When the COVID19 is finally quelled, and it will be, many companies will sit down and take a long hard look at what contingencies they had in place.
Some will look at the effects from having their entire workforce work from home and make changes, whilst others will just get back to what they have always done, and how they have always done it.
It was already estimated that by 2025 over 55% of the global workforce would be remote based, and there are plenty of studies and teachings on the benefits and therefore the rational behind these figures.
It will come as no surprise that COVID19 has created a real buzz around remote work and has the real chance to actually increase the numbers ahead of 2025. However, forced home working is not remote working and we need to be careful not to paint Remote Working in a bad light.
Spending a minimum of 2 weeks home bound has the potential to send many people stir crazy.
Add to this that many will be at home with other halves and children all potentially sharing work space and resources and it could end up being an actual nightmare.
See: WFH is not the same as Remote Work
As anyone who has worked from home will know there are certain rules you need to put in place to make it successful and these will quite simply be impossible to adhere to during an enforced home occupation.
The best advice is for companies to use flexible attitudes with their workforce and almost treat this period as an enforced holiday where just the remedial and essential work is conducted. Anything else is going to result in tears for sure.
However, this period will be a great time to tick off those tasks on the To-Do list that are always getting pushed down the page as your daily firefight begins. Now is a time to tick them off.
Now is also a time to start planning for the day the lock down ends and we get our businesses rolling again – plan your marketing and sales campaigns, organise staff briefings, assess what has been working and not working for you so far in 2020 and make changes.
Now might also be a great chance to learn something new, broaden your mind and stretch your imagination.
Bottom line, there is always opportunity – you just need to decide if you will take it.
