You will undoubtedly have seen over recent weeks the reports regarding the outbreak of coronavirus in China and its subsequent spread to numerous other countries.
The United Kingdom, so far, has confirmed 87* cases of the virus, also known as COVID-19, with the UK government saying it was now “highly likely” that the country will see a growing number of cases over the coming months.
Boris Johnson has announced the UK Government’s plans to tackle with the priority currently to further contain the disease and delay the rate at which its spreading.
Emergency measures have also now been defined and include limiting travel, closing schools, banning large public gatherings and encouraging more home working.
This has left some businesses scrambling to find ways to enable people to continue working whilst not in the office. Flexible or remote working is not a new concept with many organisations making use of Cloud and SaaS based technology solutions such as O365, GoToMeeting and Citrix to facilitate long standing work from home (WFH) policies that empower users to not only work, but to be productive, wherever they may be.
A strong WFH or WFA (work from anywhere) policy isn’t just applicable for business continuity reasons, such as times like these. Research conducted by the Harvard Business Review suggests it can have a range of benefits to for both employers and employees.
Business Continuity
Having a robust business continuity plan enables businesses to keep the lights on and keep running during an emergency.
Employees spend less time commuting
This increases morale, saves time and saves money
Employees will be more productive
Research suggests that employees who work from home are up to 15% more productive than their office counterparts
Employers can hire the best, regardless of where the talent might be
As above…potential employees don’t need to be within a commutable distance to the office
Employers save on office space, office supplies and snacks
IBM has stated that it has saved over $100 million annually since implementing its WFA policy.
It’s easy!
With tools such as GoToMeeting, Skype, O365 and Citrix it’s easy for employees to be connected wherever they may be.
If you’re looking at ways in which you can better empower and enable your users to work from home, both through this troubling time and beyond, speak to us today. You can call us on 0118 38 42 175 or email [email protected]
*as of the 5th March, 2020
