With more than 140,000 cases of COVID-19, also commonly referred to as coronavirus disease, reported in the United States alone, the American workforce is getting innovative with the way they get things done.
Remote work is the new buzzword of the year. Each day, more businesses resort to working from home to continue servicing their client base and community, whether it be mandated by local government authorities, or in the interest of protecting their most valuable assets: their employees.
To ensure you’re comfortable, productive and prepared, we’ve curated a list of essentials for the new remote workforce. Here’s what every remote worker needs to make the most of their time:
- Collaborative communication tool
- Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts are all great options for businesses in or out of the office. These tools keep communication instantaneous, fluid and remove the formal barriers typically associated with picking up the phone or sending an email.
- Video conferencing software
- Yet another way to stay in touch with your team and network. Noticing a theme here? Working remotely is a lot easier when you’re engaged with your staff and other connections. Zoom has been at the forefront of this remote workforce revolution, but there are a lot of alternatives.
- Designated workspace
- Working from your bed might sound like a great idea, but setting up a home office is a better option. Allow yourself to get into the right mindset to be productive, while still being comfortable. A desk, large coffee table or countertop are all great makeshift spaces to take advantage of.
- Access to your workstation in the office
- Best case scenario, all your essentials files and applications are accessible anywhere. Unfortunately, this is not a reality for everyone. Verify that you have the right tools in place to log on to your computer.
- Access to your office phone line
- If you’re like most businesses, your office number is an essential part of the service or product you provide to your clients. With VoIP, you can deploy softphones, phone systems powered by application, to all employees that need it. Alternatively, a designated employee can have the calls forwarded to their phone. Keep in mind that call forwarding can place a lot of responsibility on one person, rather than sharing the calls with a ring group.
- Work-life balance
- Working from home isn’t easy. Taking breaks, starting and ending your day on time is an essential part of making remote work, work for you. Step outside or take a snack break – whatever you need to do to keep your energy and focus levels high.
- Solutions that work
- This last point is one of our core values. Solutions that work are more than just the technology you’re using. They’re optimized processes, updated documentation and mandated policies to ensure your employees know what is expected them.
If you’re new to all of this or still learning to work from home, we’re here to help. We’re running an exclusive deal available only to our clients (and you), to ease the strain of COVID-19 and make working from home a breeze.