Photo by Goran Ivos on Unsplash
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 outbreak has had a big impact on businesses. The ripples of this world disaster will be felt for generations, and many people are already looking for ways to improve their life once the chaos is over. For businesses, one of the biggest changes coming out of the lockdown is remote working. With so many people switching to working from home, companies across the world have had the opportunity to feel the benefits of working like this. But how exactly are you supposed to prepare your own business to operate like this? Let’s take a look.
The Tools They’ll Need
There is a range of different tools that will be required for a team that is working from home. Many of these will also be found in your office, but this doesn’t mean that people will have them at home, and you may have to provide some support if your employees can’t afford all of the tools you need them to have. You can find some examples of the sorts of hardware your employees will need below.
Computers
It will be very hard for your team members to work without access to a computer, but this isn’t a tool that everyone has access to at home. If your employees don’t own their own computers, this is something you will have to provide for them, as devices like this are simply too expensive to expect people to provide for themselves. If people own their own computers, they will usually be happy to use them for this. Companies like Dell offer great leasing options to businesses looking for machines like this.
Internet Connections
Alongside a computer, your team members are also going to need a reliable internet connection in their home. Most people will already have this, but even the most reliable networks fail sometimes, and this makes it worth putting provisions in place in case one of your team members if left without a connection. Providing your team with wireless hotspot devices can be a great way to achieve this goal. You can pre-load them with enough data for a day’s work, providing you with an excellent safety net.
Smartphones
Those who don’t own a computer will probably have a smartphone of their own, but this is something you will probably need to provide to your team members. Most phones can only hold one sim card, making it difficult to handle both personal and business calls on a single device. Smartphones don’t have to be expensive, and you can choose low-spec models for this sort of work. Of course, though, it makes sense to be careful that they will be able to handle the workload your team gives them.
The Software To Drive Their Work
Alongside hardware tools, your team will also need to have access to the right software to be able to handle their work. There are loads of tools out there that can make collaboration between a large team more manageable, but you need to set this up properly to make sure that it is working.
Cloud Tools
Cloud computing has become a huge area over the last few years, and many companies rely on services like this to power their work. You can investigate cloud computing services by yourself, though it often makes more sense to talk to an expert when you’re getting this sorted out. Office 365 is a great example of this, providing you with file sharing and document creation tools that will keep your team connected no matter what they’re doing.
Specific Tools
Alongside the cloud tools your team uses, it’s likely that they will need to use more specific software, too. If you have your own programs that have been built for your business, giving your team access shouldn’t be too hard. For subscription services and paid software packages, though, you may have to buy additional licenses to cover the whole team. It’s always worth making sure that you’re paying for the software you use.
Management & Control
Finally, as the last area to consider in all of this, it’s time to think about how you’re going to manage and control your team when they’re working from home. Offices have the benefit of providing pressure to employees, ensuring that they keep working while they are in. At home, though, this pressure won’t be there, and this can cause some problems.
Work Management Systems
One of the biggest challenges that come with working from home is knowing which pieces of work need to be done first. Thankfully, there are a lot of tools on the market that can help with this, with options like Asana providing an easy way for employers to set deadlines, assign work to specific members of the team, and keep track of all of the work that is being done. Of course, though, as a big part of this, you need to make sure that your team knows how they’re supposed to use these tools. If you are looking for alternatives to solutions like Basecamp, there are several options to choose from.
Communication
Keeping in constant communication with your team can be an excellent way to make sure that they’re on track with their work. Many cloud service providers offer real-time chat systems that can give your team the chance to talk things through while they work together. You can create a group chat that will include everyone, providing you with an opportunity to connect everyone together while they’re stuck at home. People can ask questions, you can chase them up, and everyone will feel like they are still part of the team.
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of preparing your team to work from home. As more and more companies start going down this route, it’s only going to get more common to find services and tools that can help with it. Of course, though, this doesn’t mean that it will be easy for you, and you may have to work extremely hard to ensure that your team is in the best possible position.