Tech Tips: 5 Ways to Adapt to Remote Work Support

You’ve probably grown tired of hearing “adjusting to the new normal.” Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid remote work support in 2022.

This pandemic has permanently changed our work environment, whether you’re already back in the office or remain in quarantine for several more weeks. We must create a new normal for how we work, manage network security, and maintain productivity across a more widespread team.

For example, a client earlier this week asked their employees working from home how they are supposed to ensure HIPAA compliance? What if someone innocently leaves the computer screen open, takes a note with a patient’s name, and walks away from the notebook?

Here’s how we recommend redefining work parameters to create the greatest opportunity for compliance and security in all work situations.

 

1) No Personal Systems

If you allow your staff to utilize their systems to work, store company data, and interact with customers, you’re just asking for a data breach.

First, you have no control over that system. You can’t log in to perform updates, ensure it has the latest virus definitions, or wipe it if they left the company.

Second, they are probably not running the strongest virus protection, intrusion prevention, and monitoring. Supply systems that meet minimum standards. Some companies have sent employees home with their work equipment. If you maintain proper documentation, this is a safer bet than letting someone go rogue (intentionally or unintentionally) on an un-managed personal machine.

 

2) Clear Expectations

There is a difference between working from home and lounging on the couch in your pajamas to get work done. If you’re expecting people to be effective at remote work support, set clear expectations for their work setup and communicate clearly. For example:

– Do they need an office with a door that closes?

– Can they utilize their cell phone for business calls, or do they need a VoIP/softphone tied into your network?

– How often do you expect them to check in daily?

– If you can’t get a hold of them immediately, how long do they have to respond?

– Can they attend meetings via phone, or is video required?

– How do they connect to your secure information? VPN? Firewall?

 

3) Signed Employee Agreement

Establish a clear remote work support agreement, whether you expect it to be a temporary situation or believe it’s a permanent shift. It should lay out all of the expectations that we listed above. If you’re expecting employees back in the office, reiterate the temporary nature of the arrangement. If it’s a trial, state that.

Working from home is one of those things that seems appealing at the beginning, but depending on the worker, it may or may not be effective. As the employer, you want to maintain the option to bring them back into the office if necessary.

 

4) Regular Communication

We recommend touching base via video at least once a day and having one other scheduled touchpoint – video, phone, email recap- scheduled and required for every employee, whether onsite or remote. You cannot underestimate the power of water-cooler conversation throughout the day, so you need to find some way to replace that to keep your employees engaged and effective.

 

5) Effective Administration

One of the ways we do this is by opening each meeting with a “good thing.” Every team member shares something good (personal/professional) happening in their lives. When you’re in the thick of it, sometimes it’s hard to come up with something good; but it sets a positive tone for the meeting and allows you to get to know a little bit more about your staff.

We also encourage shenanigans more than usual. Perhaps set up a chat feed for funny memes, allow people to use filters on their video calls, just something that brings a little fun and lets people connect outside of their daily tasks.

Ultimately, adapting to this new normal is all about effective administration. Have the right policies in place, communicate the standards and expectations, follow up with your employees, and partner with an MSP that specializes in creating secure, remote workspaces. Together, we’ll continue creating the best remote work support.

 

The Best Local I.T. Support in Louisville, KY

At Cinch I.T., we know how important it is to have local computer support in Louisville. Plenty of I.T. companies offer phone or remote work support. But how many offer onsite support in Clermont,  Fort Knox, Shepherdsville, and the surrounding towns and cities?

Sometimes, a phone call or a remote log-in isn’t enough to solve your issue. You need boots on the ground. Our computer support in Louisville, KY, provides expert onsite assistance when your business needs it. Whether you’re considering an office move, setting up new printers, or inspecting your server room, we can help.

If you need I.T. support in Louisville, KY, call us at (877) 442-4624. See how we can save you time and money on your local tech support today!

 

Read Our Other Tech Support Guides

You can follow us on social media @cinchit for more free tech tips and guides. Read more below for a handy list of common issues that we troubleshoot every day:

– How to Spot Fake Links in Your Emails

– Top 5 Cameras for Professional Zoom Meetings

– How to Find the Best Local Onsite Support

– Top 5 Computer Monitors to Work from Home

– Top 5 Antivirus Programs to Keep Your Computer Safe

– Microphone Not Working on Zoom? Try This!

– Troubleshoot a Multiple Monitor Display Issue

– Reinstall a USB Printer

– How to Set Exchange 2013 Email Message Size Restriction

– Export Outlook Cached Email Addresses

– How to Safely Work from Home

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