Remote working during COVID-19 – The new normal

Remote working during COVID-19, the immediate challenges, and the long-term culture change 

Whilst our industry has been fully equipped for agile and remote working for some time, most industries are unfortunately not as equipped to do so; following the unprecedented situation faced with the outbreak of COVID-19, and in line with the Governments remote working guidelines, which are now fully enforced; organisations across every industry are being faced with the daunting task of setting up and running their entire operations remotely, and with immediate effect.

Over the past two weeks, we have been working tirelessly to ensure that our client’s teams are effectively and securely set up, at a rapid rate, to support their new mobile workforce. Some of the  immediate requirements that we have seen a high demand for include:

• Imaging and delivering urgent equipment such as laptops, tablets, phones and headset devices, both to offices and directly to homes
• Offering remote technical assistance to help get users set up and connected to their corporate networks from home
• Installing communication and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Skype for Business or Teams
• Installing and configuring Microsoft O365
• Implementing cybersecurity tools to remote devices to ensure business data is appropriately protected
• Delivering ongoing remote support for users on a day to day basis whilst they continue to adapt to a remote way of working

Whilst we are all in unchartered territory, uncertain of how the situation will develop or for how long it will last, we are committed to continuing to deliver the services that our clients rely on and will do everything we can, whilst adhering to the government guidelines, to help our clients overcome the challenges they are presented to help their business to continue to operate as effectively as possible.

With so many organisations adapting to new ways of working, embracing a remote working model and utisliing collaboration tools for virtual meetings, we are certain that at the end of this period, many businesses will review their working requirements and we will see a shift to an agile, remote working culture across multiple, if not all, industries.

Whilst our teams are busy providing support services to our current client base, we do have the capacity to offer the same services to any new organisations that require assistance with the support of their remote workforce. If you are in a position where you need any assistance at all, even on a temporary basis, please contact us on 01932 232345 to discuss your immediate requirements.

In the long term, we all need to ensure that the economy recovers, so every business that can remain working with full effectiveness during this time, will help us to strengthen our position when this pandemic is finally over.

We wish you all the best both for your business and for your families over the coming months and hope that together we can build a stronger and more agile workforce overall.