Many businesses are now working remotely due to the聽coronavirus pandemic.
From virtual desktops to communication tools, there are many solutions out there for businesses adapting to the ‘new normal’. Meanwhile many firms are having to change how they operate altogether.
Our daily聽‘Coronavirus ideas exchange’ highlights practical advice and tips from all types of businesses on the ground.
To contribute, fill in the form at the bottom of this article.
Describe a challenge your business聽has faced due to coronavirus聽– and how you overcame it
Cherelle Hunter, founder,聽eCommerce STEM toys firm聽MAGconnexx: “Having to home-school my two young children whilst running my business. I have overcome this challenge by planning out the whole school day down to the very last minute, allowing me to concentrate on my work.”
Sarah Latham, Operations Director at growth agency Six & Flow: 鈥淨uickly switching to a remote working business. We were already in the process of expanding our remote working policies [but] obviously there鈥檚 a big difference between working from home for a few days and doing it over a longer period of time, so it鈥檚 been a bit of a challenge ensuring that the team keep a focused and positive mindset through these difficult and uncertain times. As a business we are focusing on forward planning now to make sure we get through it and come out in a strong position. Companies across the board and regardless of industry need to take a proactive approach; for us, being service-led, we aren’t changing our KPIs or what we do with clients but we are changing how we deliver them.鈥�
Paul Doherty, Senior Front End Developer, Revlifter: “You may find there are fewer distractions at home than in an office, but don鈥檛 be fooled. After a few weeks at home, you鈥檒l easily find ways to distract yourself. This will be different for everyone. I, for one, can鈥檛 have a TV on in the background. Limit these distractions!”
What other key tips do you have for others?
Hunter: “Pre-plan everything!”
Latham: 鈥淢ake sure you鈥檝e got the tech and software in place that lets people work from home in as similar a way as they would in an office. Things like HR platforms and processes are often overlooked but making sure employees can still book time off, flag an issue they are having or how they are feeling is incredibly important. Stay as close to 鈥榖usiness as usual鈥� as you can. We鈥檝e kept all of our internal team and company meetings in place and just moved them online. We鈥檝e also introduced a buddy system so everyone is able to talk to someone at least once a day. You can also have a little fun with 鈥榙eskersise鈥� yoga moves and 鈥榞uess who鈥� games that are all focused on keeping that communication flowing. In terms of technology, we鈥檝e got a few platforms that we鈥檝e relied on to keep things normal like Zoom and Slack for meetings and usual team conversations; we also use CharlieHR as our HR Platform, 15Five as our weekly checkpoints and Tettra for our internal Wiki and knowledge-sharing base so we have multiple touch points.鈥�
Doherty:聽“Take a break! Contrary to popular belief, you may find that you work a lot more when you鈥檙e at home – this is because you almost feel guilty that you鈥檙e at home. Make sure you find some time to take a breather. Otherwise, you鈥檒l get burnt out.”