2-3 pages in length

explain how your article/issue illustrates core concepts and knowledge from course material in organizational behaviour. Explain 3 core theories or core concepts of organizational behaviour after reading the article below. Don't just name list as many concepts/theories as you can -- this will be a laundry list and not be a persuasive, informed explanation. On the other hand. don't just apply/explain 1 concept or theory as that won't capture the complexity of events or situations and it doesn't allow you to show breadth of knowledge. DO NOT ANALYZE THE WRITERS APPROACH OR ANALYSIS: this is not a literary or communications critique. Instead, it is your OB analysis (particularly the why) of what is happening in the article.

ARTICLE

KPMG rolls out return-to-work app to support employee safety, well-being

KPMG in Canada is introducing an app to help its employees and other organizations manage the return-to-work process.

The workforce safeguarding app, which was launched this week, aims to accelerate the safe return of employees to their physical workplaces. Designed to create connected experiences with staff and promote health and safety, it includes critical information and support, integration with existing technology, an easy-to-use platform to streamline reopening processes and resources to foster employee health, well-being and engagement.

The app was borne out of the challenges around sharing information at the onset of the pandemic. When the pandemic started, we certainly recognized that there was a lot of information that employees needed to have access to, says Amanda Perran, partner in advisory services at KPMG. It was important that we leveraged the available digital technologies that we had at our disposal to share information in a timely manner, but also collect information from them around how they were feeling and any additional support they required.

It features a notification centre for important news and announcements, a personal risk assessment questionnaire and a daily check-in so employers can monitor employees general well-being. It also includes a section for wellness resources.

The digital app allows employees to receive information from the company and complete any requests they might have . . . . It also provides helpful hints, such as meditation links and things like that, says Perran.

To introduce the app to employees, KPMG started with a pilot project for employees based in the Greater Vancouver Area, in Ontario (except for the Greater Toronto Area) and in the Atlantic provinces.

We surveyed and were heavily connected to those groups of employees in those two pilot groups, says Louise Lutgens, senior advisor to KPMGs chief operating officer for human resources and strategic initiatives. Feedback is that its slick, easy to use and intuitive.

In terms of KPMGs return to work, it decided to take a slow and measured approach, she notes. Our volumes were relatively low, but we did still need to track three scenarios: people who wanted to return to our office; people who needed to go to client sites to perform work; and those who needed to bring a visitor into our office, which was probably the lowest case scenario you would see.

In all of those situations, adds Lutgens, the organization was putting the necessary protocols and safety guidance in place. So with the introduction of the app, it became the key tool as we roll it out across the firm to help guide those three scenarios.

In addition, now that the app is available to all KPMG employees, it will be offered to other employers across Canada. Indeed, Perran notes more than 50 employer clients have expressed interest.