By now, a number of organizations have at least some measures in place to enable their employees to work from home. However, some of those measures are band-aid type solutions that get the job done for now, but aren’t feasible as long-term solutions.
Although many states are on the way to opening back up, it’s likely that the recent pandemic will have lasting effects on the workplace — one of which is having partial or full work-from-home policies in place for the foreseeable future.
With the help of video conferencing solutions and other key technologies, you can successfully plan for your employees to work from home as part of a permanent business plan. Here’s how:
Create a Work From Home Schedule
Creating a work from home schedule is an important part of successfully adjusting to a post-COVID business plan. Some organizations will choose to have their whole team (or as much of it as possible) continue to work-from-home for a while, and that’s perfectly fine. Some businesses, however, need to have more people physically in the office to operate successfully but want to reduce capacity, which is where a work-from-home schedule comes in.
Here are some common ways a work-from-home schedule can be broken down:
- Have entire teams present in the office on certain days.
- Rotate members of a given team to be in the office on certain days.
- Make a chart based on where people sit in the office and rotate work-from-home days to keep at least one empty desk between people.
While it’s good to plan like this, your work from home program is not going to be truly successful without utilizing the proper technology.
Get the tools you need to succeed
While some companies have had to make do with basic work-from-home solutions like email and phone calls, that just won’t hold up long term. To have your employees work from home regularly or semi-regularly, you’ll need to set them up with the right technology for the job.
Some tools to consider:
- Video conferencing solutions to replace in person meetings and maintain “face-to-face” contact.
- Instant messaging solutions for quick updates, check-ins, and office chatter.
- Virtual desktops so employees can connect with all of the apps and tools they need without sacrificing security.
- Audio and video equipment like headphones, microphones, and cameras for successful video calls and blocking background distractions.
Not only will this help maintain productivity, but it will better keep teams connected and avert the feelings of isolation and detachment that can happen in some work-from-home settings.
Set your team up for long-term success with video conferencing equipment.
Having video conferencing capabilities in place not only allows you to accommodate employees who work from home, it will also help improve the way you do business in the long run. With in-person meetings and large gatherings likely not happening for a long period of time, a video conferencing system will allow large groups to participate in meetings comfortably and safely, without having to resort to conference phone calls.
The right video conferencing companies will provide long-term service and support to make sure your organization always has what it needs to succeed in the given business landscape, no matter how that may change. The future of the business world is leaning towards predominantly virtual meetings and events, so let the experts at IVCi set your organization up for success.
