I just wanted to share with you how Business News is preparing for the new world of work. Over the last few weeks, our goal at Business News has been for everyone to be prepared and not alarmed as well as getting ready to be productive while working from home for an extended period of time.
After finalising our contingency plans, a couple of weeks ago our entire team trialled a full day of working from home. We tested most of our processes end to end, and while there were plenty of stalls, we were really pleased with the result. The whole team used creativity and innovation to overcome every obstacle.
We adapted everything. While some have laptops, that was the easy part; those who didn’t were able to set up using their own technology – integrating our systems and, where required, items from the office have been taken home to complete a safe set-up.
Everyone has an online conference account to use for team meetings, one-on-one conversations with their managers, micro conversations and external client meetings. Each department has its own group chat for direct and easy conversation, while we celebrate our successes and show support for teammates with our ‘allstaff’ group.
All our important employee information and documentation is available via a SharePoint Team site, where staff can access policies and procedures, team handbooks and other useful information. We are also updating it regularly with helpful working-from-home tips and strategies for maintaining physical and mental wellness.
We have looked at the skill sets of staff members who have been affected, such as our events team, and found opportunities for them to work across other areas of the business and expand their responsibilities to remain fully productive and effective.
From the successful completion of the trial, we have allowed our staff to be flexible in deciding what works best for them and their families during this time. Some have chosen to work from home full time, while others are staggering their days depending on their individual situation.
And after a full week we have seen consistent productivity across every team.
We have also worked hard to ensure we can deliver value to our readers. We are working with our more than 12,000 subscribers to ensure their home addresses are updated and where they would most like their print edition delivered to. We have opened up the paywall for our COVID-19 coverage to be free to read and share. In the case of printers or distribution going down, we have built a new platform providing a digital version of our fortnightly print edition that works almost as well as touching and feeling the real thing. And we have added videocasting to our digital news platform.
Would you like to share with the WA business community how your organisation is preparing for the new world of work?
Well I’m excited to say that Business News is ready to help. If you’re a WA business owner, operator or senior manager – one of the few not yet a subscriber – jump on to businessnews.com.au to sign up today. We keep the WA business community informed with the facts to be future ready, and stay connected.
Business News. Standing By Business. Trusted By Business.
By Charles Kobelke
