Open For Business | Build a work-from-anywhere policy. | 8x8

Let’s face it. Remote work is here to stay, but it’s been a long time coming.

Daily commutes have been getting worse for years, and a growing number of employers were already starting to offer flexible working options to support a better work/life balance.

Recent events have only accelerated this trend, and businesses that embrace it as an opportunity rather than a challenge will come out ahead.

That isn’t to say that employees won’t need to be in a physical office from time to time, or on the road to visit customers or partners. Employees may also need to move from their usual remote working location, temporarily or permanently.

When developing a work-from-anywhere policy, it’s important to consider first and foremost that your employees can truly be working from anywhere at any time and they need to be able to get their work done regardless.

Let’s face it. Remote work is here to stay, but it’s been a long time coming.

Daily commutes have been getting worse for years, and a growing number of employers were already starting to offer flexible working options to support a better work/life balance.

Recent events have only accelerated this trend, and businesses that embrace it as an opportunity rather than a challenge will come out ahead.

That isn’t to say that employees won’t need to be in a physical office from time to time, or on the road to visit customers or partners. Employees may also need to move from their usual remote working location, temporarily or permanently.

When developing a work-from-anywhere policy, it’s important to consider first and foremost that your employees can truly be working from anywhere at any time and they need to be able to get their work done regardless.

Let’s face it. Remote work is here to stay, but it’s been a long time coming.

Daily commutes have been getting worse for years, and a growing number of employers were already starting to offer flexible working options to support a better work/life balance.

Recent events have only accelerated this trend, and businesses that embrace it as an opportunity rather than a challenge will come out ahead.

That isn’t to say that employees won’t need to be in a physical office from time to time, or on the road to visit customers or partners. Employees may also need to move from their usual remote working location, temporarily or permanently.

When developing a work-from-anywhere policy, it’s important to consider first and foremost that your employees can truly be working from anywhere at any time and they need to be able to get their work done regardless.

Let’s face it. Remote work is here to stay, but it’s been a long time coming.

Daily commutes have been getting worse for years, and a growing number of employers were already starting to offer flexible working options to support a better work/life balance.

Recent events have only accelerated this trend, and businesses that embrace it as an opportunity rather than a challenge will come out ahead.

That isn’t to say that employees won’t need to be in a physical office from time to time, or on the road to visit customers or partners. Employees may also need to move from their usual remote working location, temporarily or permanently.

When developing a work-from-anywhere policy, it’s important to consider first and foremost that your employees can truly be working from anywhere at any time and they need to be able to get their work done regardless.

“Telecommuting, one of many forms of work-life flexibility, should no longer be viewed as a nice-to-have, optional perk mostly used by working moms. These common stereotypes don’t match reality — allowing employees to work remotely is a core business strategy today… We need to de-parent, de-gender, and de-age the perception of the flexible worker.”

Cali Williams Yost

Founder and CEO, Flex+Strategy Group

“Telecommuting, one of many forms of work-life flexibility, should no longer be viewed as a nice-to-have, optional perk mostly used by working moms. These common stereotypes don’t match reality — allowing employees to work remotely is a core business strategy today… We need to de-parent, de-gender, and de-age the perception of the flexible worker.”

Cali Williams Yost

Founder and CEO, Flex+Strategy Group

“Telecommuting, one of many forms of work-life flexibility, should no longer be viewed as a nice-to-have, optional perk mostly used by working moms. These common stereotypes don’t match reality — allowing employees to work remotely is a core business strategy today… We need to de-parent, de-gender, and de-age the perception of the flexible worker.”

Cali Williams Yost

Founder and CEO, Flex+Strategy Group

“Telecommuting, one of many forms of work-life flexibility, should no longer be viewed as a nice-to-have, optional perk mostly used by working moms. These common stereotypes don’t match reality — allowing employees to work remotely is a core business strategy today… We need to de-parent, de-gender, and de-age the perception of the flexible worker.”

Cali Williams Yost

Founder and CEO, Flex+Strategy Group

As we’ve explored in previous chapters, the trend towards remote working has been drastically accelerated and, while unplanned, has proven to be largely successful. Generally, employees have become more productive with remote working, and there is every indication businesses will need to adapt to remote work for the long haul.

While your business needed to react quickly to the sudden changes brought on by the pandemic and the shelter in place orders, it now needs to explore policies that will ensure it can continue to thrive with a largely permanent remote workforce.

Putting a strategy and policies in place to support ongoing remote work requires rethinking almost every aspect of your business. Here are some of the key considerations every business should be looking at as part of the planning process.

As we’ve explored in previous chapters, the trend towards remote working has been drastically accelerated and, while unplanned, has proven to be largely successful. Generally, employees have become more productive with remote working, and there is every indication businesses will need to adapt to remote work for the long haul.

While your business needed to react quickly to the sudden changes brought on by the pandemic and the shelter in place orders, it now needs to explore policies that will ensure it can continue to thrive with a largely permanent remote workforce.

Putting a strategy and policies in place to support ongoing remote work requires rethinking almost every aspect of your business. Here are some of the key considerations every business should be looking at as part of the planning process.

As we’ve explored in previous chapters, the trend towards remote working has been drastically accelerated and, while unplanned, has proven to be largely successful. Generally, employees have become more productive with remote working, and there is every indication businesses will need to adapt to remote work for the long haul.

While your business needed to react quickly to the sudden changes brought on by the pandemic and the shelter in place orders, it now needs to explore policies that will ensure it can continue to thrive with a largely permanent remote workforce.

Putting a strategy and policies in place to support ongoing remote work requires rethinking almost every aspect of your business. Here are some of the key considerations every business should be looking at as part of the planning process.

As we’ve explored in previous chapters, the trend towards remote working has been drastically accelerated and, while unplanned, has proven to be largely successful. Generally, employees have become more productive with remote working, and there is every indication businesses will need to adapt to remote work for the long haul.

While your business needed to react quickly to the sudden changes brought on by the pandemic and the shelter in place orders, it now needs to explore policies that will ensure it can continue to thrive with a largely permanent remote workforce.

Putting a strategy and policies in place to support ongoing remote work requires rethinking almost every aspect of your business. Here are some of the key considerations every business should be looking at as part of the planning process.

Security breaches and cyber-attacks are on the rise as more employees work from home. As businesses lag in implementing new work-from-home security measures, training, and enforcement, employees have become vulnerable to ransomware and social engineering attacks, which in turn has made businesses far more vulnerable.

In a recent study, Deloitte suggests that, in addition to helping protect your employees and your business from cyber attacks, 90% of remote workers felt that implementation of proper cyber and data security measures makes them more productive. Proper security measures and training allows remote employees to focus on the work at hand, without the worry and uncertainty of potentially compromising personal and company security.

Security breaches and cyber-attacks are on the rise as more employees work from home. As businesses lag in implementing new work-from-home security measures, training, and enforcement, employees have become vulnerable to ransomware and social engineering attacks, which in turn has made businesses far more vulnerable.

In a recent study, Deloitte suggests that, in addition to helping protect your employees and your business from cyber attacks, 90% of remote workers felt that implementation of proper cyber and data security measures makes them more productive. Proper security measures and training allows remote employees to focus on the work at hand, without the worry and uncertainty of potentially compromising personal and company security.

Security breaches and cyber-attacks are on the rise as more employees work from home. As businesses lag in implementing new work-from-home security measures, training, and enforcement, employees have become vulnerable to ransomware and social engineering attacks, which in turn has made businesses far more vulnerable.

In a recent study, Deloitte suggests that, in addition to helping protect your employees and your business from cyber attacks, 90% of remote workers felt that implementation of proper cyber and data security measures makes them more productive. Proper security measures and training allows remote employees to focus on the work at hand, without the worry and uncertainty of potentially compromising personal and company security.

Security breaches and cyber-attacks are on the rise as more employees work from home. As businesses lag in implementing new work-from-home security measures, training, and enforcement, employees have become vulnerable to ransomware and social engineering attacks, which in turn has made businesses far more vulnerable.

In a recent study, Deloitte suggests that, in addition to helping protect your employees and your business from cyber attacks, 90% of remote workers felt that implementation of proper cyber and data security measures makes them more productive. Proper security measures and training allows remote employees to focus on the work at hand, without the worry and uncertainty of potentially compromising personal and company security.

Morgan Watts, Head of IT at 8x8, has had to do exactly that on a large scale. “While some businesses such as 8x8 have active remote working security procedures in place, many businesses are quickly trying to learn more about what’s needed and how to implement proper security policies to protect their employees and their businesses,” Morgan said. “The considerations aren’t trivial and there needs to be a comprehensive plan that includes both coaching and enforcement.”

Morgan Watts, Head of IT at 8x8, has had to do exactly that on a large scale. “While some businesses such as 8x8 have active remote working security procedures in place, many businesses are quickly trying to learn more about what’s needed and how to implement proper security policies to protect their employees and their businesses,” Morgan said. “The considerations aren’t trivial and there needs to be a comprehensive plan that includes both coaching and enforcement.”

Morgan Watts, Head of IT at 8x8, has had to do exactly that on a large scale. “While some businesses such as 8x8 have active remote working security procedures in place, many businesses are quickly trying to learn more about what’s needed and how to implement proper security policies to protect their employees and their businesses,” Morgan said. “The considerations aren’t trivial and there needs to be a comprehensive plan that includes both coaching and enforcement.”

Morgan Watts, Head of IT at 8x8, has had to do exactly that on a large scale. “While some businesses such as 8x8 have active remote working security procedures in place, many businesses are quickly trying to learn more about what’s needed and how to implement proper security policies to protect their employees and their businesses,” Morgan said. “The considerations aren’t trivial and there needs to be a comprehensive plan that includes both coaching and enforcement.”

Morgan has the following recommendations for businesses of any size:

Provide proper training to employees to help them more easily identify security threats and attacks including phishing attacks and social engineering attacks
Regularly test employees by sending internally generate emails and messages that resemble a typical cyber attack to see if employees follow the right procedures or take the bait (which provides an additional training opportunity)
Ensure all employees have security monitoring and anti-virus software installed on their company issues devices
Ensure that personal devices that connect with and have access to your business’ data systems and corporate directory have been properly vetted for use and don’t pose a security risk, and can securely access business systems
Regularly coach and mentor employees on updated security risks and risk prevention

A comprehensive and repeatable security plan that is constantly updated to reflect the latest cyber security and social engineering threats will allow your employees to focus on getting work done safely.

Morgan has the following recommendations for businesses of any size:

Provide proper training to employees to help them more easily identify security threats and attacks including phishing attacks and social engineering attacks
Regularly test employees by sending internally generate emails and messages that resemble a typical cyber attack to see if employees follow the right procedures or take the bait (which provides an additional training opportunity)
Ensure all employees have security monitoring and anti-virus software installed on their company issues devices
Ensure that personal devices that connect with and have access to your business’ data systems and corporate directory have been properly vetted for use and don’t pose a security risk, and can securely access business systems
Regularly coach and mentor employees on updated security risks and risk prevention

A comprehensive and repeatable security plan that is constantly updated to reflect the latest cyber security and social engineering threats will allow your employees to focus on getting work done safely.

Morgan has the following recommendations for businesses of any size:

Provide proper training to employees to help them more easily identify security threats and attacks including phishing attacks and social engineering attacks
Regularly test employees by sending internally generate emails and messages that resemble a typical cyber attack to see if employees follow the right procedures or take the bait (which provides an additional training opportunity)
Ensure all employees have security monitoring and anti-virus software installed on their company issues devices
Ensure that personal devices that connect with and have access to your business’ data systems and corporate directory have been properly vetted for use and don’t pose a security risk, and can securely access business systems
Regularly coach and mentor employees on updated security risks and risk prevention

A comprehensive and repeatable security plan that is constantly updated to reflect the latest cyber security and social engineering threats will allow your employees to focus on getting work done safely.

Morgan has the following recommendations for businesses of any size:

Provide proper training to employees to help them more easily identify security threats and attacks including phishing attacks and social engineering attacks
Regularly test employees by sending internally generate emails and messages that resemble a typical cyber attack to see if employees follow the right procedures or take the bait (which provides an additional training opportunity)
Ensure all employees have security monitoring and anti-virus software installed on their company issues devices
Ensure that personal devices that connect with and have access to your business’ data systems and corporate directory have been properly vetted for use and don’t pose a security risk, and can securely access business systems
Regularly coach and mentor employees on updated security risks and risk prevention

A comprehensive and repeatable security plan that is constantly updated to reflect the latest cyber security and social engineering threats will allow your employees to focus on getting work done safely.

When it comes to hardware, using what was available at the time employees were suddenly transitioned to working from home made perfect sense, even if it was inadequate. At that time, the objective was to get to remote working as quickly as possible with the objective of business continuity, not the best experience.

With remote working becoming more permanent, the focus has shifted to providing the best work quality and experience. Consequently, hardware deemed “good enough” may not be suitable for sustained remote use. For example, while a laptop camera may have worked during the transition to working from home, it may not have the resolution and features normally needed to get work done effectively longer term, requiring an external webcam. An employee that used a desktop computer to get their work done and had to transition to an older home computer or mobile device as a substitute may find performance and user interface limitations that impact their productivity and necessitate an upgrade.

ZDNet recommends “going big” on the devices your employees will use the most. This means a proper computer that can support all of the applications they use, a good web camera for live meetings and a proper communications device which could be a headset and a mobile device that can support all of the applications and communications services your business needs for day-to-day operations.

The technology choices should take mobility into account, as employees may move around from time to time. So, while some employees may take certain live meetings from their main office using an external USB webcam, those same employees might occasionally use a tablet or laptop camera to take meetings in another location. The less effort this takes, the more productive an employee will be.

When it comes to hardware, using what was available at the time employees were suddenly transitioned to working from home made perfect sense, even if it was inadequate. At that time, the objective was to get to remote working as quickly as possible with the objective of business continuity, not the best experience.

With remote working becoming more permanent, the focus has shifted to providing the best work quality and experience. Consequently, hardware deemed “good enough” may not be suitable for sustained remote use. For example, while a laptop camera may have worked during the transition to working from home, it may not have the resolution and features normally needed to get work done effectively longer term, requiring an external webcam. An employee that used a desktop computer to get their work done and had to transition to an older home computer or mobile device as a substitute may find performance and user interface limitations that impact their productivity and necessitate an upgrade.

ZDNet recommends “going big” on the devices your employees will use the most. This means a proper computer that can support all of the applications they use, a good web camera for live meetings and a proper communications device which could be a headset and a mobile device that can support all of the applications and communications services your business needs for day-to-day operations.

The technology choices should take mobility into account, as employees may move around from time to time. So, while some employees may take certain live meetings from their main office using an external USB webcam, those same employees might occasionally use a tablet or laptop camera to take meetings in another location. The less effort this takes, the more productive an employee will be.

When it comes to hardware, using what was available at the time employees were suddenly transitioned to working from home made perfect sense, even if it was inadequate. At that time, the objective was to get to remote working as quickly as possible with the objective of business continuity, not the best experience.

With remote working becoming more permanent, the focus has shifted to providing the best work quality and experience. Consequently, hardware deemed “good enough” may not be suitable for sustained remote use. For example, while a laptop camera may have worked during the transition to working from home, it may not have the resolution and features normally needed to get work done effectively longer term, requiring an external webcam. An employee that used a desktop computer to get their work done and had to transition to an older home computer or mobile device as a substitute may find performance and user interface limitations that impact their productivity and necessitate an upgrade.

ZDNet recommends “going big” on the devices your employees will use the most. This means a proper computer that can support all of the applications they use, a good web camera for live meetings and a proper communications device which could be a headset and a mobile device that can support all of the applications and communications services your business needs for day-to-day operations.

The technology choices should take mobility into account, as employees may move around from time to time. So, while some employees may take certain live meetings from their main office using an external USB webcam, those same employees might occasionally use a tablet or laptop camera to take meetings in another location. The less effort this takes, the more productive an employee will be.

When it comes to hardware, using what was available at the time employees were suddenly transitioned to working from home made perfect sense, even if it was inadequate. At that time, the objective was to get to remote working as quickly as possible with the objective of business continuity, not the best experience.

With remote working becoming more permanent, the focus has shifted to providing the best work quality and experience. Consequently, hardware deemed “good enough” may not be suitable for sustained remote use. For example, while a laptop camera may have worked during the transition to working from home, it may not have the resolution and features normally needed to get work done effectively longer term, requiring an external webcam. An employee that used a desktop computer to get their work done and had to transition to an older home computer or mobile device as a substitute may find performance and user interface limitations that impact their productivity and necessitate an upgrade.

ZDNet recommends “going big” on the devices your employees will use the most. This means a proper computer that can support all of the applications they use, a good web camera for live meetings and a proper communications device which could be a headset and a mobile device that can support all of the applications and communications services your business needs for day-to-day operations.

The technology choices should take mobility into account, as employees may move around from time to time. So, while some employees may take certain live meetings from their main office using an external USB webcam, those same employees might occasionally use a tablet or laptop camera to take meetings in another location. The less effort this takes, the more productive an employee will be.

The pandemic and the sudden transition to remote working at scale has taught us many things, including (very quickly) the limitations of on-premises systems and software. While on-premises systems can support remote working, they were never designed to do that at scale and to the extent we recently experienced. Limitations of those solutions to address security, data modernization and keeping the costs in check while scaling up has businesses looking to migrate as quickly as possible to an all-cloud approach.

In the rush to move to a fully remote mode of working, many businesses hastily adopted cloud applications to help them through the process of business continuity and to keep their employees working. What they are realizing is that these applications can actually improve their overall business while giving them the flexibility to work in an office, or remotely … or both.

Cloud applications allow your business and your employees to truly operate virtually. The cloud itself is virtual and accessible anywhere and at any time. Cloud applications do not require specific infrastructure to run or maintain, can be web-based or require applications that can be run on multiple devices, provide a secure connection between your employees and your company’s data and have guaranteed up time to ensure continued availability.

The pandemic and the sudden transition to remote working at scale has taught us many things, including (very quickly) the limitations of on-premises systems and software. While on-premises systems can support remote working, they were never designed to do that at scale and to the extent we recently experienced. Limitations of those solutions to address security, data modernization and keeping the costs in check while scaling up has businesses looking to migrate as quickly as possible to an all-cloud approach.

In the rush to move to a fully remote mode of working, many businesses hastily adopted cloud applications to help them through the process of business continuity and to keep their employees working. What they are realizing is that these applications can actually improve their overall business while giving them the flexibility to work in an office, or remotely … or both.

Cloud applications allow your business and your employees to truly operate virtually. The cloud itself is virtual and accessible anywhere and at any time. Cloud applications do not require specific infrastructure to run or maintain, can be web-based or require applications that can be run on multiple devices, provide a secure connection between your employees and your company’s data and have guaranteed up time to ensure continued availability.

The pandemic and the sudden transition to remote working at scale has taught us many things, including (very quickly) the limitations of on-premises systems and software. While on-premises systems can support remote working, they were never designed to do that at scale and to the extent we recently experienced. Limitations of those solutions to address security, data modernization and keeping the costs in check while scaling up has businesses looking to migrate as quickly as possible to an all-cloud approach.

In the rush to move to a fully remote mode of working, many businesses hastily adopted cloud applications to help them through the process of business continuity and to keep their employees working. What they are realizing is that these applications can actually improve their overall business while giving them the flexibility to work in an office, or remotely … or both.

Cloud applications allow your business and your employees to truly operate virtually. The cloud itself is virtual and accessible anywhere and at any time. Cloud applications do not require specific infrastructure to run or maintain, can be web-based or require applications that can be run on multiple devices, provide a secure connection between your employees and your company’s data and have guaranteed up time to ensure continued availability.

The pandemic and the sudden transition to remote working at scale has taught us many things, including (very quickly) the limitations of on-premises systems and software. While on-premises systems can support remote working, they were never designed to do that at scale and to the extent we recently experienced. Limitations of those solutions to address security, data modernization and keeping the costs in check while scaling up has businesses looking to migrate as quickly as possible to an all-cloud approach.

In the rush to move to a fully remote mode of working, many businesses hastily adopted cloud applications to help them through the process of business continuity and to keep their employees working. What they are realizing is that these applications can actually improve their overall business while giving them the flexibility to work in an office, or remotely … or both.

Cloud applications allow your business and your employees to truly operate virtually. The cloud itself is virtual and accessible anywhere and at any time. Cloud applications do not require specific infrastructure to run or maintain, can be web-based or require applications that can be run on multiple devices, provide a secure connection between your employees and your company’s data and have guaranteed up time to ensure continued availability.