The outbreak of Covid-19 has forced businesses to rethink their operations, employee productivity and business continuity. Governments in hard-hit countries have taken measures to confine people at home and enforce social distancing to reduce the spread of the virus. The Ugandan government has advised companies to allow their employees to work from home.
If you are an employer or manager whose team has never worked remotely before, this work-from-home directive might have caught you off guard and you are still reeling. Until now, only a handful of companies in the modern field of functioning, mainly IT and tech companies, offered the flexibility of employees working from home. However, it looks like companies will need to fast-track digital transformation to maintain effective operations now and in the future.
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The Current Status
Many professionals in Uganda prefer companies that offer flexibility as opposed to rigid structures. However, working from home comes with a high internet cost in the country which is a barrier to most workers but this does not outweigh the benefits of working from home.
How to Manage Employees Working from Home
Now that working from home is becoming a reality, here are tips on setting up a working-from-home system for your company and managing employees working remotely.
Employee Skills and Role
Consider each employee and their role in the company. Determine their key performance indicators and deliverables in their jobs. This will help you identify their needs and how to facilitate their performance working remotely.
Information Privacy Protection
One of the major concerns for your company is data protection. Ensure that employees adhere to data protection policies. Make it clear that the equipment provided is for official company business only. Also ensure that you have an IT policy that is well understood by staff and install firewall software on laptops.
Have a Communication Plan
Collaboration tools like Slack, Trello and more can help you keep your remote workforce in sync.
Provide Appropriate Equipment
As the employer, you’re responsible for providing the necessary equipment to facilitate your employees’ tasks. They will need a computer, internet, airtime to communicate with clients, suppliers, colleagues and other stakeholders. While this might seem quite an investment at the beginning, it is worth keeping operations up and running.
Monitor Employees
Monitoring employees’ performance is crucial, especially when they are working remotely. Encourage regular reporting on KPIs and deliverables as this will help track performance trends and correct any issues early. At the same time, monitor customer satisfaction, new clients sign ups etc.
When All is Said and Done
The Covid-19 outbreak has tested the world’s way of life and is proof of how life can change within an instant. Businesses that will survive are those that will quickly adapt and make use of available tech to ensure continuity.
This article originally appeared here
