What are the main challenges and benefits of remote work for BCP?

1 Communication and collaboration

One of the key challenges of remote work for BCP is ensuring effective communication and collaboration among team members, managers, clients, and stakeholders. Without face-to-face interactions, it can be harder to build trust, share feedback, coordinate tasks, and resolve conflicts. To overcome this challenge, you need to establish clear and frequent communication channels, such as phone calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, and email. You also need to set clear expectations, goals, roles, and responsibilities for each team member and project. Additionally, you need to foster a culture of collaboration and engagement by encouraging feedback, recognition, and social interaction.

3 Productivity and performance

One of the potential benefits of remote work for BCP is improving the productivity and performance of your employees and organization. By working from home, you can reduce commuting time, office expenses, and environmental impact. You can also increase flexibility, autonomy, and work-life balance for your employees, which can boost their motivation, satisfaction, and retention. To reap this benefit, you need to provide your employees with the necessary tools, resources, and support to work effectively from home, such as laptops, software, internet access, and training. You also need to measure and evaluate their productivity and performance using objective and relevant indicators, such as output, quality, and customer satisfaction.

5 Risk assessment and mitigation

One of the essential aspects of BCP is conducting risk assessment and mitigation exercises to identify, analyze, and manage the potential threats and impacts of disruptive events on your organization. Remote work can affect the nature and level of risks that you face, such as technical failures, human errors, natural disasters, or pandemics. To cope with this situation, you need to update and revise your risk assessment and mitigation plans regularly to reflect the changes and challenges of the remote work environment. You also need to involve your employees, partners, and customers in the risk assessment and mitigation process to ensure their awareness, participation, and cooperation.

6 Training and testing

One of the best ways to ensure the effectiveness and readiness of your BCP is to provide training and testing for your employees and organization. Remote work can require new skills, knowledge, and behaviors that your employees need to learn and practice, such as using online tools, managing time, and coping with stress. It can also require new scenarios, procedures, and protocols that your organization needs to test and validate, such as activating backup systems, switching to alternative suppliers, or communicating with stakeholders. To cope with this situation, you need to design and deliver training and testing programs that are relevant, realistic, and engaging for the remote work environment. You also need to monitor and evaluate the results and outcomes of the training and testing activities and make improvements as needed.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?