Over the last couple of months, we have worked to provide information to organizations navigating this newfound world in which traditional ways of working aren’t feasible. In light of recent events, many organizations have had to forego these traditional ways of work and transition to remote work environments for an unknown period of time. With uncertainty in multiple facets of our everyday lives, it’s important that businesses do everything they can to provide a positive employee experience for their workforce, ultimately supporting business continuity.
The Current State of Remote Work
So, what happens if 80% of an organization’s employees are suddenly working from home? For most organizations, the type of scenario many of us experienced this year is unprecedented. CTO of VMware End-User Computing Shawn Bass and lead field technologist Brian Madden provide details in their blog on how these focus areas can help businesses keep the lights on even in times of crisis.
With a transition to remote work, there are physical, cultural, and technological aspects to take into consideration. From a physical perspective, many employees will have to turn part of their home into a workspace and then share this workspace with other members of their family who are also at home. Culturally, some employees might miss the daily human interaction that an office provides while they are working from home. And then there are the technology implications to consider. Will employees be able to bring home a company laptop or desktop or have to use a personal device? What if a corporate laptop breaks or needs servicing? Can the organization’s VPN handle the capacity to support this large influx of remote users?
While this might seem like a lot to think about, asking these questions upfront will allow organizations to build a more comprehensive plan to deal with a distributed workforce. The more prepared an organization is for unprecedented circumstances, the smoother the transition away from traditional work environments will be, and the easier it will be for employees to adjust to this new normal and be productive.
Focus on Employee Experience
At the end of the day, the most important piece of the business continuity puzzle is an organization’s people and their experiences. Josh Olson, Head of Experience Solutions at VMware, said it best in his blog: “business continuity is a team sport.” Employers must facilitate an environment where IT and HR work together to provide employees with the tools, like digital workspaces, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and app virtualization technology, to effectively do their jobs no matter where they are physically located. With this teamwork in play, employees will be satisfied, and business will continue as frictionless as possible.
Adopting a remote-first strategy can have lasting positive implications for an organization and overall employee experience. Charles Barratt, Sr. Manager of Digital Workspace Pursuits in EMEA, defines remote-first as a culture where physical location isn’t important for getting business done and ensuring that every employee – whether remote or in an office – gets the same great experience no matter where they are. Although many organizations and their employees have recently felt the effects of life’s unpredictability, implementing a successful remote-first strategy doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, there are a number of secrets to success when it comes to remote-first working and Employee Experience. Some of these best practices include hosting virtual happy hours, ensuring that all corporate resources are readily available and stored in a single, secure location, turning video on by default for virtual meetings, and utilizing real-time collaboration tools. Following these tips will not only set remote employees up for success, but also help them feel more connected to their colleagues.
Here are a few of our favorite blogs and resources as you adapt to the current state of remote work and unknown future.
Blogs
• Business Continuity through Unexpected Events: Is Your Organization Prepared?
• 11 Secrets for Successful “Remote-First” Working
• The Most Important Piece of Business Continuity: Your People and Their Experiences
Virtual Events
• Webinar: How Do We Prepare for the New World of Work? Sanjay Poonen and Infosys Discuss on May 8
• On Demand Recording: Pandemic Preparedness and Response: How to Quickly Set Up a Remote Workforce for Success
• On Demand Recording: Employee Experience Summit
Stay tuned for our recap on how Workspace ONE and VMware Horizon help facilitate seamless business continuity for a distributed workforce.
