Are you ready for the New Normal? 

We keep hearing about this ‘new normal’. Whilst the phrase may be jarring, we can’t help but agree with the sentiment behind it. Life after lockdown will be different, whether we like it or not. 

We’re consulting with business leaders who have concluded that remote working will become normal for at least some of their staff, at least some of the time. Whilst certain team members can’t wait to get back to the camaraderie of the workplace, others have found that they’re more productive, and prefer, working in their home environment. Certain businesses are even considering abandoning their premises permanently and having all their staff work remotely. 

Inevitably homeworking is going to increase and will be seen by many as a positive benefit when seeking employment. Noteworthy is that businesses which fail to offer remote working, where it’s possible, could find that they’re not as attractive to good job candidates. This new normal is going to see swathes of the UK workforce undertaking their day job at home for at least part of their working week. As such, employers need to be prepared. Whilst temporary measures for homeworking may have been introduced at haste, now is the time to start planning for a more permanent solution.  

As a starting point, business strategy needs to reflect this new way of working. How will the new dynamic impact the goals of the business? HR could be heavily affected as recruitment drives change, and staff monitoring is adapted. Whilst not necessarily at the centre of the discussion, but critical nevertheless, is IT provision and security. 

IT security is vital within any setting, but particularly when workers are remote. It’s essential that IT policies and procedures are updated to ensure thorough IT security provision is in place for any worker that will be conducting company business off-site. Staff need to be educated regularly in the importance of IT security, but systems also need to be locked down to prevent breaches occurring. 

Systems will need to be put in place for backing up files by those at home. And adequate internet and telecoms provison will also be essential. So, there is a lot to think about, but as we’ve all seen, nothing is impossible when your hand is forced. Whilst thorough consideration is needed before a permanent package of homeworking is introduced to a business, many benefits could be sought in time as productivity increases, staff retention is higher and overheads are saved. 

Want to talk through your particular business requirements for homeworking? Get in touch. We like to lead by example and introduced remote working measures some time ago. All our team members were able to vacate our premises and work from home as soon as Lockdown was announced without any interruption to service levels or IT security, and we can help you achieve the same.  

CALL 02381 800 800 or visit www.netprimates.com/contact 

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