By: Jennifer Zapata Nazario, SHRM- SCP, SPHR, GPHR; Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Remote work, or working from home, is a modality that has been gaining popularity for several years, especially among self-employed people and some companies that required more flexibility to perform their work; but in most companies this modality of work was not used, until COVID-19 changed our lives.
Before the emergency of COVID-19 began, Oriental had already identified the advantages of remote work and in January we started a pilot project with a group of 50 employees. The group, represented by several areas of the bank, was identified with the objective of testing different aspects of this work modality such as connectivity, productivity, and communication, among others.
The COVID-19 emergency accelerated our plan and we saw the opportunity to prevent contagion through physical distancing. In just two weeks, 52% of our employees were performing their duties remotely.
Now, as we return to daily operations in our offices, according to the plans specified by the government, it will be up to companies to evaluate whether we want to continue with some employees working remotely and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of it.
Here are 10 recommendations for a successful implementation of remote work:
- Preparations: An assessment of employee roles and interests, the nature of the business, and the organizational culture should be conducted to determine the feasibility and scope of remote work in the company.
- Guidance or Policy: Develop guidance that includes the scope, expectations, requirements and other parameters of remote work.
- Alignment with Information Systems: The implementation plan should be synchronized with the Information Systems Department to assess technological capabilities, make the necessary infrastructure and network preparations, and be able to support users. The implementation should include training for users on the platforms and tools that will allow them to give continuity to their work outside the company’s premises.
- Collaboration tools: The system or platform chosen should provide for continuity of functions while maintaining an office-like collaborative environment. A platform whose capabilities allow for teleconferencing, instant chat, file sharing and group creation is recommended. Ideally, the platform should be integrated with existing systems.
- Protect information: Procedures and policies should be established to safeguard the organization’s confidential data and sensitive information. Some measures include access controls, such as passwords and a Virtual Private Network (VPN), and protecting information from possible cyber-attacks using a firewall. All these measures should be reinforced by training all employees to ensure compliance.
- Training: Provide short courses related to this modality of work for the better functioning of the users.
- Organizational culture: Use tools and carry out activities that promote corporate culture. At Oriental, our communications maintain the language that reflects our culture. We also created the V-Orange channel in our MS Teams platform, where through different activities we promote the interaction of our employees by encouraging them to share notes of appreciation to other colleagues, photos of their pets and to use our distinctive orange color during our Orange Fridays.
- Time management: Telecommuting requires preparing as if you were going to the office in person. To maintain focus and productivity, the remote employee must develop a routine, start the day preparing for work, plan the tasks to be performed and review the schedule.
- Environment: The employees should have an adequate space where they can feel comfortable and productive, while avoiding any possible interruptions, and where there is a good quality internet connection.
- Evaluation: Employee input should be solicited periodically to adjust and improve the program.
In Oriental, the remote work experience has been positive for both employees and the company. These recommendations have been the key to our ability to continue to serve our customers and achieve the expected business results, while providing work alternatives that mitigate contagion.
