For businesses, COVID-19 is synonymous with lockdowns and remote working. It has forced companies to switch to remote working very quickly. Although there have been several benefits of this ‘new normal’ for businesses, there are pitfalls that you must be aware of. More than 80% of company leaders have plans to continue with remote work post-pandemic, reveals Gartner Survey.
To survive in the long term, you need a structured approach to implement remote working the right way.
Common Challenges for Businesses in Implementing Remote Working
Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, quick adoption of remote working is a must. Some of the major obstacles faced in remote working implementation are:
. Following a Structured Approach
Lack of structural adjustments when you quickly adapt to various tools comes with the risk of loss of efficiency. At the employees’ end, this can lead to stress and frustration. You must understand that providing the required tools and infrastructure is not enough to develop remote work culture.
Providing the right tools to the employees while working from home is just one side of the new culture. Successful transition to remote working requires a common platform for collaboration for employees backed by commitment and well-defined guidelines. One solution is the adoption of cloud technology.
. Maintaining Required Security for Data and Applications
In pre-pandemic times, companies used to manage the security of data and software through a centralized process. Fast forward to today, and you will find them organizing everything remotely. Given the rising cybercrime rate during the COVID-19 outbreak, you require comprehensive security methods and employees’ commitment to access tools securely.
With quick and easy migration to the cloud, you can make it easier to manage the data security aspect. Renowned cloud hosting providers implement advanced security methods to ensure your business-critical data stays safe and accessible to authorized users.
Also Read: How Does Cloud Hosting Play a Principal Role in Security?
. Maintaining the Right Balance between Work and Personal Lives
Like business owners, many employees find it hard to identify the thin wedge that separates work and private lives. The immediate introduction of remote working has blurred this line, threatening long term productivity.
Other than ensuring successful remote work implementation, employees’ well-being should be your top priority. You should focus on ensuring that your workforce feels motivated and inspired to work and takes time off when needed.
The Need for a Purpose-Driven Remote Working Plan
For many businesses, remote work culture has proven to be a massive success. For others, it has led to employee burnout, weakened work culture, and interrupted innovation. Since the pandemic is still with us, your business needs a sound plan to make this new work environment work for you. It is about adopting a strategy that addresses the downsides of remote work and builds a sense of organizational purpose.
In certain times, a plan or goal gives direction and builds the foundation for unity. You can think of it as a way to turn a crisis into a bundle of opportunities. You need to set up practices to communicate with employees effectively. For example, you can make them collaborate more often and stay connected to make remote work culture useful for your business.
Using the Right Technology for Remote Work Environment
Technology plays a significant role in defining how your business will survive the pandemic. Your choice of technology is a considerable decision to pave your road to success during this new normal.
Whether your business falls into the accounting, tax, real estate, or manufacturing sector, cloud technology can help you run your business. Your workforce is currently using tools and software that can be hosted on the cloud, ensuring remote accessibility from anywhere and anytime. Having your teams working on a common cloud platform ensures enhanced collaboration.
The next step would be to look for the right cloud hosting provider – one with extensive experience in the cloud industry, a proven track record to deliver cloud solutions on high-performance servers, and 99.995% uptime of cloud-hosted data and applications.
Recommended Read: Do Cloud Hosting Solutions for Accounting Firms Make Sense?
Remote Work Value, Now and After the Pandemic Ends
Remote work culture is not a temporary solution to reduce the impact of challenging times. It is an opportunity for many businesses to adapt to the sustainable way of working during the COVID-19 pandemic for the medium to long term. As a business owner, you need to look at the bright side of it – less office space, less commuting, more breaks, and a more focused approach towards work.
On a larger scale, remote working environments offer businesses the flexibility to face challenging times in the future. Investing in cloud technology during these uncertain times will have far-reaching consequences for your business.
No one can predict the extent to which the world will go back to the pre-pandemic way of working. Remote work culture is here to stay. It will become integral to the work processes we follow. Now is the time for you to utilize the cloud’s power to prepare for the future.
