Three Ways To Put People First And Ensure Business Continuity In The Next Normal

​POST WRITTEN BY
Rephael Sweary
Rafael Sweary, President and Co-Founder of WalkMe, the leading Digital Adoption Platform is also a mentor and investor in many startups.

Photo: GETTY

"Business as usual" for employees is impossible in times of unprecedented disruption. Even after intensive planning that goes into an organization's business continuity plan, when push comes to shove, the reality of achieving business continuity in times of crisis will always bring about unexpected issues that need solving.


Employees are some of the biggest influencers on whether an organization can achieve business continuity, but they can also be the hardest to support. Most humans are creatures of habit, even at work. Transitioning a global workforce outside of the regular work environment can create stress on essential processes within an organization, from onboarding to using different software. If employees experience widespread burnout, miscommunication, an inability to keep up with customer requests and an inability to be as productive as they are in the office, business will be brought to a standstill.


Organizations need to take a step back, look at the human aspect of business continuity and their employees, and see how to best support them in times of disruption. Many employees require three areas of support in order to be their most productive, efficient selves in times of crisis: increased communication, enhanced accessibility and expanded self-service opportunities.


The Power Of Self-Sufficiency


Telecommuters need to be fully prepared to work from home with all the proper resources and on-hand support. A remote worker is trying to share files remotely but doesn't remember how to do it. There isn't anyone nearby they can ask, nor can they find the proper documentation to figure it out. What many telecommuters need to be successful is the ability to be self-sufficient in every aspect of their work, including in complex business processes.


Self-sufficiency at scale, therefore, needs to be both reactive and proactive. Remote employees, especially in times of unusual disruption, require reactive and proactive guidance and engagement to enable self-service support at the moment of need. In the long run, this not only helps the employees themselves, but it also deflects support volume and dependency on high-value resources like IT.