Work From Home: Top 8 Takeaways for CIOs

With the COVID-19 year 2020, CIOs across the globe spruced up their work from home policies, possibilities, and future goals at the same time. One thing that the vast majority of people understand is ‘Uncertainty’ exists in every aspect of life as during the pandemic times. CIOs have always had a mammoth task at their disposal whenever there is a shift in either technology or need of new tech within the organization. With work from home becoming a norm in 2020, what does the world look like post pandemic for CIOs? Well, in this blog we will highlight key takeaways for the decision makers to plan and execute well during and after the pandemic.

Continuity in Operation

One of the greatest aspects for any organization to survive the huge crisis is to stay afloat during these times. With uncertainty there is also the doubt in the minds of employees and this can not only dampen their spirits but it does have a strong impact on the overall operations as well. The decision makers need to keep continuity of operation as a top priority. The primary concern that most have is about device access, security, and connectivity issues. CIOs need to do well in addressing these issues for the employees especially in mid to large organizations.

Industry best practices dictate that rather than waiting for a disaster to happen and then put a plan in place, businesses need to anticipate any kinds of disasters and put up a resilience plan together.

Stability of Internet is Important

There could be a digital divide if the internet is not proper when working from home. Employees need stable internet connection to operate smoothly. When planning for a standard operation during disaster it is crucial to also plan for good internet connectivity. Rather than taking it for granted that all will have a good connectivity, the tech teams need to carefully identify the situation and implement proper solutions in place such as wireless hotspots, internet dongles, and so on. This will ensure that everyone is connected at all times.

Scaling up During Disaster

Pandemic put a lot of businesses out of actions, but there are still others that are thriving. Is your business one of those? Do you have more business and looking to scale up? If yes, then plan to tie up with vendors rather than doing it all by yourself. Take help in your digital journey with an efficient support system such as Codetru. If your business is doing great, it will be the best time to scale up and attract more customers. When you tie up with appropriate vendors, it will make your work all the more easy.

Give your technology work in cloud, application development, and other digital transformation processes to the tech guys while you focus on your core business functionality.

Cost Effective and Practical

For every organization it may not be practical to provide new work from home devices to every employee due to cost and company budget limitations. However, you can always look up into your storage for old devices. For most employees, the old devices may also work and this will help you get the temporary work done without investing a lot of capital behind new devices. Due to uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, it will not be practical for businesses to overspend on assets that may be useless after the virus situation is in control. Look for ways in which a cost effective as well as practical solution can be implemented for employees.

Empower Your Teams

When your team is empowered with all the appropriate tools it gives them all the firepower to deliver expected results. So make sure that you empower your teams with all the gadgets, support system, and assure them of flexibility. Flexibility is of key during the work from home times. When at ease the teams are in a better position to perform well. You need to make sure that your teams are equipped with all that they need to get the job done. This means not just the things but also reassurance from top management.

This has proven to be one of the most effective strategies to help employees perform well during these tough times..

Implement Strict Data Management Policies

There is one thing dear to every organization and that is data. Companies spend millions of dollars to keep the data safe and it is crucial that nothing is taken for chance when working from home. Even when working remotely and not connecting through an organization domain, it is crucial that you implement strict data management policies throughout the organization. Even one person could end up infecting the whole organization.

Cybersecurity measures are critical for the safety of data, and employees need to be made aware of these policies before anyone makes a mistake. A data breach can cost millions of dollars for organization for recovery. So proactive and timely measures will ensure that the data integrity is maintained.

Clear Communication is the Key

Rather than taking an approach that employee will know it all, CIOs ensure that every policy is clearly communicated to the teams. Sessions are conducted and training material is prepared for new ones so that each one knows exactly how to operate during these times. Even if there’s a lot to accomplish, a lack of communication will only mean more work in later times. So ensure that you keep these sessions going on and communicate every new policy to the employees loud and clear.

Keep Health a Priority

An employee can only perform best if his/her health is good. As leaders, it is important to pay attention to this aspect and ensure that your teams keep their and family’s health as a priority. If not kept as a priority, the productivity will suffer in the long term and it will have an impact on the business. Show concern and be empathetic so that the employees feel comfortable and safe. During these tough times leaders are looked at for motivation and support. So make sure that you help the employees to maintain their health as a priority. This will not only increase productivity but also ensure that employees feel that they are cared for.

Codetru is on a mission to convert every digital transformation possibility into reality. We are working with several companies from across the globe to implement appropriate strategies, technologies, and processes to help them get in line with their digital goals. We have worked on several application development, cloud transformation, and similar digital projects. Check out some of our work and get in touch with us to know more about us.