Working remotely needs better planning

In Jordan, and in the world, many are the businesses that are trying to be pre-emptive so as to better face and deal with an eventual, new confinement that could take place if the COVID-19 crisis gets worse. Whereas everybody prays never to have to live this again, and regardless of the probability of seeing this scenario happening or not, companies just do not want to be caught off guard the way it all came upon us all of a sudden last March.

Naturally, the essential, the biggest part of such preparation is about having the right IT setup, in order to be able to continue working as smoothly as possible. This entails having the largest possible number of the staff technically armed to work remotely from home, over the network.

One aspect of this contingency plan concerns the equipment. In many ways this is the easy part. The company would provide the staff with laptop computers. These are must easier to move and manipulate than bulky desktop office units.

Laptops also have built-in the necessary cameras and microphones that are a must to communicate over the Internet. Last but not least, the battery of a laptop plays the role of expensive, external UPS (Uninterruptible Power System) equipment that usually ensures the continuous and safe operation of desktop computers in case of power failure, even if for a limited time.

The fastest possible Internet connection would also serve the purpose for the staff working from home. Though a large part of the population does have Internet and FO (fibre optic) subscriptions, not everybody enjoys this setup. Businesses can do little about that, and it is unlikely that we will see them pay their staff to have them upgrade to FO, for those who do not have it.

Yet, the hardest part is not the IT equipment or the speed of your Internet connection at home but the organisation around the whole concept of working remotely. Over the last four to five months many have learnt it at their own expense.

Schools in particular have encountered difficulty at all levels: management, teachers and students. Some could not handle properly the now famous Zoom Meeting application for example. Others misplaced files stored “somewhere in the cloud”, etc. But schools already are a special business segment, it is agreed.

The fact is operating your computer from home to do the job and to communicate with your colleagues is not much different from doing it from the usual workplace. This is because, understandably, everything revolves around networking and data sharing nowadays. It is just that it requires more precision, focus and attention.

This involves accurate organisation, basically in organising folders and files, in naming them according to pre-established and agreed upon procedures and protocols. Perhaps clear planning and stringent rules are the key words here. Few are the businesses that do it right.

Just like the notion of netiquette (the correct or acceptable way of using the Internet) was introduced a few years ago, we probably need some kind of “remoteworkiquette” now: how to make remote meeting appointments, how to behave and what to say — or not say - when there are several people participating, and so forth.

Analysts often say that the great scientific achievements in Western industrialised countries like the USA, France, Germany or the UK, for instance, took place thanks to a high and advanced level of organisation in the workflow, and not because people there have a higher IQ than in the rest of the world.

Therefore, organising the way, the methods and the rules to apply and follow to use your computer from home to work, in the most efficient and pleasant manner, is what is required in any plan that would be drawn to work remotely, whether there will be a lockdown or not.