Coronavirus – Is Your Business Virus Proof?
How to prepare your business in the event of a major Coronavirus outbreak (or other natural disasters)
The coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across Britain, with new cases being reported daily. The UK government response has been relatively restrained to date but expect to see more draconian measures – such as limiting travel or a ban on large gatherings – if things worsen.
In the meantime, anyone who suspects they may have been infected is advised to self-isolate for up to two weeks. By staying home and away from other people, they have a chance to recover without exposing others to the virus.
Remote working businesses have an advantage
Despite the very obvious benefits of remote working (less disruption to operations for instance) some businesses still refuse to permit home working. In the event of a global pandemic (or local disaster) they will be unable to respond correctly.
Work stops, sales drop and the business quickly finds itself in serious financial difficulties.
Those businesses who have already embraced work-at-home policies now find themselves at a significant advantage. They have the tools and capacity to close much, if not all, of their office operations without affecting productivity.
If the government does enact some form of containment order, it will be business-as-usual for those with remote working capabilities – unlike their work-from-home hating counterparts.
Don’t wait for the government
Although tempting, waiting for a government-sanctioned shut-down actually places your employees at risk. Given the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, should you really be asking your workers to make unnecessary journeys to and increase the chance of exposure along the way?
This is not just a coronavirus issue either. Insurance group Canada Life conducted a survey that found that employees surveyed who worked in open-plan offices took over 70% more sick days than those who worked from home.
Maintaining maximum productivity relies on a healthy workforce – and asking them to come into the office may actually be making them sick. Worse still, you may be increasing your annual sick pay bill too.
How to get started with remote working
Providing remote working options is no longer the herculean technical challenge it used to be. With the right choice of technology platform and IT partner, you can begin working any place, any time from any device within a few hours.
Here at Kimbley IT we believe that the best technology for future-ready, pandemic-proof business is G Suite. The comprehensive cloud-based toolset has virtually everything you need to roll-out remote working today – all for a simple monthly per-user subscription.
There’s no need to invest heavily in laptops or other IT hardware either. So long as your employees have an internet connection and a device with the Chrome web browser, they are ready to work remotely.
Email and files are stored in the cloud, making them instantly accessible to your employees. And with applications like Sheets and Docs, your team can work on the same files at the same time – even if they live miles apart. There’s absolutely no need to stop by your colleague’s desk just to “run through some figures”.
The same is true of meetings. Hangouts Meet is an integral part of G Suite by Kimbley IT, allowing you to initiate a voice or video call with a few clicks of your mouse – or taps on the mobile app. You can also host multi-user conference calls (upto 250 participants) in a virtual meeting room – you’re all talking together without being physically present in the same place. You can even invite your customers to join – they just need a web browser and a link.
Act now – before it’s too late
The UK is now at a critical juncture – will coronavirus spread as quickly as in China and Italy? And what will the government response be?
Businesses now face an urgent race against time to ensure they are properly prepared just in case the worst happens. But with IT Support and G Suite by Kimbley IT they can help to mitigate the impact of office closures and travel bans and build future-ready operations in the process.
To learn more about home working and its long-term benefits for your organisation, please get in contact.