Today, the world has, and is still experiencing some distinct challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for business leaders and everyday employees. Whilst many businesses have been fortunate enough to weather the worst economic effects, one key issue remains the successful transition from an in-person workplace to remote operations.

Businesses that have only functioned within traditional offices may well have effective working practices in place, but this doesn’t always necessarily translate to keeping your team tight and productive when forced to move outside of the working environment your practices have been designed for. As a result, some previously successful businesses have found themselves on the back foot with a little struggle.

Let us examine the importance of structure to remote work and its positive impact. We will also look at some of the tech tools that can prove vital to supporting your structure in an increasingly digital-reliant workspace.

Why is structure important?

Any business leader knows that organization can mean the difference between success and failure. As the structures within the office are unlikely to be easily duplicated outside of it, the change to remote practices without a new structure in place can very quickly lead to chaos. In many ways, your staff rely on the structure of your business. Structure helps set the expectations for task completion, operational stability, and the culture of the business itself. Interrupt essential components of that structure, and there can be domino effects across all areas which is why creating a business continuity plan is so vital.

When an issue such as the current pandemic occurs, forcing a shift in operations, a continuity plan provides a road map to ensure the smooth transition to a remote working structure. Your plan minimizes unnecessary disruption for both customers and staff.

How can you create a remote structure?

We know that structure is important, but how can we go about creating it? Obviously, there will be nuances for each business, but there are some core areas on which you should be focusing.

These should include:

1. Workflow

Create a formal structure for how employees’ day-to-day workflow should look in remote circumstances. Clarify how this differs from usual processes, and why. Produce a step-by-step documented approach that makes it clear who is responsible for each aspect of a project, and set out a clear chain of production.

2. Communication

Away from the office, communication can be one of the elements that very quickly fall by the wayside. This can be disastrous. Clear remote communications policies should therefore be implemented. Adopt secure video conferencing solutions that are easily compatible with calendars and scheduling applications and ensure regular team meetings with staff. This structure should include adherence to a single, secure communications platform — this not only helps to keep important business data safe, but it also promotes consistency.

3. Trust

The structure for remote operations certainly needs to include robust and consistent elements. However, micromanaging can be destructive. Leave room in your structure for staff to have some flexibility — perhaps in their working hours or setting priorities. Being constantly monitored is not practical for management, and it gives employees the impression they’re not trusted. Provide them with the remote tools they need and let them work. However, part of your structure should also include regular reviews to assess how successful this is for each employee.

4. What tools can help?

The key is to choose tools that best suit your workflow, the assets you will be producing, and the needs of your staff. Part of your remote structure should include clarity on whom these tasks should be delegated to, and what tools to deploy to ease staff workload. For example, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, M365 etcetera.

Conclusion

Structure is a vital component of any business, but an unexpected shift to remote operations can make traditional office organization impractical. That’s where Descasio comes in. We are your plug to help with the heavy lifting – understand potential challenges your staff could face working from home, and then equip you with tools that automate tasks while building you a structure to meet the business and employee needs in the middle. Contact us today.

Through the use of specialized software, you can eliminate repetitive tasks from your team’s workload.

As technology continues to advance, mankind is finding more efficient ways to use emerging technology to simplify and eliminate repetitive tasks. One such advancement is the ominously named robotic process automation, which leverages software to make repetitive tasks a thing of the past. While RPA is more common in the enterprise realm, small businesses can also utilize this emergent tech.

What is Robotic Process Automation?

Though its name might evoke images of an uprising of metal and lasers, robotic process automation is anything but that. At its core, RPA is a piece of “robot” software that lets users reduce the number of repetitive tasks they need to do on a computer by mimicking those actions.

From timecard management to data entry, RPA tools eliminate the need for employees to spend their time on computer-based, routine tasks. Instead, employees can focus their energies where they’re actively needed, increasing overall productivity.
How does robotic process automation work?
Since RPA is not powered by artificial intelligence, it needs some level of human interaction to work. It’s after that initial setup that the magic happens.

To get RPA working, a person must first teach it the actions that will be automated on the computer or virtual machine. Whenever an application is opened, a mouse click is initiated, a new task is started, or some other action is taken in an application, an RPA can be taught to do those same actions as a set of programmable rules and instructions. After each step is mapped out, the program can run those manual tasks back, recreating each action with incredible speed and precision.

What are the benefits of Robotic Process Automation?

Along with the reduction in repetitive tasks and the ability to free up employees to be productive in other areas of your business, RPA has some other inherent benefits that any business would find valuable.

Reduced costs

Automation in its many forms is well known for its ability to cut operating costs as a sort of digital workforce. If you no longer need an employee to handle a certain task because of automation, you are spending less money on that task. Similarly, RPA can cut costs that can be due to human error, since the software will handle its functions accurately as long as it was taught correctly.

More engaged employees

Doing repetitive tasks for hours on end can be a mentally and emotionally draining experience. Implementing an RPA robot to handle boring tasks frees up employees to work on more engaging activities that increase their attentiveness, boost morale and, in the case of businesses that regularly deal with the public, provide a better overall customer experience.

Want to find out how Robotics Process Automation can help you reduce your overhead and increase your bottom line? Talk to us today