Having a contingency remote work plan is a smart operating move for any company to make.
To spend the time in advance working out the logistics will save the employer time and money down the road. It will also make it easier for employees when they know that this option exists and that they have the option to work from their home office or a satellite office which may be a closer location than their regular office.
First Step
Ensure that you the employer are prepared to support remote workers - both with technology and management support.
- Speak with your software provider if you use industry specific programs to see that they are capable of being used in remote access situations. You might also have to contract with a third party vendor to provide a gateway into the company system.
- For employees with direct lines, can these be put on call forward to the employee's location? Can the employee call in from their home office and switch the line to call forward? Ensuring a smooth roll over of phone lines will help aid in maintaining a high level of customer service.
- Create a contact list that is given to any employees that may be in the position of remote work without advance notice. Make sure that there is always someone that an employee is able to call upon with questions or for other assistance. Include on this list any technical support personnel.
- Create specific support teams; this can be based on existing teams within the company structure or remoto work specific teams just for contingency situations. A balance of managerial support and technical support is the goal.
Equipment Required and Available
Make sure that any potential remote workers have a proper work environment. Again, another list that should be created is:
- What equipment is absolutely necessary and what are items that are just nice to have in these situations.
- What equipment employees already have; the type of computer equipment, Internet connections, cell phones, pagers etc.
- Make note of what materials or additional resources may be required by employees to carry out their positions. Can these items be duplicated in order for employees to have a copy at their home office?
- What security concerns must be addressed regarding the confidentiality of documents or resources? Work out with employees what steps will need to be taken to ensure that data and other information is kept protected and secure.
Test Before It Happens
- Run tests to ensure that employees can connect to company systems and that it is possible to send emails.
- Doing this in advance will hopefully work out any bugs and ensure that this contingency plan will work when needed.
Communications Provider:
Whether your employers will connect to the company system by telephone, cable or satellite (where possible), it is of the utmost importance to ensure that they will be able to make the connection and that the communications provider can support them.
An example of when this kind of problem may occur is during snowstorms. One of the problems encountered by people attempting to work remotely was dealing with congested phone lines. Line congestion in these situations occurred due to the fact that while people were attempting to get connected and work online, just as many children and teens who were at home were jumping online to surf.
The solution, especially in one computer households is that work comes first, play later.
Plan in Advance
Creating a contingency plan for working remotely is not just an idea whose time has come it is crucial to some businesses in order to carry on and provide the best customer service. Remote work contingency plans must be created in advance of events and should be reviewed on an annual basis with all employees that may potentially become remote workers.