Testing a distributed workforce

Preparation for COVID-19

While the world grapples with uncertainty in the face of COVID-19, you can rest assured that business will not be disrupted at Zeroseven. 

 Australia is still in containment mode, but forward-thinking workplaces are already making plans for the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak, and Zeroseven is no exception. It’s our belief that employers must be proactive and have strategies in place to protect the health and employment of their workforce as well as still be able to provide services to our clients that rely on us. 

We have reviewed our business continuity arrangements and evaluated what software, information and other resources our staff will need to access remotely in order to work from home without missing a beat. 

Working from home

Over the past week, we have put our plan into action and tested our ability to function with most of our staff staying home and working remotely. 

Of course, some tasks in our line of work are obviously suited to working remotely – it’s no surprise, for instance, that application development and website programming can be done anywhere you can connect to the internet. 

But we’re pleased to report that even project management and planning tasks that require interaction with colleagues and clients have been a breeze to coordinate, simply by using Slack, email, video conferencing and other communication channels.

We have previously provided staff with the option to work from home for their own convenience, but this was the first time that we have encouraged employees to work remotely in such large numbers. While staff missed the face-to-face, in-person interaction and camaraderie of the Zeroseven office, they did appreciate not having to commute into the city. 

Success!

The trial was a great success. We enjoyed even higher levels of productivity than usual, and by demonstrating our readiness for whatever comes next, the anxiety of the unknown has been removed for our staff and clients.

Who knows? If anything good can come out of this situation with regards to the workplace, it may just be that businesses around the world become more willing to embrace new and flexible ways of working. 

In the meantime, it’s business as usual at Zeroseven – and business as usual for the clients that rely on our services.