These days, remote work is more a necessity than a preference. Even if offices are closed or manned by a skeleton staff, the work still has to be done. With so many people working from home, businesses face different challenges but, even in the coronavirus crisis, Document Management doesn’t need to be affected.
The key concern, of course, is to overcome the global pandemic, and a major part of that battle is the COVID-19 travel and work restrictions that are still in place.
It is a global issue, with Twitter making it mandatory for its 5,000 employees worldwide to work from home and Google telling its employees the same.
But with so many roles – not least the critical role of Document Management – now forced to be undertaken away from the office and its trusted and well-worn procedures, does it have to mean productivity crashes?
The answer is no. With some simple steps, even a back-office team spread across different locations can still perform as effectively as ever.
For back-office workers, there is a safety in knowing the established procedures that are followed by everyone when at work. Efficiency can be high. But unless the right steps are taken, employees can feel uncomfortable when that procedure is changed.
The problems can be simple:
When it comes to day-to-day Document Management procedures, having access to a Document Management system certainly does help. But there are other steps needed to ensure things run as smoothly as they need to.
1. Have A Reliable DM Solution
When staff are working remotely, it’s essential to have an efficient Document Management solution you can trust. Without one, access to company documents is basically impossible, unless copies are available in employees’ homes. If there are, then that represents a problematic breach of data security.
An automated Document Management Solution will offer key advantages, not least:
2. Schedule Daily Check-Ins
Your back-office personnel need to keep work hours as normal as possible. So, it would be a good idea for managers to check in with them on a daily basis – not every now and then. You could schedule a morning ‘meeting’ at 9:00 am and afternoon catch-up’ at 4:00 pm. That way everyone knows the starting plan and the progress made.
3. Keep Communicate Face-To-Face
The telephone is great but there is a greater value in communicating with colleagues face-to-face. It’s about keeping contact as normal as possible, so use modern video apps like WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
4. Grant Access To All Who Needs It
Make sure employees working remotely have access to the Document Management system so they can do their jobs effectively. This might mean increasing the number of people who are granted access, but it may be necessary if processes are to continue running smoothly.
5. Support Staff, Be Flexible
Listen to employees’ feedback on the new arrangements. Perhaps someone wasn’t granted access to the system. Perhaps clarification is needed on a matter. Perhaps clients seeking document retrieval are unsure. Maybe someone wants to share advice. It’s important because it’ll keep your back-office team feeling valued and positive.