Technology

Posted on March 26, 2020 by staff

Coronavirus ideas exchange: Pre-plan everything!

Technology

 

Many businesses are now working remotely due to the 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 ‘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 has faced due to coronavirus – and how you overcame it

Cherelle Hunter, founder, eCommerce STEM toys firm 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: “Quickly switching to a remote working business. We were already in the process of expanding our remote working policies [but] obviously there’s a big difference between working from home for a few days and doing it over a longer period of time, so it’s 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.”

Paul Doherty, Senior Front End Developer, Revlifter: “You may find there are fewer distractions at home than in an office, but don’t be fooled. After a few weeks at home, you’ll easily find ways to distract yourself. This will be different for everyone. I, for one, can’t have a TV on in the background. Limit these distractions!”

What other key tips do you have for others?

Hunter: “Pre-plan everything!”

Latham: “Make sure you’ve 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 ‘business as usual’ as you can. We’ve kept all of our internal team and company meetings in place and just moved them online. We’ve 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 ‘deskersise’ yoga moves and ‘guess who’ games that are all focused on keeping that communication flowing. In terms of technology, we’ve got a few platforms that we’ve 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.”

Doherty: “Take a break! Contrary to popular belief, you may find that you work a lot more when you’re at home – this is because you almost feel guilty that you’re at home. Make sure you find some time to take a breather. Otherwise, you’ll get burnt out.”


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