Returning from "The Barrens"
IT services is in a situation not unlike the old Canadian uncle in that Farley Mowat novel from the fifties, Lost in the Barrens. The uncle's nephew gets lost for a season in the frozen wilderness of the arctic, and when he returns, he's a different man. The COVID-19 scare represents the barrens where many of your employees have been lost.
Handling Returning Workers
Employees will return to the office different. Some of those differences will be for the good, some won't. Tech companies can help you with this transition. An IT support may advise you to watch for the following three distinct changes so you can counteract them:
1. New Foreign Technology as Employees Return
Your IT services team will have to contend with employees who may bring new laptops, tablets, smartphones, or IoT technology with them from their time in "quarantine". This new equipment may have been the primary portal from which they were productive while operating remotely. Transitioning to safer tech may be a bit of a struggle, MSPs help lubricate the process.
2. The Psychological Shift from Lockdown
Lockdown has been making it so people can do work in their pajamas, go weeks without showering, and generally act like some sort of cave-dwelling northerly creature. The adjustment to normal working conditions can be a bit of a shock.
Accordingly, easing old employees back into operations may feel similar to onboarding new staff. Monitoring of devices and employee habits can be smart to help "keep them honest", as it were, as they make the transition. MSPs make such monitoring very straightforward.
3. Normal and Unexpected Setbacks
Generally, you want an IT support to help you handle traditional tech setbacks. But unexpected things will manifest as well. Lack of on-site workers is slowing down part production at car manufacturing plants, so recalls affecting damaged vehicles may require longer-than-usual to manage. Parts necessary to fix vehicular recall issues may not be available.
This is an unexpected COVID-related setback. MSPs can help you identify where such setbacks may be for your particular operation, and help you take steps to counteract them.
Overcoming Obstacles with Outside Help
IT services experts can help you re-establish on-site operations. There are going to be unexpected setbacks and the usual ones. Employee thinking will be shifted, and you'll have to handle that. Also, workers are apt to return with foreign tech. However, working remotely may well have enhanced the work ethic of your employees, so not everything will be a challenge as you re-establish normal operations. We can help in this process. Get in touch with us at Vitalpoints.