The coronavirus has disrupted life for people across the world. Many governments are restricting public life, closing down businesses, restricting travel, and more. Entire industries have been dramatically affected by the on-going coronavirus. Most likely, your company has already felt the impact of this pandemic.
Many companies are instructing as many employees as possible to work remotely. Some are having their hand forced by governments. Fortunately, many employees can conduct much of their work online from home.
That’s why we’re going to take a look at some remote work options and some ways you can make at-office work safe as well.
Lead by example
Your executive team will set the tone for the rest of the company. It’s important for leaders to lead by example and to work remotely as much as possible.
When employees know that the C-suite is empty and that even leadership meetings are taking place remotely, they’ll understand just how serious your company is about remote work. On the other hand, if managers show up to work in the office, employees may feel obligated to come in.
Company get-aways and travel trips should be canceled unless absolutely necessary.
Further, executives should communicate with all of their employees through videos, emails, and the like. Company-wide messaging is all the more important now. Reassure your team members, but also drive home how important it is for your company to go digital.
Get the right tools in place
Remote work is only possible because of technological advancement over the last few decades. Without the Internet and computers, remote work will be extremely difficult. Now, it’s possible for teams to collaborate on documents and other materials through Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Skype, Zoom Conference, and other platforms.
Conference calls have been around for a while, but video streaming makes remote meetings even easier. Everyone can hop on a video call from the comfort of home. File storage systems and the like make it easy to coordinate efforts.
What If an employee contracts the coronavirus?
First, make sure the employee is offered sick leave until they are medically cleared. If a sick employee comes in to work, your entire team could be infected.
As an employer, privacy laws may prevent you from revealing who specifically is sick. Keep legal obligations in mind in the weeks ahead. You can likely inform other employees, contractors, vendors, and clients that there is a risk that they have been exposed to the virus and they should get tested, however. Just don’t reveal identifying information and check local laws and regulations first.
What if employees have to go to the office?
In some cases, employees will still need to show up at the office. First, limit in-person meetings. In nearly all cases, video conferencing, phone meetings, and collaboration tools offer the ability to resume work as usual. Next, make sure there is plenty of hand sanitizer around the office. Employees should wash their hands frequently.
Also, disinfect doorknobs, counters, and the like. Viruses can survive on these surfaces and when someone touches such a surface, they can get infected.
Final thought
Invariably, this is a serious crisis. Nonetheless, it’s also an opportunity for leaders to step forward and lead.
Reach out to us and see how we can help and ensure that you have the proper remote work from home systems, as well as ensuring that your network is protected and running at full security. Please stay safe at this scary time if any assistance is needed you can reach us at 201-402-1900 or email us at Sales@krsit.com.