Remote Policies That Do (and Don’t) Transition Well to In-House Operations

The COVID-19 pandemic is still in full swing, and while many companies buckled under the pressure put on them to maintain operations, others have managed to adapt through the use of remote technology solutions. Businesses have put into place policies surrounding this remote technology, many of which are both helpful and harmful.

Let’s take a look at some of these policies, as well as what you can do to make the most out of your remote technology.

Team Management Tools > Heavy Management Practices

Look, we understand that you want to make sure that your staff is as productive as possible throughout the workday, and there is something to be said for operational efficiency, but nobody likes working with someone else breathing down their neck. If your employees feel like they are constantly being monitored, they may start to feel stressed or, even worse, violated. If employees are not happy with the way that your organization utilizes remote monitoring tools, they might decide to try their luck elsewhere—and when there are more remote jobs now than ever before, trust us when we say that they won’t have a problem finding work that is more accommodating to their preferred management style.

Instead of monitoring everything that your employees are doing, you can use a project management platform to help keep each other accountable for the tasks that must be completed. You can see at a glance who is doing what, and when they are not meeting expectations, you can have a conversation about what the problem is and what can be done to resolve it.

Remote Work Communication Tools Are Still Great for In-House Work

Those remote communication tools you implemented for when your employees are out of the office, like your unified communications platform, are still incredible for when your employees return to the office. Just because it is designed for teams to collaborate in real time without being physically present does not mean that they are not just as effective, or even perfectly fine alternatives, for when they are.

Imagine being able to hold a meeting without the need to corral your entire workforce into the conference room, or the ability to swiftly get in touch with someone through the use of an instant message. There is considerable value in a communications platform like Slack, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams, even for in-house workforces. These are particularly valuable if you plan to continue remote operations post-pandemic in at least some capacity, a la a hybrid model.

Zero-Trust Policies Create More Comprehensive Security

The remote office made it abundantly clear that security should become an absolute priority, and with so many devices accessing company data at any given time, it becomes critical that employers know who is accessing data and why. This is where the zero-trust policy comes into play.

A zero-trust security policy means that each individual device accessing data must be verified and confirmed with the organization before being allowed to access that data. You can see how this is helpful not just for remote operations, but for in-house as well. It never hurts to have an abundance of caution, especially in today’s age of ransomware and other dangerous threats.

Preferred can help your business with any aspect of its remote or hybrid workplace setup, from technology procurement to monitoring and maintenance of that technology. To learn more about how we can help your organization not just survive during these difficult times, but thrive, reach out to us at 708-781-7110.