If you’re running a small to medium-sized company in London, you’ll know there’s no such thing as business as usual. However, one recent event could prove to be more disruptive than we’ve previously experienced. So, now with the rapid rise in Coronavirus cases, it’s high time to be getting your business ready for change.
Many large corporations such as Chevron, Google, J P Morgan, and Twitter have asked their staff to adopt remote working in response. Essentially, the logic is that people working remotely help maintain businesses productivity while containing the virus.
But, as of February 2020, the UK government hasn’t yet advised all businesses to follow this protocol.
Shockingly, it is estimated that Coronavirus will imminently become a pandemic, with up to a fifth of the workforce off sick during its peak. Therefore, it is not solely down to the government but your business’ responsibility to take suitable action. Start urgent planning and strategizing which can maximise business continuity whilst minimising the potential spread of the virus.
In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the key tools you’ll need to confidently resume with core operations. As experts in remote support, we’ll advise you on how to continue working effectively, efficiently, and securely from home.
Getting your business ready for Coronavirus with remote working
As Coronavirus sweeps the nation, we believe many more enterprises here in London and the UK will adopt the remote working option. Evidently, we can already see this change happening in the USA.
In fact, Harvard Business Review reported that nearly half (46%) of US employers have already increased employee flexibility for remote working. An additional 13% of these organisations indicated their plans allow greater work-from-home flexibility.
There’s another factor at play here, too. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in the UK, ‘Employees’ health, safety and well-being during a global health emergency like COVID-19 should be paramount. Employers have a statutory duty of care for people’s health and safety, and to provide a safe place to work.’
What the experts say
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has offered advice to businesses regarding remote working during the Coronavirus impact:
“Promote regular teleworking across your organization. If there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community the health authorities may advise people to avoid public transport and crowded places. Teleworking will help your business keep operating while your employees stay safe.”
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also published official guidance:
“For employees who are able to telework, supervisors should encourage employees to telework instead of coming into the workplace until symptoms are completely resolved. Ensure that you have the information technology and infrastructure needed to support multiple employees who may be able to work from home.”
Please take careful note of the last note in the CDC’s advice.
Taking remote working to the next level
There’s no doubt that our workplaces are already digitally transformed and always switched on. And the benefit of interconnection means that many of us can work from wherever we can get WiFi.
Remote working has already been growing steadily in many small and medium-sized businesses and sectors. When you consider somewhere like London where commuting is expensive and time consuming, remote working delivers a sound solution. But enabling a wholly remote workforce in response to the Coronavirus threat is complex. Once you learn the changes required to security, compliance, and other key measures, it can make matters worse.
Digital tools such as video conferencing and collaboration apps have given us a great deal of freedom. However, to loosen the reigns and allow your people to work from home indefinitely, you may need to think further. Take time to carefully consider the kinds of technology your employees will need and if they can access it.
First and foremost, your team will need access to strong Internet connections and bandwidth. Additionally, they’ll need to access programmes and work files and be able to share these on with colleagues, clients, and external partners. It is equally as important that your team are also equipped with the right security protocols and technologies. This will ensure your data, IP, IT infrastructure and confidential customer/client information are kept safe and secure.
Getting ready for remote working
If your business requires your people to self-isolate and work from home, you must ensure you have the right technology and tools in place.
Here are six factors you should consider:
Remote infrastructure
Check that you have the necessary technology, network access, and appropriate capable software in place.
Connectivity
Your team must have confidence in their Internet Services Providers (ISPs). So, ensure everyone has access to a robust, reliable connection with sufficient bandwidth. They will also need an alternative or back-up solution. This will help minimise downtime in case their WiFi fails, or connection and availability become an issue.
An alternative to their ISP’s connection at home could be a mobile device hotspot. This enables them to provide an Internet connection wirelessly from a mobile or tablet.
In both cases, do check that your employee has an adequate data plan with their provider.
Secure access
As your people will probably need to connect to your work server, you should enforce the use of a virtual private network (VPN) to access it.
VPNs are a great solution when remote access is needed and provide a secure alternative to unsecured free Wi-Fi.
Collaboration
Teamwork and collaboration can help your business thrive. For remote workers, this happens when your team can confidently access and utilise shared assets. These can include data, documents, reports, and rich media.
Typically, these assets are created and used within apps and office productivity suites. These tools and platforms include Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, content management systems, intranet, CRM systems and more.
However, to enable successful sharing and collaboration, you should ensure your people have access to everything they need. By using Remote Desktop Services (RDS) you can empower your employees to take control of a remote or virtual machine over a network connection.
Meet online
A reliable web or video conferencing tool such as Microsoft Teams is essential for remote working. It enables your team to hold virtual meetings and keep their projects moving forward.
Security
Please ensure you have robust security procedures in place regarding the use of passwords and passcodes. This will help you uphold compliance and confidentiality practices related to IT infrastructure, data, IP and customer information.
You can find out more about securing your remote workers and their technology here.
Seek a reliable business continuity partner
There’s no doubt that Coronavirus has us all deeply concerned. So, although it’s already having a disruptive impact across the business world, there is still things you can do for your company.
The Coronavirus outbreak does go to prove that every organisation, no matter what their size or sector, must develop and establish sensible contingency and business continuity strategies.
So, if you’re seeking an experienced, reliable London-based IT support team to help safeguard your remote team, don’t hesitate to reach out to the totality services team!
We’ve earned Five Star customer service ratings from TrustPilot, Feefo and Google, and currently hold the Feefo Platinum award for customer service excellence four years’ running. So, if you have any queries or would like to request a quote, please do get in touch for a confidential, no obligation chat about your requirements.