Connecting and keeping in touch is the third and final part in the series dedicated to:  Working from home becomes the “new norm”.

The content for this message is inspired by a special report, titled: From Home – The new normal, by Sue Weekes, published in the latest Business Continuity Institute (BCI)’s Continuity and Resilience Magazine (Q4 2020).

With pandemic restrictions likely to last much longer than anticipated, many organisations already agreed that no changes to the work from home situation will be made. The trend is that new and additional remote working policies are being developed and staff is requesting more flexibility in working conditions.

When it comes to having a successful remote workforce, it is important to have a strong resiliency framework. This will enable relevant plans and teams to be activated effectively to resolve issues and where necessary escalate to the relevant stakeholders and teams.

Most organisations are now realising the need for a resiliency framework and the question comes up:  What will be the building blocks for a resiliency framework? As a point of departure the  following four key functions / departments  need to be included when establishing the resiliency framework.

Information Technology and related security forms an integral part to the work remotely transition. For this department the areas of focus will include:

• Availability of high-speed connectivity,
• Utilising existing tools and applications to support the continuation of core business ,
• Considering and analyse the threats associated with data  security and integrity,
• Detecting and responding to system vulnerabilities.

Human Resources as a function is key to manage,  maintain and sustain a stable workforce. For human resource practitioners the focus will include:

• Overall employee wellness to counter i.e. lack of motivation, feeling isolated, challenges with balancing work and life in the same home space,
• Managing work performance and productivity.

Finance: is a critical function that supports the working from home model. For the finance teams the focus will be on the effective enablement and deployment of the necessary remote infrastructure i.e. laptops, communication platforms, reliable connectivity and safe data solutions.

Legal and Compliance: as a function is seen as the watchdog to protect the reputation of the organisation. The shift to remote work rapidly introduced numerous new policies and procedures. Legal and compliance officers will need to ensure the new policies and procedures are in line with the relevant labour laws and practices.

Building a resiliency framework, with input from these four functions /department, will strengthen the organisation’s capability and capacity to respond  to and recovery from disruptions. It is recommended that the resiliency framework be incorporate in the existing business continuity management programme.