COVID-19 and Working from Home

With the COVID-19 global pandemic sweeping the world, all of us are being asked to take extra precautions to do what we can to contain the spread of the highly-contagious coronavirus. Experts on COVID-19 have made it clear that each of us can take precautions to protect ourselves and others. These protective measures include:

• Covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze
• Washing our hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds
• Using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol
• Not touching our faces with unwashed hands
• Avoiding non-critical social contact
• Isolating ourselves if we exhibit coronavirus symptoms

Coronavirus and Teleworking

When it comes to social distancing, increasing numbers of businesses, schools, stores, churches, and other organizations are suspending onsite operations to promote public health. Some are voluntarily closing while others have been mandated to take this action. To offset the organizational and financial impact of these closures, companies that can send staff to work from home are considering remote working as an option.

And, because it’s unclear how long social distancing will be necessary, it’s becoming increasingly important for organizations to consider telework to promote business continuity. Teleworking is one of the best defenses that organizations have to continue their operations and protect the health of their employees and clients during this humanitarian crisis. Having even just one employee report to work with coronavirus can be disastrous for the welfare of others in the workplace and beyond.

How To Leverage Remote Working

Although social distancing is key to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, sending employees to work from home is easier in theory than in practice for companies that don’t routinely telecommute. There’s more to teleworking than simply telling employees to do their work from home. Some essential items to consider include:

• Security. How will you protect your sensitive data and that of your clients?
• Hardware. Do you have computers that can be sent home with your staff?
• Regulations. How will you ensure the safety of employees working from home?
• Productivity. How will you ensure your employees stay on task and meet deadlines?
• Monitoring. How will you make sure the right person is on the right job at the right time?
• Support. How will your managers be able to help staff they can no longer see?

Although it can be time-consuming and a lot to manage, a variety of core business functions that are routinely performed onsite can be successfully moved offsite. For businesses that don’t have the time or resources to develop a robust telecommuting program, they can partner with companies that provide specialized remote labor. For example, AI transcription services routinely help law practices, hospitals, police departments, universities, and insurance companies convert speech to text virtually. A  transcription service can provide both secure technology and skilled labor to enable companies to create their mission-critical documents remotely.

When your staff cannot make it into the office because it has been closed owing to COVID-19, or because one or more of your employees have contracted coronavirus, it’s important to have a contingency plan. In some cases, not having a Plan B can mean the difference between staying in business or closing your doors permanently. So, it’s important to partner with reputable businesses that have staff qualified to handle your critical business functions securely, in a professional manner, and while adhering to industry regulations.

Getting Started with Teleworking

If your organization is struggling to maintain sufficient staffing now or anticipates that it could during the coronavirus outbreak, it’s smart to develop relationships with vendors that can help you sustain your operations during the emergency. For example, if your business operations involve converting speech to text, we encourage you to contact Athreon. Athreon provides clients both short- and long-term transcription and virtual scribing services. We make it easy to access our HIPAA-compliant and CJIS-compatible solutions. When a crisis emerges, Athreon is the best transcription service you can choose.

Email or call us to learn more. Athreon can support your speech-to-text objectives and give you one less thing to worry about during this anxiety-inducing time with the COVID-19 pandemic. We can even help your transcription employees continue to do their work from their homes on your behalf. We’re here when you need us. Stay safe and be well!