Although the Covid-19 vaccinations might become readily available to the public as early as the second quarter of this year, company executives must grasp that remote work is here to stay to prepare themselves appropriately.
Not only will some Americans continue to feel apprehensive about returning to the tight confines of an office, but many others have adapted well to and prefer the paradigm of telecommuting, which was already gaining traction even before the epidemic hit the global economy. Instead of viewing this transformation as a burden, businesses can look at these once-in-a-generation occurrences as a chance to reimagine and reinvent their companies.
Take, for example, the fact that preliminary research indicates that working remotely leads to higher levels of productivity. Equally as encouraging is the growing number of businesses investing in programs and policies designed to improve the health and engagement of their staff. Doing so is essential to overcome some difficulties of having a dispersed workforce.
The ability to reduce costs connected to real estate is undoubtedly the most noticeable benefit. Now that they are freed from that burden, businesses can invest more resources in activities that generate development, such as keeping their most talented employees and modernizing their old technological systems.
Staying On Top of Remote Work Communications Data
One of the drawbacks of having a dispersed workforce is that individuals are often more willing to take risks while working online and at home rather than in a traditional workplace setting. That may create an environment that is conducive to fraud and other forms of criminal behavior, which, in turn, raises the amount of cybersecurity or compliance risks that firms are required to tackle. This issue will only grow more pressing as the number of discussions in the office via mobile phones, instant messaging, email, social media, and productivity tools continues to climb.
There is no justification for anyone to avoid offering work-from-home choices due to these factors. Nevertheless, it does imply that businesses should establish policies, methods, and tools that can confront the changing realities of the workplace head-on. Investing in a communications intelligence platform that can comprehensively examine data reams and immediately escalate concerns to gatekeepers is one good example.
It’s interesting to note that many of the newest products don’t merely assist businesses in protecting themselves. They also support their ability to analyze remote-work communications to gain valuable insights into everything from customer demographics to the most effective sales techniques by leveraging rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. These insights can be used to improve the company’s products and services.
When selecting the most suitable retention and supervision platform for your company, businesses should keep a few aspects in mind. It must be tailor-made to fulfil any regulatory or risk standards that pertain to your industry. Ensure that it can capture and store all of the many communication channels (such as email, Microsoft Teams, and text messaging) that your company uses for its day-to-day operations.
Ensure your platform supplier has a strong track record of producing timely enhancements in response to or anticipating new standards. This is especially important because new remote-work communication technologies will probably give rise to more restrictions. In addition, you need to think about where the data will be kept and whether your infrastructure will be able to efficiently scale to accommodate the growing number of different types of communications that come along with your remote workforce.
Time To Prepare for Post-Pandemic Solutions
Even while the future is yet unknown, it would be foolish to think that the introduction of coronavirus vaccinations will herald a total restoration of the world as it was before the epidemic. The moment has come to welcome a more permanent remote-work landscape and prepare for it.
Incorporating technology that encourages secure digital communication among employees and teams is one-way organizations achieve this aim. Doing so can make their companies more appealing to top-tier talent while supporting larger strategic growth goals.
How Businesses Are Increasing Opportunities for Telecommuting
According to recent reports in the media, a wide variety of prestigious organizations, including various IT giants, have expressed their willingness to support their employees’ pursuit of full-time remote employment. Even the largest banks are considering enabling employees to work from home two days weekly.
Meanwhile, businesses have realized that they may function without leaving any trace, which means that they will have far less real estate in the future. This conclusion lends credence to a finding that emerged not too long ago, namely that the commercial real estate market was already experiencing strain far in advance of the CIVID-19 issue.
The proliferation of remote work has been made possible mainly by advances in communication and collaboration technology, such as that provided by Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. The use of these platforms has skyrocketed, which has led to an increase in the number of employees who use their cellphones or tablets for work-related purposes. For example, thhroughout the first half of 2018, Microsoft Teams gained an additional around 45 million members on its own.
