Remote Work: A lesson to learn on Business Continuity

Natural disasters, disruptions and a pandemic like COVID-19 have the potential to impact businesses of all sizes. These disturbances may or may not have a long-term impact on your business locations. But when they do, how would you ensure that your business lives to see the light?

The answer? Remote Work.

The need for remote work for business continuity should be a reminder for businesses to revisit their policies and redesign them for better application to business.

What the future holds

With the current pace at which business and technology move, the way employees work is likely to change completely in the coming decade. One of the most important insights into this wave of change is that by 2028 digital dexterity and gradual upskilling will outweigh experience and tenure. That means the ability to adapt to collaborative technology (virtual doppelgangers, if we may call them so), the will to unlearn and relearn along with critical & creative thinking will be the most sought after skills in an employee.

This revolution of alternate ways of working is also a great opportunity to prepare for the future when automation and employee expectations will include remote working.

By 2030, demand for remote work will increase by 30% with Gen Z fully entering the workforce. – Gartner

Remote working capabilities of an organization became an overnight necessity for a lot of businesses. With organizations being forced into the revolution of working culture, remote work can be made easier to adapt to. An important step towards the same would be building HR contingency plans. Being able to specify which key functions, roles, and activities – that can be done remotely – are required to keep a company afloat.

A Lesson To Learn on Remote Work

According to Gartner, businesses across the world have something of a lesson to learn from organizations in Asia on remote work. While the subcontinent has been battling the impact of the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus, companies have been able to narrow down pain points and success factors of remote work, to ensure business continuity.

In an online poll by Gartner, amongst over 800 organizations that responded, 88% now encourage their employees to work from home.

Success Factors for Remote Work

Here is the takeaway from employers in Asia, of how the following actions are key to the success of your remote working strategy.

Communication is key

The success rate of any remote working plan is defined by how much you, as an organization, trust your employees to do their work, even if you cannot see them. People may begin to fall out of the loop early on, especially during a pandemic. The best way to ensure the communication of vital information and expectations is to appoint a spokesperson.

Share the impact of the crisis on the organization openly, and what must/can each member do to help. Normalize what to expect in the coming days. Establish two-way communication to instill the trust required to run a remote-work plan.

Bolster the use of collaborative tech

54% of HR leaders indicated that poor technology and infrastructure posed as the biggest barrier to effective remote work in their organizations, in a snap poll by Gartner.

A ‘New Normal’ has arrived, thanks to the need for alternate types of working during a crisis. Companies will now have to adopt tech with the motive to drive resiliency, rather than on a need-based approach. And this could easily be one of the biggest learnings from the Coronavirus pandemic.

Even if your company’s technological infrastructure is under up-gradation, communicate the best practices and the need to leverage instant messaging apps, and social media to drive performance.

Establish team guidelines and expectations

Working at home may be productive for some and not so much for others. Remote working looks different for each employee, given the individual needs of their families. Some employees with kids are playing double roles at home. While others are able to give their entire day to work. Due to this, there may arise discrepancies in productivity.

Businesses can meet the needs of these employees by communicating expectations and empowering teams to adapt to conflicting time demands. Setting up ‘core times’ may help in ensuring this. This means dedicating a reasonable amount of time per day, where all team members are available to collaborate.

Is your organization ready?

The COVID-19 health crisis has forced thousands of businesses to revisit their business continuity plans. With remote working on the rise, the right tech is the first step towards a workplace of the future. An adaptive technological infrastructure is  imperative for a business to flourish in the 21st century,

Maxicus works to build solutions, keeping in mind business pain areas. With the growing need for technology to ensure consistent customer engagements, a Work-From-Anywhere solution becomes a business necessity. The key areas that a business must ensure in a remote working solution are:

• Data Safety & Security
• Quality
• Productivity

With AI-based features for each of the above, Leap, our proprietary remote working solution, is in the works to fulfill all business requirements in a time like this. Leap recreates a BPO-like environment in any Internet-enabled space. Designed for the convenience of a business as well as its employees, Leap builds and grows the capabilities of your business, even while you’re away from the workplace.

To find out more about Leap and its capabilities, drop us a line here.

Editor’s note: As the world’s healthcare experts continue their endeavors to find a solution, it is important that we all practice social distancing and self-isolation to stay safe. Educate people around you about measures to ensure prevention against the Novel Coronavirus infection. Stay home. Stay safe.