The recent Coronavirus brought many changes to our lives; however, perhaps the most starkly obvious and significant has been the rise in remote working.
In summer 2020, it’s estimated as much as 90% of previously office-based employees have moved to working from home – a considerable increase compared to only 8% pre-Coronavirus.
While the world still struggles to contain the virus, remote working will remain common but, looking a little further forward, most analysts now predict that employees and employers are unlikely to return to the ways of old.
Indeed, the majority of companies report higher employee satisfaction and similar (if not improved) productivity levels – making many questions the validity of returning to the traditional, office-based 9-5 structure.
With remote working likely to be on the cards for some time, here are a few steps you can take today to prepare yourself for a future with remote staff.
Improve your existing network provision
Remote working is exactly that – doing your job remotely, outside the office, and away from the familiar, locked-down, in-house networks.
Improve your current internal and external networks now by having a professional IT company perform a full audit of your existing hardware., software and procedures.
Some networking companies like A Couple of Gurus will perform a free survey and audit of your IT ecosystem, including in-depth checks of your equipment, servers, network, and backup/delivery options.
Improve your use of remote storage
From quotes to product data sheets, a huge percentage of your business files will already be stored in digital format – likely on your internal network. As part of your network audit, consider the potential for moving these valuable files online, onto cloud storage platforms for a secondary backup.
Having online storage options also makes it easier and more efficient for your employees to access key files remotely, without having to log directly into your internal network.
Boost your use of online communications
Emails are all well and good for formal discussions; however, nothing replaces face-to-face communication. While being in a small, confined space with your employees isn’t practical right now, using video conferencing offers the next best thing and can bring about the sense of still being part of a team.
All the big players (Microsoft, Google, etc.) have invested heavily in their video conferencing systems since the start of the virus; however, another, smaller player has also come to disrupt the mix – Zoom.
Just a few months ago, Zoom was relatively unknown. Still, it came to prominence recently due mainly to its slick virtual meeting system that can accommodate up to 100 users at once (500 in the commercial Large Meeting version). Zoom is an excellent substitute for the traditional morning check-in with staff and can be a great way to make your entire workforce feel involved again.
Make collaborative working easier for all
Collaborative working is clearly more challenging when your staff are located in different places. Still, there are several extremely good software options available which streamline collaborative working and make tracking updates easier.
Of the multitude of available apps to aid in online working, you could consider the following:
Slack: Great for team communication and keeping employee morale high with options for group discussions or more personal one-on-ones. Slack is often referred to as a virtual office due to its capacity for open (and closed) chat and its superior project management tools.
Trello: Trello is, first and foremost, an online project management system. The software’s trump card is its simplicity. Unlike so many other online management systems, Trello excels at keeping things basic and easy to use – so the system works as an aid rather than a distraction.
Remote storage and file sharing: Several online remote storage systems exist (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive), which make collaborative working on the same documents much easier. Completed, signed-off files can then be uploaded to your remote network. Consult with your team to see which they prefer and work out which is right for your company.