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Working from home is not a new development. For years people have had the option to log in from their sofas, the local cafe or airport restaurant. But when that novelty becomes a necessity, it presents us with a new dynamic that takes some major adjustment. Now after extended disruptions to the status quo from the global pandemic, we are continuing to navigate the unknown territory within the global business market. Mitel CHRO Billie Hartless and Josh Hortsmann, Partner at Sales Benchmark Index, discuss how HR and IT can leverage technology to support business continuity in the webinar, Powering Connections Through Crisis. Here's a recap of their advice:
Technology Transforms
Employees wanting more flexibility in their work arrangements has been a growing trend and happy employees are harder working employees. Technology can help to mitigate change during this crisis, both short and long-term. Yet, many companies have now found the gaps in their technology that stood between employees and effective remote working.
No one is excluded from the effects of coronavirus and many companies are struggling to survive. The crisis presented by COVID-19 has made businesses realize what changes need to be made to IT policies and communications strategies to reduce the impact of a future disaster. The beginning of the quarantine required quick fixes, but these solutions do not support effective and seamless business continuity practices. And poor communications can cost your business in the long run.
Teamwork is #1
Companies are inanimate objects, but people are what bring companies to life and the collaboration between those people is what keeps companies competitive. The extreme changes to the way we interact brought about by the coronavirus outbreak has shown us how we can collaborate more closely while remote.
Collaboration can take many forms, so it is important to choose a technology that facilitates teamwork with dedicated workspaces, task management and file sharing for each project. Also needed is a communications system that allows for quick response, such as SMS or messaging, as well as telephony and video to help teams have real-time interactions.
Adapting your business processes can also ensure your team is still productive, even while social distancing. This can include educating employees on phone and virtual business practices, bolstering virtual training opportunities, or training employees on virtual tools for role efficacy.
The Time is Now
The updates and upgrades you make now will dictate how your organization will communicate for years to come, in and beyond crisis measures. Now is the time to define a new business process and course correct, if necessary, to set the new normal as soon as possible.
Start now by looking at how you can incorporate remote working solutions into your business >
Strategy Considerations
Preparing for the Next Extreme Change
Organizations must continue to prioritize. The global pandemic forced leaders to invest in solutions to solve their immediate needs to send their workforces home to work remotely, and it's continuing now as they find longer term solutions. This unexpected exodus had two impacts on plans put in place for 2021 and onward. First, budgetary dollars were spent on unplanned licenses and digital capabilities. Second, these purchases were made without sufficient time to consider the long-term impact on their current infrastructure.
Now organizations must reconcile the latent needs of the business with the short-term decisions made to ensure business continuity.
Technology is Transformative
Organizations must deliver flexibility in employee work arrangements. According to a GetAbstract survey, the top three reasons for wanting to work remotely were the absence of a commute, flexible schedules, and a sense of increased productivity. This crisis proved technology can help to mitigate change during short and long term challenges. Yet, many companies have delayed the investments that could provide employees with effective remote working.
The COVID-19 crisis, as long as it has been, will eventually be resolved, but the tangle of technology that organizations had to piece together will further highlight what changes need to be made to IT policies and communications strategies to reduce the impact of a future disaster. IT departments met the challenges of rapid relocation with quick fixes, but these solutions do not support effective and seamless business continuity practices. And poor communications can cost your business in the long run.
