With the pandemic looming over us like an angry grey cloud, it’s paramount that you and your staff have a work from home strategy ready to go at a moment’s notice should there be a snap lockdown.
There are a few essentials required to ensure your staff have everything they need should they need to work from home. We have put together a list of what we think are the key essentials –
Systems access:
It’s important that your team have a secure device that can be used from home, preferably a laptop which can be taken between home and the workplace. This is important as should there be a snap-lockdown, your team are able to mobilise and get back online with minimal to no downtime. Having a machine that can handle the requirements of your team’s day to day tasks needs is vital to be able to work effectively. It is important to note that regardless of where a staff member works from, it is up to the business to ensure that the data remains secured. Often, personal computers won’t be in the best interests of your security obligations.
In addition to the equipment, running your critical business systems in the Cloud (such as Microsoft 365) is extremely beneficial in these circumstances due to the ability to be able to work anywhere. All you (and your staff) would need to do is sign into your company account and all your files will be accessible on your machine.
Home internet:
Whilst this one can be hard to control, you will need to ensure that your staff have sufficient internet connectivity. With parents also having to manage e-learning and higher level of online streaming during lockdown, having a sufficient level of capacity when it comes to internet will be paramount.
Systems able to handle remote staff:
If you do use physical infrastructure exclusively or have a hybrid cloud approach, it is crucial to ensure that your infrastructure is able to cater for your staff working from home. Even if it’s capable of handling everyone in the office or if a few are working from home, the real test is when everyone is home and trying get access to the systems and data. If you haven’t had your systems checked, request an audit from your IT department or company to ensure you’re ready for everyone accessing data remotely.
Phones:
Today, hosting your phone system in the cloud (or a hybrid setup) is a huge advantage. Should you need to make a call on the road or receive inbound calls when working from home, a phone system in the cloud is versatile and easily adaptable to a work from home operation. By ensuring your staff are able to maintain continuity from a client communication perspective, you will minimise any impact to the services you provide to your clients
Microsoft Teams/Staying connected:
It’s been generally underestimated how disconnected your team can become when working from home. It is important to keep in touch with your staff and ensure they interact with each other, not only because that’s how business is done, but also because we all thrive when we have regular human interaction whether it be from a professional or social standpoint. Apps such as Microsoft Teams are designed to keep all your staff collaborating inside and out of the office with features such as: collaboration tools, conference calling and document storage.
ONGC will be happy to have a discussion with you should you have any concerns regarding your business setup or have any questions about how to improve your work from home strategy. Please feel free to give us a call on 1800 664 248 and we will be happy to arrange a meeting with you.
