Dogs barking, babies
babbling, pots and pans clanking—this is the new soundtrack for many people who
have been working from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this
new reality, employees must now devise clever workarounds—learning how to
mute/unmute at lightning speed, mastering the art of virtual meeting
set-dressing,
seeking out a genius hiding spot for deep concentration, or resorting to posting
hand-scrawled “do not disturb” signs on doors.

But there’s one remote work
challenge that’s not easily overcome with a clever hack—what to do when tech
issues arise. Remote employees can’t turn to cubicle mates or nearby IT
colleagues for help with technology issues or questions. Considering the recent
exponential increase in remote workers due to COVID-19, that obstacle could
easily become a formidable barrier to productivity.

Without a doubt, the surge in
remote work is putting significant pressure on organizations and IT departments
to increase investments in remote communication and collaboration apps, and to
provide employees with a higher level of support.

Consider the following
findings from a recent Glassdoor survey about COVID-19 and remote work:

• Almost 3
  in 10 employees (28 percent) across all income ranges said their employer has
  done nothing in response to concerns of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
• 3 in 5
  US employees (60 percent) said they are confident they can efficiently do their
  job remotely, if they are required to work from home indefinitely.

Those sobering figures
underscore the importance of training and support, especially now. A recent McKinsey article echoes the sentiment: “[I]t is important in
these rapidly evolving times to reinforce the link between business outcomes
and longer-term capability building. Learning doesn’t occur only in one-off,
discrete events; it should be thought of as part of broader learning journeys
that last 12 to 18 months and tie clearly to business outcomes.”

Companies that don’t respond to changing needs are risking a lot—employee productivity, engagement and motivation will surely suffer. According to a 2019 Harvard Business Review article, motivation accounts for 40 percent of the success of team projects.

Companies that don’t respond to changing needs are risking a lot—employee productivity, engagement and motivation will surely suffer.

As ingenious—and sometimes funny—as
workarounds can be, they are not sustainable solutions. They’re clunky and
often unnecessary—in many instances, employees use workarounds because they
simply don’t know that more efficient tools or solutions exist.

Now more than ever, employees need guidance, training and support. Remote work is the reality today, and may be for the foreseeable future. It’s time for organizations to make it a priority.

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