Most businesses are already set up for some form of remote working with access to email, and have a number of remote licenses for a subset of people to access key business systems. While that covers ‘business as usual’, we’re now moving into business as ‘unusual’.

Key things you need to consider:

• How will phones be answered and calls transferred?
• Can you quickly deal with a customer enquiry?
• Can you still raise invoices, process the banking, reconcile accounts, or do month end reports?
• Are all your staff emergency contact details are up to date?
• How will you communicate with your team to keep them in the loop?
• How will your team communicate with each other?
• Will the devices used meet performance specifications and security standards for your software?

You need to work through every tool, every key business process and ensure they can be actioned remotely, and activated securely. The opportunity for cybercriminals multiplies exponentially when you introduce people working from home.

Everyone’s home environment is different, with different equipment and different pressures. Some staff may have experience working remotely while others have never needed to before.

Key things you need to consider:

• Does everyone have an allocated space they can work from in their home?
• Do your staff have a plan to mitigate distractions from partners, family, pets, and external noise?
• Can you provide time management training to ensure staff are as efficient as possible and know when to switch off for the day?
• Have your staff tested access and practised how to work remotely?

One of the benefits of people working together is culture; the informal interactions that make our workplaces attract and retain good people, and help us piece together a picture of what’s going on. But being away from the office environment can put this free flow of information in jeopardy.

Key things you need to consider:

• How do you maintain your team culture when people aren’t together?
• How do you ensure that communication isn’t misinterpreted?
• How do you reduce the risk of social isolation for workers who may not have connections outside of work?
• How do your reduce the risk of organisational isolation where team members may not have equal access to information?
• How will you manage performance, coach, and develop your team while working remote?

When will you pull the trigger on your work from home plan?
How many confirmed cases in your city? What if family member of team member contracts it? What if a member of your team shows symptoms?

What can you do to reduce the risk in your workplace now?
Increase workspace cleaning, remind staff of hygiene obligations – download the Australian Government Department of Health information sheet here, let your team know when not to come in and how to notify the business of their condition, provide flu shots to your team, establish protocols around how to interact with affected persons.

What will you do in the event one of your staff presents symptoms?

What support can you provide them and their family? Do you have organisational cover to pick up their tasks while they’re sick, how can you check on their condition? Do you have protocols in place for staff interaction outside of the workplace?