Prepare for the Future of Work
Few people could have imagined the radical transformation of our working lives that we’re currently witnessing and responding to in real time. Prior to the sudden shift from an in-office work environment as the norm to what has rapidly evolved into a primarily remote workforce, less than half of all enterprises had formal remote work policies and processes in place. Now IT departments across the globe are working overtime to keep distributed employee networks connected, productive, and secure.
Enabling their companies to move forward under wildly different circumstances has been an innovative albeit reactive task for IT leadership. And while most companies are still preoccupied with fine-tuning the adapted workarounds that have quickly become their new normal—at least for the time being—they should also be thinking about the long-term implications of the great remote work experiment.
In other words, it’s time to set the stage for the workplace of the future.
In-office or remote: Why not both?
The everyday activities of society will eventually resume, but things won’t look quite the same as they did before we abandoned them early this spring. Employees are frustrated by the barriers to collaboration imposed by less-than-ideal remote work setups. Cooped up, they’re eager to reclaim some semblance of separation between their working lives and home lives. This all points to the likelihood that offices are here to stay. But now that we’re also realizing the benefits of flexible work options—notably an optimized schedule and better work-life balance—remote work probably won’t be going anywhere either.
The remote work experiment hasn’t been without its challenges, but we’re learning that it’s possible. Of course, our real reckoning has been with the widespread lack of remote readiness laid painfully bare by this unplanned experiment. Companies the world over had to triage the situation with reactive prescriptions at the expense of proactive anticipation. But the work companies and their IT teams have done will inform business continuity plans for years to come, and the ability to seamlessly, safely, and effectively transition between in-office workstations and remote work setups will be a critical piece of the business continuity puzzle.
Actionable remote work integration
Executives will continue to lean on IT leadership to steer the company toward institutionalized remote work capabilities. They’re going to want assurance that business operations can continue uninterrupted regardless of external factors and events. As such, you and your team should be adequately prepared to discuss how remote work integration can support business continuity, as well as what it’s going to take to get there. Here are some things to consider when planning for the future.
Be ready to advocate for telecommuting as a central component of the business continuity plan.
Offices aren’t going away. On the contrary, most employees enjoy the energy of the office and the feeling of belonging that comes with working together in the same place. But the workforce also wants greater flexibility to work where it’s convenient, and in times like these, remote work may be necessary to keep the business running safely.
With all we’ve experienced in the past few months, it’s unlikely you’ll encounter much resistance in your efforts to establish formal remote work policies. But even in the midst of highly unusual circumstances, there’s always the possibility of having to persuade change-averse leadership. Come prepared with relevant insights about the cost of interruptions to business operations. The particularly stubborn ones might find solace in a Harvard Business Review report that found remote employees accomplish an extra day’s worth of work per week on average when compared to their brick-and-mortar counterparts.1
Assemble a cross-functional team of department leaders to collaborate on your company’s business continuity planning.
Departmental needs vary widely across the enterprise, rendering one-size-fits-all solutions utterly fruitless. It’s unreasonable to expect IT to intuitively understand the needs of the entire organization, and it’s reckless to assume a few siloed executives will know better. The best planning committee is one of diverse departmental representation. IT should collaborate with HR, the facilities team, and various lines of business. This ensures a holistic understanding of what’s necessary for continued operations while capturing the nuanced needs of individual departments.
Keep security at the top of your priority list.
Security attacks have risen dramatically this year. In March alone, phishing attacks increased 667 percent.2 As an unprecedented number of companies continue operations without the appropriate security infrastructure in place, IT departments are right to worry about the integrity of remote workers’ connections. Any remote-work policies you build into your business continuity plan should include virtual private network (VPN) capacities, thoroughly vetted tools, and an investment in trustworthy security features. It should also clearly outline whether the use of home desktops and laptops are permitted or strictly prohibited, as well as your plan for ensuring device security.
Equip the team for transitioning seamlessly between working in the office and plugging in offsite.
It’s a given that remote employees should have the same unencumbered access to everything they need in order to do their jobs. Entire workflows can be thrown off track when a single employee is unable to view or download an important file. That’s why your plan for remote work should follow a familiar and easily navigable design reminiscent of employees’ in-office workstations. Even with a similar user experience, it’s still possible that less tech-savvy end users will require some additional support. As such, the plan must also include adequate training for and documentation of processes and procedures for employees to reference.
Zoom out
Creating a remote work environment that supports business continuity is a lot more involved than simply telling your employees to telecommute until further notice. In a fast-moving and dynamic situation, employees are looking to their managers for clear instruction, and their managers are looking to IT for best practices and practical guidance. Build trust by keeping the larger team informed and ensuring your company’s leadership has a comprehensive understanding of how to implement the formal business continuity plan. Ultimately, the goal is for all employees to achieve a level of competency regarding remote work practices that’s in line with in-office output and collaboration.
[1] Harvard Business Review, To Raise Productivity, Let More Employees Work From Home
[2] Security Magazine, Coronavirus-Related Spear Phishing Attacks See 667% Increase in March 2020