In the midst of the pandemic, many have been forced to face a new work scenario. The main technology companies tell their secrets: from how they have adapted to remote work to what tools they use to avoid collapse.
Many of us had it all at once, and in some cases, it was the only option, but not all of us were prepared. Thus, unexpectedly and due to the coronavirus pandemic, most people had to test the experience of working from home for the first time.
Another scenario is that of mobile applications. Both in the Apple iOS and Android, you can see apps related to communication, meetings, and collaborative work, with platforms such as Zoom Cloud Meetings, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts Meet as the most required by users.
Given the spread of the virus, this type of work became the most effective measure to protect the health of workers, although those who want to implement it are still on time
Access to work is democratized, implies a cultural change in the labor relations and in how it is exercised. The scant dissemination of these experiences has generated different myths, such as the precariousness of workers’ rights, which implies working less and that the productivity of the workers will decrease if they do not have direct supervision.
It is not a profession, but a way of carrying out a task and requires a cultural reorganization for its efficient application. Culturally, it has been difficult to change the deep-rooted concept of work, which is associated with an act of displacement. Today we are facing a paradigm shift from ‘going to work’ vs. ‘doing it’ anytime, anywhere.
For this reason, both in colleges and higher education centers, we must educate the new generations that thanks to new technologies you can work from your own home ending the traditional concept: to work it is necessary to be physically in the company. Both remote workers and organizations must convince themselves that a remote worker can be as or more efficient and productive working at home.
A good example is South America: In 2017, thanks to the Labor Reform, article 22 was modified, excluding those who work without direct supervision, being able to provide their services in their own home, outside the place or place of operation of the company, using computerized means or telecommunications.
Also, with this Reform, those companies that have a union affiliation equal to or greater than 30% of the total of their workers, their unions may agree with the employer pacts on special working conditions, among which may be working from home.
Remote working would allow the large cities to be decentralized, and the regions would stop losing talent that migrates to big cities where there are more job and development opportunities.
Having remote working plans can guarantee the economic sustainability of families and the operational continuity of companies that pay taxes to the economy and society. Cultural change can transform us into a country that appropriates new technologies, improving the quality of life of its inhabitants. Boosting telework will create new sources of jobs and new services that support the lives of teleworkers.
Project management by Zoho: Organizations can find it increasingly difficult to manage tasks, track employees progress, and a flow of work. Zoho, a project management platform offers flexibility and automation. Zoho allows “planning, tracking, collaboration, and automation” for its users. It is available at an affordable cost, with an integrated Gantt chart builder, Artificial Intelligence chat assistance, task automation using Blueprint, customizable task views, and built-in invoicing. Zoho remains a primary platform that thousands of organizations are using today, and especially during quarantine in COVID19 pandemic.
Physical security of company devices: As long as employees do not take security measures into account, they will be exposing company devices to greater risk. Devices must be protected against loss and theft.
Home technology environment: Ideally, you should audit vulnerabilities in the home environment before connecting work devices; this is an excellent time to take steps to secure them with strong passwords and updating both firmware and software to the latest available versions.
Access to the company’s network and systems: Both to cloud-based email and internal information, workers need access to the organization’s network, but with all the security measures available.
Collaborative tools and authorization processes: Use collaborative tools to protect against unauthorized instructions or transactions. Cybercriminals are likely to take advantage of the opportunity to launch attacks on the email via a bogus message, labeled as urgent, requesting the immediate transfer of funds, without the possibility of validating the request in person.
Training: There are numerous scams circulating that use the COVID-19 theme in different ways. Cyber security awareness training is often an annual requirement in offices, and it would be wise to do a review to help avoid the human error that cybercriminals seek.
Support and crisis management: In the rush to provide remote access, not sacrifice cyber security or the ability to manage systems and devices.