Hopefully, we’re all progressing back towards a time when we can get back to the office.
It might not happen all at once. But – touch wood – the vaccine roll-out seems to be going quite shockingly well.
We might all be gathered around the office water-cooler again before the end of the year.
The question arises then: are you and your team ready for it?
Let’s find out. Here is a list of things you need to check in terms of tech before you go back to the office:
1) Your team
The big shift in the way we’ve all been working over the past year or so has no doubt had some highs and lows for you and your team.
As we start moving back towards something like the old normal, we are all probably going to end up getting back into the office via some sort of phased process.
This means some of your team members might be back under the same roof. Others might keep working from home.
Your main goal should be to have a plan for this. Make sure your plan has been assessed and then put into action so that everyone knows where they are going to be. And where everyone else is going to be too.
2) Your tech
You will have bright spots and dim spots when it comes to the tech you’ve been using in lockdown every day too. Some apps may have been lifesavers. Others… not so much.
There are three main areas of technology to focus on when it comes to ensuring your return to work plan goes off without a hitch:
- Gap analysis – what hardware or software has been a pain during lockdown? What has been difficult to use or not done what you needed it to? What might need upgrading or replacing?
- Updates – has everyone on your team been updating devices, software, apps and programs while they’ve been out of the office? It’s time to check.
- Device management – are you tracking your work devices? If not, you need to know where those devices are. You also need to know who is using personal devices to access work data – and decide whether that’s the best way to operate. Overall, having a clear system should be your main aim.
3) Your data
We have all made a lot of changes to the way we operate over the past year and more. Are you sure that your data security hasn’t been compromised? Are you using secure systems and processes when distance working?
This kind of assessment and testing should have been done before we all moved to remote working. Unfortunately, many businesses didn’t have time to do it.
If that sounds like you, there’s no time like the present to get started. There are few things worse to imagine than returning to the office at the same time as facing the costs of a full-scale data breach.
Have a plan
In all three areas – your team, your tech and your data – having a plan will always make things easier.
If you don’t have your own in-house tech expert – and many businesses don’t these days in order to save on expensive salaries and the hassle of arranging things like holiday cover – it’s time to call in the expertise you need.
Because unless your business is very special indeed, you can’t afford to mess around when it comes to the tech you use.
Want your back to the office tech strategy to be implemented as smoothly as possible?
Dial A Geek helps around 1000 businesses in Bristol and the UK get the best from their technology.
Set up an obligation-free consultation about your strategy with Chief Geek Gildas Jones today (click here for his calendar). Let’s see just how efficient your return to work can be.
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