Lockdown has Redefined the Meaning of Effective Remote Working, Says Aiimi

Working remotely is no longer purely about proximity, but also better connectivity to data and information

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a large number of challenges over a short, intense period as businesses grapple to maintain productivity. While working from home has become the norm for many during this period, now is the time for organisations to redefine what remote working means for the long term. According to information management expert Aiimi, this means providing employees with the connectivity needed to build a lasting legacy.

The announcement of lockdown in March forced the majority of office-based businesses into a makeshift fully remote working arrangement. While this has worked very well for many, the need to get things up and running rapidly has meant that companies have essentially papered over the cracks when it comes to properly connecting employees to resources, wherever they happen to be working.

Steve Salvin, CEO at Aiimi, said: “Remote working is likely to be a fixture of the office environment even after the pandemic subsides. Despite the adaptability that many businesses have shown in implementing it at short notice, I would argue that most are nowhere near being able to properly maximise its potential.

“Most of this boils down to employees not being able to access information fluidly, which is crucial when fostering innovation and independent thinking within a business. VPNs and having basic access to an office server might be fine for helping keep the lights on, but do they connect workers to data in a way that enables them to find, interpret and draw insights from information?

“A vital next step for businesses to take in their remote working journey is to push beyond the status quo and work out how they can truly empower their employees to come up with new ways of solving problems and meeting challenges.”

To facilitate this, Salvin believes that organisations need to ensure they have the digital platforms in place that not only grant a basic level of connectivity to information, but give workers a unique user experience that grants the ability to truly unlock the power of company data.

He added: “The businesses that have thrived during lockdown – and will continue to thrive once restrictions are lifted – are the ones that give their employees the tools to think outside the box and figure out things for themselves. Leaders now need to give their employees this capability, by adopting technologies and structures that make information management an enlightening experience, rather than a chore.”

Salvin concluded: “Lockdown has been incredibly tough, but we now have an unprecedented opportunity to make systemic changes that will leave us better off in the long run. Remote working is here to stay, so we have a duty to make it better.”