The coronavirus pandemic is forcing governments to take containment measures that are disrupting work habits. So companies are responding by adapting their organization to allow employees to work remotely.
While nearly two-thirds of French organizations have already implemented total or partial remote working, the problem currently affects all the companies’ departments.
This unprecedented situation causes an acceleration of the digital needs to maintain activities despite the circumstances. This event leads us to evaluate the advantages and challenges of digital technology in structuring communications and how we assess the success of missions.
It forces companies to change their habits extremely quickly. If this change may seem easy for the most agile of them, this is not necessarily the case for large groups.
Digital impacts time and costs
The presence of employees at the office translates into fixed costs for any company. With remote working, offices don’t hold the same place in the company’s because they no longer have to accommodate as many staff as before. Thus, digital technology dematerializes the workplace to create virtual micro antennas for each employee and causes a reorganization of expenses.
Commute time
One of the first arguments in favor of teleworking was the suppression of commutes and the time and costs associated with it. By having staff working remotely, employers cut on travel expenses and reduce the risk of having employees being late or unable to get to work because of strikes or unexpected events on the road.
A shift in fixed costs
If employees no longer come to the company’s offices, they can reduce fixed costs and redirect them elsewhere. Expenses related to having employees at the office (cafeteria, parking, daycare, etc.) can be adjusted according to the actual number of employees required on site.
Towards more autonomy and security for employees and companies
Teleworking allows employees to better manage the balance between their professional and private lives. However, this increase in autonomy requires a new approach to the management of sensitive data since it is scattered among employees.
Employee autonomy
Recent strikes and the coronavirus pandemic have raised questions about the need for some workers to travel to their regular workplace rather than do their job from home. Indeed, many positions do not require a permanent presence at the office and can be done remotely.
But when implementing teleworking, companies need to guarantee their employees security and the same quality of service to their customers. This new approach also requires employers to trust their employees and their ability to work efficiently despite less surveillance.
Protect employees and company data
Confinement modifies the relationship between employees and employers. The latter must deploy means to make teleworking possible without exposing the company’s confidential data. Indeed, working remotely exposes any organization to more risks of cyberattacks. That’s why setting up a network that connects new computers must be implemented with caution.
Development of remote work tools
Digital technologies offer answers to the risks of hacking and data theft, but also in terms of teleworking. Many organizations already use the cloud, but employees now need access to mobile equipment offering high performances and adequate security to be able to work from home.
Securing your network
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) like Nord VPN allows many companies to isolate traffic between their computers from the rest of the internet. Because until now, the company network was mainly used on devices connected physically between each other.
With remote working, this setup reaches its limit. But the new system implies a multiplication of computers that need to be connected together in a sealed network. The implementation of a new protocol requires time and mobile devices all compatible with the new private network.
Getting equipped with portable devices and tools
With more employees working remotely, companies must consider replacing all their computers to make them, like their workers, remote. High-performance tablets, laptops, and cell phones set up to connect to a VPN will now be essential tools for working remotely and communicating securely.
Software and apps
Digitalization is also taking off with the multiplication of software and applications specialized in storing and sharing sensitive documents. Developers are creating platforms and refining communication protocols to adapt to this new usage.
Entire teams need to be trained to use these tools, which are sometimes still being developed. In reality, there are already software and programs, both free and paid, that help employees collaborate remotely.
For example, Zoom, the video conferencing app created in 2011, had a record number of 62 million downloads in a single week in March.
Flexibility and competitiveness, two constant challenges
Companies that already take advantage of digital technologies for teleworking have seen their productivity increase. As a result, other businesses that are lagging behind are rapidly losing their competitiveness.
This loss of competitiveness proves once again that mastering digital technology is an obvious way to remain competitive and maintain one’s place on the market.
Workplace wellness makes you more productive
Teleworkers are generally less stressed and tend to meet the same goals as those who continue to work from the office. The number of employees being late and taking sick leave also decrease thanks to teleworking, allowing companies to share better numbers.
Add accessories to optimize productivity
Digital technology makes it possible to remain active at all times. Accessories improving remote working ensure continuity of work, whether the employee is on the road, at a customer’s place, or home.
Most 4G sticks offer a VPN and internet connection anywhere, while external batteries provide longer autonomy to portable devices. As for USB sticks, memory cards, and external hard drives, they keep sensitive documents in a safe place and can easily be transferred from one computer to another.
The acceleration of the digital transition is linked to many factors. Strikes in late 2019 and early 2020 in France are a good example, followed by the coronavirus pandemic. Both have exposed the need for this transition. However, while this transition is essential for the economy, it cannot happen overnight.
The digital industry and professionals need time to research and create software and secure networks so all employees can work remotely efficiently and securely. As for companies, they need to invest in equipment adapted to these new modes of communication and work.
With teleworking making its way to the heart of companies’ organization, it generates a managerial disruption. A new model is being shaped based on flexibility and trust. Is this the company of tomorrow?
