We are now just a couple of weeks into the new world, which for many people now involves some degree of remote working. I have made a point of calling as many of my clients, colleagues and friends as I can over the last couple of weeks, just to check in and see how they are doing.
One of the things I have noticed is how well people have adapted to working from home and how positive they are about the experience. It might be a bit of a novelty at the moment and it could change once that wears off. But at the moment people are generally embracing the change.
Based on my discussions to date, there are a couple of recurring points that I am picking up:
- Don’t miss the commute
- More time with family
- Getting more done as we’re not going to meetings all the time
- Not flying all over the place for meetings
- More time to exercise
- Heading to the fridge more often
One other theme is also evident: businesses that have robust work processes and accountability frameworks in place have transitioned across to remote working very well. Their teams know what they have to do, they have the systems and processes that allow them to produce repeatable results, they have clear performance targets established and operate with a culture based on accountability.
In reality, many of these businesses were only a year or two away from making the transition to more flexible, remote work arrangements that utilise technology to run a leaner and more efficient business. They have been preparing for this day for a number of years.
On the flip side, there are businesses that are struggling to manage their teams working remotely. They are adopting technology for the first time and they are finding that they don’t have the underlying business systems, processes and procedures to allow their teams to work efficiently.
I think the phrase is something like ‘You can’t polish a tu#d’. Without the basics sorted out, it does not matter how much money you spend on technology, your business will remain inefficient.
Practical and easy-to-use procedures, standard operating procedures, work instructions, video tutorials, and online learning modules; these are now gold to a business. Now more than ever, everyone in a business needs to be singing from the same hymn sheet, they need to be pulling in the same direction, following the ‘business recipe’.
Assuming that everyone knows what is happening and everyone follows the recipe is a significant risk in normal times, and in the current situation and economy this assumption could kill your business.
Might be time to dust off the processes and procedures that you use to run your business and make sure everyone is on the same page.