Who Should Continue Working From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Remember to remain as flexible as possible with employees during these difficult and uncertain times.

For employers that are either reopening in phases or allowing some employees to continue to work from home during the pandemic, the question of who should continue working from home becomes a pressing issue. Consider the following best practices when determining who should continue working from home during the pandemic.

Review Roles and Responsibilities

While working from home may have been a necessity in the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it may not have been the ideal format for specific roles. It’s important to evaluate specific roles and responsibilities to determine which roles can continue in a remote setting and which are needed back in the office. For example, for customer-facing roles and those that require in-office attendance such as IT and security, working from home may not be feasible.

Case-by-Case Evaluation

The COVID-19 pandemic and the surrounding aftermath will have impacted each of your employees in a different way. For example, some may have health conditions or have a family member with a health condition that puts them at a higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications, while others may be juggling child care in addition to their normal workload.
Remember to remain as flexible as possible with employees during these difficult and uncertain times. Consider conducting an organization-wide survey to gauge employees’ comfort levels with returning to the office. In addition, consider implementing a formalized process in which employees who have individualized concerns about returning to the office or desire to remain working from home can submit a request.
For more information or work-from-home resources, contact The Hull Group today.

Take the Opportunity to Secure Your Office While It’s Empty During COVID-19

Each province is in various stages of reopening, and many organizations are continuing to allow their employees to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. This presents a unique opportunity to employers, as it can be easier to assess and improve the security of an empty office than one that is fully operational.

Assess the Security of Your Office

Evaluate whether your organization is employing the most essential security protocols. Some basic but effective physical security practices include:

• Keeping important spaces and data secured by lock and key
• Labelling and tracking all office equipment to prevent it from being stolen or going missing
• Using ID badges for employees and visitors
• Installing a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system
• Securing the premises with an alarm system

Fire and life safety tests, physical and technical security assessments, counter-surveillance sweeps and emergency preparedness planning are also ideal for conducting in an empty office. Consider hiring a security consultant to conduct these assessments and identify any high-risk areas in your office that need attention.
Furthermore, there are several security measures that should be employed to ensure your organization is prepared for an event similar to the COVID-19 pandemic in the future:

• Digitize your organization’s security plans so they can be accessed from anywhere.
• Update your organization’s emergency response plans to fill any gaps you discovered due to the pandemic.
• Implement a process for regularly updating your organization’s security plans.
• Train all of your employees on the latest in cybersecurity to keep them safe while working from home.

Contact The Hull Group today to learn more about keeping your workplace secure.

STATS

69% of IT professionals are not confident their data would be secure in the event of a security breach.