Work from Home: Tech & Productivity Issues

Key summary from Gallup’s Workplace Consultant Wasana Sing’s contribution on the work productivity issues during Covid-19 crisis situation where majority of workforces are working from homes.  This has been gathered by Gallup’s worldwide surveys conducted in the past 40 years with over 31 million respondents.

1. To build up and reinforce team spirit by understanding hierarchy of engagements, what employees’ needs, what engagement elements to be focused during this crisis, how to engage your team, how to manage your engagement as the leader, and how to manage team performance to get end results in line with the company’s goal/mission.
2. To push for employees’ extra miles while managing their fears in job security, the leaders should demonstrate well-planned communication skills, clear expectation and performance measurements, ability to motivate team collaboration, stay connected and keep updated regularly, adjustments where appropriate.
3. In managing performance by ‘Boss to Coach’ approach, 3 focused areas with actionable points
   1. Strength-based : Expectation should be clear, collaboration, alignment
   2. Engagement focus : Continue coach with frequent, focused, future oriented
   3. Performance oriented : Accountability with achievement oriented, fair & accurate, development
4. Special tips during work from home
   1. Dress properly to standby for any virtual meetings.
   2. Dedicated workspace
   3. To do list for top 3 things each day
   4. Choose right background with less noise
   5. Close down your laptops if works has been done or times off.

Topp Jirayut, CEO Bitkub.com, shares his company’s current situation on how Bitkub’s workforces are working at home and what achievements have been obtained during this Covid-19.

1. Using ‘Slack’ as core centralised app in connecting everyone’s communication and social interaction.  However, the workforces are using other 30 apps if their teams deem appropriate.   Online games on Slack between employees during 6-7pm are encouraged to motivate participation, social interaction and problem solving.  HR keeps track points of each team as well.
2. Daily Scrum meeting whereby each team will organize everyday online meeting in any different apps.  This is to address employees’ daily actionable tasks, obstacles to be tackled and who responsible for, the day before’s accomplishments.    This will result in accountability and performance-based measurement.  Currently, one-on-one performance interaction between managers and staffs has been set quarterly.  However, once a month interaction will be applied to make everyone align to the company’s goals and meet expectations.
3. Implementing internal security audit to be checked every quarter and take serious actions if any staff violates the rules by accessing non-permission websites.   Infrastructure investment in laptops equipped with various apps and anti-virus packages are available for the workforces.

4. Building up trust, Bitkub provide staff’s loan program for basic needs’ stockpiles during crisis times. 
5. In process of digitized documents and set standardized protocol in accessing online data such as level 0 = public folder for everyone’s use while level 4 = highest restriction over confidential data to be placed in Google enterprise.
6. Hence, Bitkub has less impacted by work from home.

He also adds that CEOs with change mindsets and be prepared for digital disruption can spot opportunity anywhere and know how to move on digital strategies so that they get less affected by Covid-19 or any unexpected crisis in the future.  Encouraging not to lay off people but trying to cut other expenses or negotiating for pay cut with lesser working hours if possible.