Now that the sudden and unexpected shift to working in virtualized offices is behind us and employees are settling into the new normal of working from home, it’s time to evaluate whether your company is set up for long-term success. If your organization is new to working virtually, then you may encounter some potential potholes as you navigate this transition. Our Remote Workforce Checklist is designed to help guide you through the sometimes complex adjustment to a virtualized workplace while auditing your business’ remote work security practices.
While you may have an array of regulations and protocols in place for your infrastructure, cybersecurity, and project management in the office, unforeseen challenges can emerge when you examine your guidelines through the lens of virtual work.
Take your infrastructure, for example. Does your current infrastructure support remote access for employees who are logging in from home? Do you own the connection, and if you don’t, what do you need to do to ensure your employees have reliable, uninterrupted, and secure access from different locations? These are just a few of the infrastructure questions we encourage companies with virtualized offices to ask.
You’ll also want to review your company’s cybersecurity efforts. Are your networks secure for remote access? Are your employees connecting to the network via secure devices? Have your identity and access protocols been updated with remote work in mind? Think about sending out refreshed guidelines about phishing scams, malware, and the security of home Wi-Fi connections. Lastly, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re reducing your workforce, have you worked through a comprehensive plan for terminating network access and recovering hardware?
It’s critical to ensure productivity and support remain high in virtualized offices. Do your employees have access to responsive support for network issues? Do you have guidelines in place for how to troubleshoot tech issues that arise? Evaluate updating your protocols now so your employees aren’t left scrambling to solve technical issues on their own.
Working from home doesn’t mean working alone. Ensure your project management and collaboration procedures are updated with virtual work in mind. Consider using tools like Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex or Zoom to stay connected, and whether you should provide access to project management tools like Slack, Basecamp, Monday.com, or Jira to help your employees stay organized, on top of projects, and up-to-date.
Our working world has changed and it’s crucial for your business to adapt and shift along with it. If you give consideration to these critical questions and lay out a comprehensive framework for working from virtualized offices now, your team and your business will be well prepared and productive anywhere.
