tracing feature on the app created under a partnership with U.S. software developer Salesforce.
It can also block desks in an area if information is received about a person suspected of having the virus, said Siemens, which already sells the app to external customers.
The app will initially be available at half of Siemens’s 1,300 factories and offices.
Siemens last week announced it would let its employees work from wherever they want for two or three days a week, in the latest example of how the coronavirus is making major companies re-think how and where their staff work.
(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Michael Shields)
