Has your organization transitioned into remote work well? Or have there been some struggles? Every business experienced their own unique challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across all industries, though, what has become more common is the number of employees working remotely. If you can believe it, the pandemic isn’t the only reason the frequency of remote employees was on the rise. Even before the nationwide pandemic response, the average number of remote employees was steadily increasing. Between 2005 and 2018, the number of remote workers increased by about 175%. Obviously this rate would be much higher today because many employees view working from home for the safety of their health and their families’ health a necessity. What employers have found out in the past year and a half is that remote employees pose some unique benefits to an organization. Such as decreases in overhead and operating costs, in addition to a decreased environmental footprint.
However, enabling remote work can have drawbacks. For example, it may be more challenging to manage remote staff. Your employees might find it more difficult to collaborate or stay connected with the rest of their team — or struggle with feeling isolated when working from home.
The liability that comes from remote employees is also something to consider. For example, perhaps an employee gets injured while working on a project from home, how does a company approach the situation? Or what if an employee happens to have their work-owned technology like a laptop stolen? What about a more internally threatening liability such as a data breach? Anything is possible, which is why it is important for businesses to have an insurance policy in place to cover these kinds of issues.
This insurance, known as first-party cyber liability insurance, covers damages that are a result of these data breaches. Whether it be from stolen hardware or online schemes, it is important for companies to encourage their employees to be as safe as possible while conducting work remotely. It is for this very reason that the incorporation of VPNs, up to date firewalls, and antivirus software are so important in protecting a company’s data. These tools will help prevent any form of network-based attack and provide valuable data security. Employees should also be sure to regularly update their hardware when available and change their passwords regularly.
Any organization struggling to manage their remote employees should take a moment and check out the infographic accompanying this post. In it, you’ll find valuable information related to the managerial challenges associated with remote employees and how to work to solve them. Infographic courtesy of B2Z Insurance.