It’s definitely time we talk about it.
We’re all being overwhelmed with information about COVID-19, and the official recommendations for how businesses should adapt their operations to prevent the spread of the virus changes daily.
Which leads us to the question of the day: does your business have the infrastructure to function remotely?
Whether or not working from home has been officially mandated, it can’t hurt your business to be prepared. And while we’ve written a blog post to help your business create a disaster relief plan for foreseeable crisis situations, no business owners alive in 2020 have experienced what we’re living through now.
So that’s why we wrote this post. We’re here to help you create an efficient work-from-home strategy so your business can continue to serve your valued customers while protecting them, your staff and yourself from the spread of COVID-19.
And with that in mind, let’s get to it! Here are the three components you need to create a successful work from home setup for your business.
1. Operations
This is the first and often most challenging aspect of creating a work from home setup because it’s defined by the products and services your business offers. For companies that primarily operate online, converting physical operations to remote services may not be as difficult. But for companies that rely on physical interactions with clients, it can be an overwhelming prospect.
Think about what your business does, and how your physical connections with clients can translate to the online world. For example, if you have a consulting firm, video conferencing software like Microsoft Teams allows you to continue to meet with clients at little-to-no additional cost to your business.
2. Communication
This is a crucial component of a successful work from home setup. Clear and timely communication between you and your staff is essential in getting your jobs done, so you need to be sure your instant messaging software is accessible to your employees. We recommend using software like Microsoft Teams and Slack, which doesn’t require your employees use work-specific devices and can be conveniently used via phones and laptops.
You also want to be sure your remote communication methods are user friendly so that your employees don’t get frustrated trying to catch up with new technology. The more intuitive your software is, the smoother your company’s transition to a work from home setup will be.
3. Morale
Lastly, maintaining a strong, positive connection with your employees is extremely important in an efficient work from home setup. This is important in establishing a “typical” remote infrastructure, but it’s especially crucial now during the unusual circumstances we’re all currently experiencing.
No matter what communication software you choose to use for your work from home setup, we suggest that you create an outlet where employees can participate in “office chat.” This gives everyone the opportunity to light-heartedly connect and remember the people behind the names on the screens.
In addition to the general work-from-home guidelines outlined in this post, we’ve created a Work From Home checklist that you can use to ensure your business is prepared to function remotely! And last but not least, if you need more help in implementing a work from home setup after reading this blog post and reviewing the checklist, we’re here to help with that, too.
Contact Varay today so we can help you create the unique framework that’s best for your business!
