{"id":8513,"date":"2020-03-27T10:02:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T10:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heliossolutions.co\/blog\/?p=8513"},"modified":"2020-04-08T10:44:56","modified_gmt":"2020-04-08T10:44:56","slug":"helios-solutions-activates-remote-mode-to-step-up-against-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heliossolutions.co\/blog\/helios-solutions-activates-remote-mode-to-step-up-against-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Helios Solutions Activates Remote Mode to Step Up Against Covid-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cGuys! Monday onwards, we\u2019re all working from home.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These were the concluding words of our CEO, Jigar Shah, as he was addressing us in a meeting on Friday, March 20, called for implementing remote work policy as a social distancing measure to combat Covid-19.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And we happily followed suit!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This can be imagined as the climax scene of a play called \u2013 how to transform an office-based workforce into remote workers within a week.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, it wasn\u2019t as simple as it sounds to get onboard over 200 employees in their emergency remote journey.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To unfold the entire play and its making, let\u2019s give you a quick flashback to the preceding weeks till the WFH announcement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Go-Remote-to-Fight-Back-Covid-19\"<\/p>\n

Setting the stage<\/b><\/h2>\n

As thorough preparation is key to enact a good stage performance, we also did put a great deal of meticulous thought process and work to set the ground right for effective remote working.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be it remote readiness assessment, mentally preparing employees for this drastic change or setting up remote infrastructure, we didn\u2019t leave any stone unturned.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a company we already had the experience of working with distributed teams across four time zones. We have been helping our clients to <\/span>build an effective remote workforce<\/span><\/a> and make the most of distributed talent for their business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The need of the hour was to begin charity at home! We leveraged the knowledge gained by our experience to chalk out action plans in order to prepare our entire workforce for emergency remote work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Planning to embark on your remote work journey?<\/h5>\n
<\/h5>\n

Advance your objectives by leveraging our experience.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n get in touch<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

Behind the scenes
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

Now, let\u2019s give you a walk through behind the scenes in our making of the \u201c<\/span>we work remote<\/b>\u201d successful.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of the steps taken by our organization in order to ensure a seamless transition to an emergency remote mode:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Assess remote readiness<\/b><\/h3>\n

First of all, our managers prepared a checklist for their respective teams to assess the tools & systems currently used by their team members for collaboration. The best part was that most of our employees were already harnessing the power of these tools (listed in the image below) to collaborate with their clients as well as project team members.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"remote-work\"<\/p>\n

As our employees were already equipped with the skills required to work in distributed contexts, we didn\u2019t need to train them on that and this saved us a lot of time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from that, we needed to ensure that each one of them had the day-to-day tools installed in their WFH system set up. And trust us, it was one of the most arduous tasks ever!<\/span><\/p>\n

Prepare employees for change<\/h3>\n

For an office-based company without an inherent <\/span>remote work culture<\/b>, mentally preparing our employees for the impending change was of utmost importance.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And then head of our Helios family, our CEO stepped in to help us all in embracing the change easily. He gave us a very clear and definite picture of what the change will bring and how to cope with them by citing his own examples and by quoting insights from others.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He even touched basic points like right sitting posture and personal hygiene while highlighting how client-centric focus will help us keep a solution-based approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

1) Right sitting posture<\/strong><\/p>\n

He pointed at the importance of right sitting posture for getting in the right working mode. To make us connect better, he added that he understands it might be easier said than done. Then he shared his own past example of how he too parked himself on the couch with his laptop once while working from home.<\/span><\/p>\n

2) Personal hygiene<\/strong><\/p>\n

He stressed on avoiding the temptation to start as soon we roll out of our beds. He then quoted our CTO Jose Estrella\u2019s tips that worked well for him. \u201cGet up at the same time, make breakfast, shower, put on business clothes, after all, you\u2019re about to work! Dressing the part helps get you in the zone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

3) Client-centric focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

He emphasized on the fact that no matter whatever issues we face in the upcoming days, our focus should never shift from our clients. Since our beginning, we have been accountable to our clients and that should never change.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our focus on solving problems for our clients will help us learn to deal with this tough time with a solution-based approach, he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

4) Trust & empathy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Freedom & flexibility are our core values and even in a WFH set up, we would not like to encroach your privacy with a screen tracking system, he said. He expressed that with trust & empathy among the team members, we\u2019ll definitely triumph this crisis and make our remote work successful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Set up WFH infrastructure<\/h3>\n

As we have already told you that this has been the most difficult part of all. Yet, we did it!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kudos to our system administration team who rolled up their sleeves to ensure all the tools and technologies are in place to facilitate remote work.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They made sure that each and every individual had the necessary hardware, software and network support in order to discharge their duties without any interruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given the shortage of time, they burnt midnight oil to accomplish it all and make this happen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, thanks to our human resource management team, our managers & team leads as well as our employees who volunteered to go the extra mile to make our remote strategy functional and effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward to the present<\/h2>\n

Now that you know how we made our remote strategy functional in less than a week, let\u2019s take a peek into how we are telecommuting to make each day a success!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"helios-EOD-meeting\"<\/p>\n