Are you ready to mobilise your workforce in a COVID-19 affected world?
6/4/20, 11:00 am
COVID-19 has taken hold on the world stage; there are more than one million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide as of 6 April 2020. The global death toll is over 69,000 and more than 260,000 have recovered from the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University.
With containment measures implemented by governments in every part of the globe, business practises and processes naturally have to change. Some of these changes will be lasting; making business more dynamic. However, structural and governance changes in business practises need to be implemented and reviewed in a systematic manner. Ad hoc changes will fail because risks and unknowns are not mitigated or well-considered through purely reactive actions.
We’ve known for a long time about the benefits of remote or flexible working arrangements. Job satisfaction increases when commute times are slashed, family commitments are easier to juggle, and employees feel empowered and trusted by their teams and management. We have now taken this privilege and turned it into a necessity.
The push to mobilise workforces to function remotely has the potential to make management and companies more dynamic and creative, whilst empowering staff to make changes and engage with their work in a new, less orthodox way. The goal is to return to a ‘business as usual’ state (reaching previously set business milestones and goals) albeit in a new manner or method of practise. Working remotely will become the new norm.
But how do you implement and manage changing operational structures and a remote workforce from the traditional norm?
Where to begin?
If you haven’t already, create and implement a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). The easiest way to begin is to divide your BCP into three divisions:
Executive Oversight
Bring relevant stakeholders together in the form of a BCP coordination committee for a holistic view of the company and its operational and governance maturity structures.
Operational Impacts
Develop a digital governance framework for mobility security and operations, as well as an understanding of how they will be impacted by pandemic conditions, so they can be planned for and responded to appropriately.
Staff Impacts
Maintain strategic and regular communication with staff as part of a wider support mechanism to help maximise their potential and creativity in new environments whilst also supporting new operating models.
NEC Australia has created a package of templates and information checklists that can help you work through your business continuity plan in a holistic and systematic process, working through each of these three key areas.
The templates are full of considerations to help you understand what your current business needs and gaps are. This will help transform your business into a more agile and mobile organisation and therefore, change business practises for successful adaptation and continuation.
Even if your organisation has created a BCP, look at our service to see if you haven’t forgotten a crucial step. If you don’t manage your changing operational structure, or revisit staff and client needs as you adapt, this could mean revenue loss, or in the worst case scenario, downtime in your business operations.
The world can change overnight in pandemic conditions. However, you can focus on implementing organisational change in a considered and methodical manner, to give your employees and company the best chance at thriving and adapting successfully to new market conditions.
Let NEC help make your business dynamic and successful in this new world. Find out more here.
Sylvia Jastkowiak
Senior Consultant, Privacy and Security
sylvia.jastkowiak@nec.com.au