How to Work Remotely During the COVID-19 Pandemic

How to Work Remotely During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The World is Changing Right Before Our Eyes and the COVID-19 Pandemic Has the Potential to Change the Way We All Conduct Business… Here’s How to Embrace That Change with an Efficient Remote Workforce.

It’s no secret… The world is changing right before our eyes and the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to change the way we all conduct business, especially in terms of how our employees collaborate and serve our customers. Remote access and the ability to work from home is not a new concept at all. It’s been around for many years, but in today’s world of stay-at-home or shelter-in-place requirements, working from home might become the new norm – at least for the foreseeable future.

Considerations to Keep in Mind Before Transitioning to Remote Work…

When you combine remote work with cloud computing, part or all of your work can be done without entering the office. Some will argue that face-to-face interaction is key, and although this is true, technology can assist with this, even with social distancing in place. How so? There are various platforms available for video conferencing, group chats, and other methods of communication that still enable some level of face-to-face interaction.

Here are some of the top considerations to keep in mind when having employees work remotely…

1. Which employees need to have the ability to work from home? It’s important to consider which employees need to keep working and whether or not they’re able to perform their responsibilities outside of the office.
2. Do your employees have the appropriate technology in place? Or will you need to provide devices and equipment for them to work from home without sacrificing security against cybercrime?
3. Will your network, internet service, and cloud solutions keep up? You will need to be confident in the fact that your network, internet service, and cloud solutions can handle a surge of remote workers.
4. Do you have the correct licensing for your firewalls and servers? It’s important to ensure you have the correct licensing in place to provide all of your employees can access applications and/or services remotely.
5. Do you have the correct amount of licenses and storage necessary? If you’re using cloud-based services, check beforehand to make sure you have enough licenses and storage for each user who will be working from home.
6. What files and/or information shouldn’t be accessed from home? Employees may be working with less secure systems when they’re at home so it’s important to ensure access is limited to some degree or upgrade systems as needed.
7. Do you have a video conferencing solution to replace face-to-face meetings? Microsoft Teams is a great option that offers the ability to collaborate via conference calls, video chats, instant messaging, and more.
8. How will your employees make and receive calls from home? A VoIP business solution is an excellent alternative to only having employees use their phones. Instead, they can make and receive calls over the internet.

How to Maintain Oversight of Your Remote Workforce

Lastly, it’s important to maintain oversight of your remote workforce as many employees aren’t used to working from home. It’s helpful to implement the following:

• A clearly outlined remote work policy that covers schedules, expectations regarding communication, and a regular weekly check-in via video chat or conference call.
• A dedication to ensuring they have remote technical support from a team of experts like Intelice Solutions that can troubleshoot the majority of issues remotely for your staff members.
• A cloud-based project management tool such as Basecamp, Asana or another similar option that allows you to keep your team’s day-to-day responsibilities organized.

Intelice Solutions is here to answer any questions you may have during this state of uncertainty. Contact us now at {phone} or use the chatbox to the bottom right.