Working from home is becoming more common practice. However, the trend is now accelerated by the coronavirus situation as a way to deal with the outbreak. In many countries such as China, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, employees have been on lockdown with no option but to work from home. While in the US some big companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google, as a precaution, told some of their employees to remain home. In Bangkok, Grab had to close one of their offices for 5 days for disinfection after a visiting employee from overseas tested positive for the disease.
In the current circumstance, we need to acknowledge the possibility that all or part of your team may need to work remotely. By simply hoping the situation will pass and your business won’t get impacted is not a strategy.
1. Begin with a plan
If the only way your business can remain functioning is to work remotely, what would it look like? Create a cross-functional response team of executives, operations, IT and HR. Think of different scenarios and plan how your business would respond effectively. Note down the key action plan for each of the scenarios.
2. Identify the role and scope
It’s disruptive to launch large-scale remote work at once. Scope the functions and roles that potentially could be working from home. The scale of impact on operation can be different in each business. Most of the workforce must be present at work in retail, manufacturing, or health care industries. But many white-collar roles can be work offsite.
3. Prepare your tech
Evaluate your current IT hardware and software. Ensure your team has access and comfort to the technologies at their home. Make sure you address if data-security could be an issue.
4. Communicate, communicate and communicate
Besides basic technology infrastructure (PC, smartphone and Wi-Fi) for remote working are, communication and collaboration tools (email, instant messaging and internal social media platforms and video-conferencing technology) and cloud-based productivity tools are greatly optimize the efficiency of your team’s remote working culture.
Keep your team informed and feeling connected is crucial especially the case when you are working remotely.
5. Kick-start the culture of trust
Make sure the work relationships and team culture are carried across into the remote environment. Many businesses worry about the lack of visibility of their team’s works and routines when they work remotely. How can you know their welfare and trust if they can do their work even if you can’t see them?
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Holding frequent check-ins via video or phone conversations.
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Identify ways to measure performance and focus on outcomes.
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Be transparent and set accurate expectations among each other.
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And find ways to create supportive interactions digitally among team-members.