How Businesses are Managing their Productivity during COVID-19 from Home?

How Businesses are Managing their Productivity during COVID-19 from Home?

COVID-19 continues to spread across the planet earth. Taking its toll on businesses, roiling markets and disrupting the whole economy. Companies across the globe have been forced to take preventive measures to stop the spread of the diseases and this includes work from home.

Here lie other concerns and questions arising in the tech industry. How do I manage Cybersecurity to maintain safe security practices while working from home? How can remote workers improve productivity? How can I coordinate and manage employees working from home during the coronavirus outbreak?

These and many more are the questions spurring from IT services companies. Why won’t it be? With cyber threats, to telecommuting issues, to impeded workflow, COVID-19 will sure rile the information technology companies.

However, the good news is with more advanced technologies springing up in together with effective remote working practices put in place, working from home either as a web design company, or web development company, has become more doable today. Let’s explore how tech companies are digging it, delivering services from home and still making money during this coronavirus outbreak.

Connect, collaborate and communicate: Embrace a digitalized work from home

The thing is, as an IT service provider, you have probably employed a digitalized work environment. From instant messaging, collaborative software, enterprise social media tools, web conferencing software, to HR applications, there are tons of software and technologies that can be employed to break communications barriers and foster efficiency.

While working from home, equip the right tools and technologies for employees to communicate and collaborate in order to foster productivity outside the work environment.

Moreover, enable reliable and secure networks at employees’ homes to ensure employees carry out operations seamlessly and the organization remains connected with clients, partners and the whole team.

The point is, in this era of smartphones and connectivity, a digitalized workspace has become the norm rather than a luxury. With the worldwide work from home, cloud computing and smartphone accessible tools are the keys to the eradication of communication barrier, and work inefficiencies.

Stay safe, stay secured while staying online: Have effective cybersecurity put in place

While mitigating the spread of coronavirus, companies sadly might be unknowing be exposing their operations and businesses to other kinds of risks.

The fact is, there are more scammers and hackers powering up in the wake of coronavirus to take advantage of fears, chaos, and vulnerability of businesses.

Hence, it is important organizations access the remote environment networks and security to ensure sensitive information shared and data transferred are secured.

It is highly recommended that organization-owned devices and tools should be adopted as personal devices often lack the level of security. Not only that, but every connecting devices should also be under the full control and surveillance of the organization or IT team.

You have heard it said over and over again to enforce strong passwords through multi-factor authorization and make use of VPN for homeworkers to stay connected to the organization network and discourage third parties intrusion. Organizations should leave no stone unturned when it comes to staying secured while workers keep transferring information online from different locations.

While at it, communicate and educate employees on cyber attacks and preventive measures to take. Establish clear communication and transparency while educating them on how to identify cyber-attacks and what to do. it’s no doubt there will be more phishing, password attack, and many more during this coronavirus outbreak.

Respond, report, engage: make homeworking productive and fun

Whether it is mobile app development or web design company , workers such as developers, designers, software engineers, system analysts (to mention a few) in the IT services provider need to be in touch at all times to ensure a smooth flow of activities.

Therefore, clear communication guidelines and responsiveness should be put in place. Moreover, team leaders or line managers should implement procedures to track employees’ activities and ensure they are carrying out their duties. From compulsory group meetings to team collaboration to daily or weekly reporting, adequate reporting should be implemented.

Moreover, decide on the timing and the working schedule. While some employees are early risers, others tend to work better later in the day or in the night. Decide whether to implement a flexible timing or fixed timing.

Let’s face it, working from home can be sometimes boring but it doesn’t have to be. To boost morale, increase productivity and promote engagement, encourage social interactions through virtual engagement activities. For instance, an organization can introduce activities such as coffee sessions, live remote offices, a peek into each other’s homes and many more.

Don’t forget, not all employees are the same, while some might find working from home an escape from office chatter and an opportunity to be more productive others might see it as isolation or might get distracted with a lot of to-do-list to get done at home. However, with these measures put in place, working from home might be the best decision after all.

Stay productive, Stay Safe.

Anchit Sood April 6th, 2020