The world we’re now living in has made the remote workforce an imperative for many businesses.
Understandably, this has been a challenge for many firms. Moving to an entirely virtual, remote workspace might feel like you’re giving up a big slice of control and risking the quality of your output.
The good news is that you can keep your business going virtually easily and cost-effectively.
Here are six tips for creating a super-efficient virtual business.
1. Make security your number one priority
Your employees are probably all working from different locations at the moment. They might be at home, or in a coffee shop. They may even be sat in the waiting room of an MOT test centre.
What’s more, they’ll be using different devices, some of which may not be company-owned.
Any device that’s being used remotely to access work data has the potential to be hacked. It’s therefore vital that you know who and what has access to your company’s information.
Do the following:
- obtain a list from each employee of the devices they use;
- make sure every device has the latest updates and security patches installed; and
- make sure your data is backed up continuously each day.
2. Focus on engagement
Working remotely is great for productivity, but it can sometimes feel lonely. Your people might even be feeling invisible or overlooked, and that can negatively impact their mental health.
The social aspect of any job plays a huge role in the overall happiness of an employee.
Make the most of the tools you have available; ensure regular video meetings are scheduled each week and encourage everyone to use platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to keep in touch.
Coaching, development and performance reviews shouldn’t grind to a halt just because you’re all working remotely. Schedule one-to-ones as you would normally and reiterate your (remote) open door policy.
3. Choose the right hardware
Lockdown and the sudden requirement to work from home may have led your team to simply ‘make do’ with the kit they have. Old laptops that have been kicking around the office for years and personal devices have suddenly been called into action.
This usually results in lower levels of productivity and significant security issues.
It doesn’t have to be like this, and you don’t have to spend a fortune to put it right, either.
Spend some time working out what devices are needed for people to undertake their jobs effectively while working remotely. Any investment you make now will pay back dividends in productivity, happy employees, and robust cybersecurity.
4. Lean on modern telephony
One of the best things about modern telephone systems is that they give remote workers access to functionality that was once only available in the office.
All you need is a laptop or tablet, and an internet connection. Combined with a modern telephony platform, that should give everyone the tools they need to carry out their normal duties – even when sat on the couch at home.
Anyone who calls the business will be none the wiser. In fact, you’ve probably unwittingly experienced this yourself if you’ve called a support line of some kind during lockdown. Did the experience feel any different as a customer?
5. Opt for a serverless environment
Platforms like Office 365 provide a full solution for communication, collaboration, and file storage.
This form of serverless environment removes the need for expensive hardware at the office and enables workers to effortlessly share documents and data.
It’s why services like accounting software are now cloud-based. It just makes total sense – particularly in a world where many of us are working from home.
Removing the need to connect remotely to an in-house company networks will simplify your workflows and make them more secure, too.
6. Help them find better internet connections
Anyone who has suffered a poor internet connection at home will know how frustrating it becomes when you try and use it for work purposes.
If your team is working from home with poor download and upload speeds, they’ll be frustrated and less productive. Work with them to find a better provider; sometimes, a simple account switch is all that’s needed to significantly boost speeds.
It’s also worth checking for faults on the line. This country unfortunately still relies largely on legacy cabling and networking for home internet connections, and a call to BT might reveal the root cause of slow performance.
If you still need help running your business virtually, just get in touch with the Compex IT team.
We’ve helped countless businesses master the art of working from home, and we can do the same for you.
