The coronavirus outbreak has spread far beyond China. Individuals, industries, and even countries around the world are feeling the impact.

Canceled plans, interrupted supply chains, and a proliferation of “closed” signs are all indications that it won’t be “business as usual for a while.”

To keep staff safe and companies in business, many employers are now faced with the reality that staff is going to work-from-home for the next three to eight weeks.

While some companies have emergency work-from-home plans in place, not all do. However, given the massive scale of this outbreak and the impact it is having on companies worldwide, this is a good time for every business to evaluate (or create) their emergency work-from-home plan.

Coronavirus and the Impact On Business

Many sectors across the globe are feeling the impact of coronavirus. International companies have canceled business travel for the foreseeable future. Some companies have suspended, or are expected to suspend, their production lines. And companies have had staff extend their vacations, work from home, or even take unpaid leave.

With the CDC recommending that gatherings of more than 50 people be canceled for the next eight weeks, even in cases where a business chose to remain open (or had to due to the nature of the industry), many states are ordering those businesses closed. For example:

• Governors in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Washington ordered bars, restaurants, and wineries to be closed (except for take out and drive-thru orders)
• New York closed all of their schools and ordered all nightclubs, theaters, and concert venues closed.
• Apple and Nike are closing their stores for at least two weeks.
• Walmart is cutting hours at its 24-hour locations.
• Many grocery stores are also altering their hours to clean and restock their stores safely.
• American Airlines is suspending flights to Asia, Australia, South America, and New Zealand, and cutting flights to Europe.
• United Airlines has suspended flights between the U.S. and certain cities in China.

Discover a better way to recruit remote talent

Founded in 2007, FlexJobs is the most experienced remote & hybrid hiring platform.

• Unlimited job posts
• Low, flat membership fee
• Access top-level remote advice

• Unlimited resume searches
• Reach the right candidates
• And so much more!

Get Started!

Remote Work Works and Doesn’t Work

Thanks to the growing popularity of remote work, more companies can offer these flexible arrangements to staff. However, because so many companies and so many employees are working remotely at the same time, platforms and service providers that help make remote work possible are facing unexpected challenges.

Due to increased use across the world, some remote collaboration tools are having trouble handling the increased load. Examples include:

• DingTalk and WeChat Work, popular video conferencing platforms in China, crashed because too many people were trying to video conference at the same time
• Collaboration apps like WeLink and Lark also crashed or slowed down
• Baidu’s office VPN overloaded and employees were asked to stop using it

Creating an Emergency Work-From-Home Plan

Because the spread of the virus may not peak until April, companies will likely feel the effects of this outbreak for a while. Even after the worst has passed, getting companies back up to speed will take time.

While some companies had an emergency plan in place, in some cases, their plan has been inadequate to cope with the scale of the outbreak. And companies that did not have an emergency plan are having to create one on the fly, with varied results.

Though it’s hard to find the silver lining in this situation, it presents companies with a unique opportunity to evaluate (or create) emergency work-from-home plans. Hopefully, a company never has to use it for a massive medical emergency. But emergency work-from-home plans are also useful during flu season, or even when the weather takes a nasty turn.

Have a Plan In Place

It sounds trite, but it’s best to create an emergency work-from-home plan for all contingencies (flood, fire, illness) long before you ever need it. But it’s not enough to have an emergency policy in the handbook. Periodically review and update your plan to accommodate any growth or change.

And don’t forget to test the plan regularly. This doesn’t mean “live testing in an emergency.” For example, periodically check in with service providers to make sure they can handle an overload of requests. As noted in the examples above, online conferencing providers were overwhelmed with traffic, and their platforms failed. Ask what your service provider learned from their experiences or what their contingency plans are if something like this happens in the future.

Create an Emergency Communication Plan

In the age of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, information and misinformation travel fast. Have a specific communication plan so your staff is aware that the plan is officially activated.

Make sure employees know exactly who and how the official word will be delivered. Will it be via email or a phone call? Will it come from the CEO or department heads? Define very clearly who and how the official word will be communicated, so misinformation doesn’t spread and create confusion or chaos.

Make Sure Staff Understand the Plan

The problem with an emergency is that you never know when it will happen. Staff need to understand their role in the emergency plan by always being prepared to work from home at a moment’s notice.

For example, if every employee has a company-issued laptop, make it clear that they are expected to bring their laptop home with them every night. Explain it’s not because you expect them to work after hours. It’s to make sure that if something happens, they are prepared and can work from home if they suddenly have to.

Set Clear Expectations

Just like your regular work-from-home policy, your emergency work-from-home policy should include clear expectations of staff behavior. An emergency work-from-home policy can be as simple as:

• Be online during work hours
• Be responsive during work hours
• Be productive

As long as employees are clear that an emergency work-from-home day does not equate to a snow day, you should have few problems with staff “goofing off.”

Make Sure Staff Have What They Need

While you can’t audit every employee’s remote situation, it is important to be aware that not all employees have a separate office where they can close a door and work quietly. And not everyone has the most reliable internet service. Make sure that when you are evaluating your emergency plan and your staff’s performance during the emergency that you take this into account.

Also, remember that in an emergency, employees may not be home alone. Many have partners, children, or even extended family members that are likely impacted—and stuck at home—as well. Make it clear that while employees are expected to work, you understand that there may be obstacles that make a full workday difficult.

Define the Priorities

Depending on your business, you may need to change staff priorities. For example, public companies may need to put public relations front and center to communicate with and reassure shareholders. Companies that work with supply chains may need to talk to vendors and customers to explain what’s happening and how the emergency may or may not create supply issues.

It May Not Be “Business As Usual”

Even if your company is “business as usual” during an emergency, “usual” takes on a whole new meaning during that time. You may need to communicate to your staff that their health and safety come first in these situations.

Remember that there could be emotional impacts for people during and after an emergency. Their priority may not be work for days, or even weeks, after the crisis ends.

Provide Clarity

Even when you’ve activated your emergency plan and clearly communicated what’s happening, you may still need to make it clear to staff that working from home is not a choice. Depending on the emergency, some staff may be able to get into the office. And some staff may want to go to the office. Make it clear that this is not a choice and that all staff must work at home.

This can be important for staff morale. Some employees may feel guilty about not going into the office even when they can. Or they may feel that they can “prove” how devoted they are to the job by going in no matter what. Reassuring employees that this is not the case (and not necessary) will go a long way toward making sure they are comfortable working remotely.

Prep Your Infrastructure

Long before you need to activate your emergency plan, check your infrastructure and prepare it for an emergency. This goes beyond fire and flood protection. When people work from home, it may be more taxing on your server or your phone line. Make sure it can handle the extra traffic load from outside sources.

As part of your prep plan, contract with platforms that specialize in online collaboration. Figure out if you can get away with audio only, or if you really need video. Consider investing in an online project management tool so staff can continue to work on projects together.

Have a Back-Up Infrastructure Plan

Of course, there’s no guarantee that everything will function appropriately in an emergency. What will staff do if online collaboration tools fail or staff can’t use online communication platforms? Do they call each other? Rely on email? Have a back-up plan for alternative communications ready to go.

Reevaluate and Adjust Course

While the hope is that you never have to activate your emergency work-from-home plan, the odds are that you will. Hopefully, you won’t have to use it for very long. Once the emergency has passed and operations are back to normal, take some time to debrief and evaluate how the plan worked. Adjust it as necessary and have it ready to go for the next emergency.

Get Expert Help on Implementing Your Remote Work Plan

Even if your company doesn’t normally allow remote work, having an emergency work-from-home plan in place can keep your company functioning under most circumstances. To help guide companies on their remote work strategy, FlexJobs proudly offers 1-hour consultations and support to brands like yours. Reach out today and schedule a personalized appointment!

Contact FlexJobs for Remote Work Emergency Preparedness Consulting >>>

Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com

A version of this post was originally published on February 7, 2020.