I have
been working with communication tools for more than a decade, and I have for a
long time said I can work from anywhere. As long as I have a laptop, a good
headset and a solid Internet connection, there is nothing preventing me from
doing my job.
Many
companies have never been forced, like they are right now, to provide workers
with the option of working from anywhere. So to me, the next couple of weeks
will be business as usual except for a couple of trips that I have to postpone.
But for my wife for example, this is almost a brand new situation, and the IT
department at her work is scrambling to provide access to all their employees.
Even
though the tools for communication and collaboration across long distances have
existed for a long time, the old patterns of traveling and doing things
physically in "the office" have not really changed a lot. I predict a
change in these patterns now. This is the time where thousands of companies
will realize these tools are worth looking into, and they work just fine. There
is no need to be attached to the physical workplace, as long as the employees
have access to the services and the proper equipment to do their job.
I believe
that companies that have already adopted the "modern workplace" will
suffer less loss of productivity the next couple of week, and those who have
not should start looking at their tools, services and workloads, and see how
they can start their transition to a digital, modern workplace, where the
physical location does not really matter. I also believe that people now will
experience how virtual meetings can be done, and the need to travel half across
the country just to participate in a meeting is unnecessary, and actually a
waste of time and resources. This might be tough on airlines and the rest of
the travel industry, but it will increase efficiency for many, and reduce
travel requirements and therefor be good for our environment.
The
situation is serious, and many companies do not have the option to let their
employees work from home. But for the many "office-rats" like myself,
the way we work will change drastically with the lockdowns that are taking
place all over the world.
Not
everyone will go for the same set of tools, but I can really recommend my first
choice, which is the productivity tools known as Microsoft 365. I have all the
desktop tools I need to get my job done, and with Teams as a working hub, I am
capable to see, talk to and collaborate with all my customers and coworkers.
We have even created new channels for social chit-chat and fun, and now have a
new set of daily morning meetings where we discuss the current situation and
how to deal with whatever obstacles we have doing our jobs. We are used to
having consultants work from all over the world, and the lockdown is really
just a small adjustment to how we've always been working.