Back to the office: Top tips for getting your team streamlined and in sync
- Written by Jennifer Favelle , Manager of Service Delivery and Customer Engagement at Tecala
As Australia continues to open up, there are many things businesses can do to make the transition back to the office a smooth one, shares Jennifer Favelle , Manager of Service Delivery and Customer Engagement at Tecala.
Has your business transitioned into hybrid working environment yet, or perhaps you’re preparing to do so later this year or after the festive season in the new year?
As vaccination rates rise and restrictions lift, we’re seeing employees move back to the office, on either a part or full-time basis. Settling them back in smoothly and swiftly is important given the well-recognised connection between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction.
At Tecala, the priority for our Service Desk team has been supporting our clients to ensure this adjustment is a smooth one.
Here are some top tips for making sure everyone on the team is relaxed, comfortable and ready to start working on whatever challenges the next few months have in store.
Plug it in
Have you come back into the office after months of toil at the kitchen table, only to find your machine has suddenly and inexplicably packed it in? Prior to pressing the panic button, ie. calling the Service Desk, have a look under your desk first. Chances are, the cleaners have decided to save the business a few bucks by switching off the power, or knocked a vital cable out of the wall while vacuuming.
Start it up
Perhaps your computer is working but much slower than usual? This can happen when devices have been switched off for long periods, as making it is impossible for anti-virus updates and operating system patching to take place. Once you power your machine back up, the process will commence. Our advice? Reboot and normal service will resume soon. While you are waiting, it presents a great opportunity to catch up with a colleague you haven’t seen since lockdown.
Shut it down
Are you planning to allow your team to split their time between the office and home, going forward? Hybrid working has many positive factors but employees’ machines may struggle to transition seamlessly between the two environments. Hanging sessions and corrupted connections are a strong possibility, unless employees make a practice of logging out of all applications and shutting down their machine before each move.
Clean it up
Read lots about the Great Resignation, Great Reshuffle or Great Relocation? Chances are, it’s already kicked off at your organisation, with employees across the board considering their positions, packing up their possessions and making a move to new pastures. Working with your IT department or service provider to ‘offboard’ their user log-ins and accounts as promptly as possible will maintain the security of your environment. You can then onboard their replacements promptly and reduce confusion for their colleagues and for customers.
Keep it flexible
Have you come to appreciate the benefits of ICT infrastructure that enables your team to segue smoothly between office and home-based working? Indeed, leading enterprises are supplying new remote and office-based employees with a fully configured cloud-enabled device where they can add their new password and access all authorised applications enabling them to work anytime, anywhere. Continuing to use tools and technologies that enable a fluid working model means you won’t be caught on the hop (again?) should circumstances change unexpectedly in the future.
Boost your Employee Satisfaction
Happy with the effort your team has put in while they’ve been out of the office? One way you can thank them – and encourage them to keep up the good work – is to keep it flexible. With interstate and international borders set to open up, many Australians will, at long last, have the opportunity to be reunited with far flung family members. Offering trusted team members the option to continue working remotely from a location of their choice elsewhere in the country or world, for a month or two, is a great way to acknowledge their Covid contribution and secure their ongoing support as the business moves forward.
https://tecala.com.au/
