Many organizations are learning a not-so-secret secret that home-based businesses already know: Working from home doesn’t mean organizations need to sacrifice what they accomplish or the quality of their work.
Now, with an outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease) raging around the world, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested staying home or working remotely to stop the spread of disease. Home-based businesses are ahead of the curve: by their very nature, they are accustomed to working whenever and wherever.
“Schools could be closed, mass public gatherings suspended, and businesses forced to have employees work remotely,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, was quoted as saying.
Coronavirus poses a clear and present danger to employees and businesses worldwide if they are unable to maintain some semblance of normal business operations. It is more than possible, organizations will need to reckon with the possibility that employees may need to work remotely for the foreseeable future.
The global spread of the virus is not surprising given the hyperconnected world of today. It will reveal whether companies are equipped to respond rapidly to sudden workplace changes.
A widespread problem
Some companies have a remote working plan in place, but a surprising number of global companies do not.
A recent study from OWL Labs revealed 38% of employees work on-site with no remote working opportunities. Having an emergency remote working plan is critical to keep employees safe and keep your business operating with minimal disruptions.
Some companies are responding to the impending pandemic by promoting remote work and canceling all business travel. Other organizations that previously did away with their remote working policies now must rethink their decisions, which now look short-sighted.
According to The Washington Post, “IBM, which nearly three years ago ended remote work for some U.S. employees, said it had asked workers in coronavirus-affected areas to work from home ‘wherever possible.’”
Welcome to the work wherever culture.
The need is real
For many organizations, responding to Coronavirus has been particularly challenging because the news seemingly changes by the hour. New travel bans are on the horizon and could further impact business operations.
Even with an ongoing major health issue affecting the world, businesses do not have to worry about bringing their operations to a halt. There are options for companies to protect their employees while maintaining productivity.
We’ve seen the need firsthand with GlobalMeet. Sign-ups for our free GlobalMeet offering increased 19 fold in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Italy, companies affected by Coronavirus. In the last week of February, we have seen a double-digit increase in usage with our GlobalMeet platform around the world. Meanwhile, the number of webcasts our service delivered is up 73% from January to February, and we expect that number will continue to rise.
“Thankfully we can stay connected and still be productive using GlobalMeet Collaboration,” Jessie Cheng, PGi’s Head of Marketing and Product APAC, said.
Webcast and video conferencing technology helps people, enterprises and teams connect around the world to unleash productivity. It allows organizations to alleviate worries and enables companies to empower their employees to reduce travel, work remotely and maintain collaboration with increased safety and peace of mind.
Prepare today for tomorrow
Businesses that do not have a plan in place for remote working must act now and create one. It’s less about preparing for the current crisis, but planning for the next one that will surface — which will inevitably appear sooner rather than later.
Maybe companies can learn for themselves what so many home-based businesses have known for years. Working from home isn’t code for not working.
Working remotely can help quell concerns, while enabling companies to empower their employees to reduce travel and work remotely, anytime, anywhere. There is no need to sacrifice productivity in the name of peace of mind and safety.
Organizations that haven’t yet done should take a critical look at their emergency remote working plans. It shouldn’t take a worldwide outbreak to make us prepare.
The only question is for organizations that do not have policies in place: Why not?
