Home Working: Keeping Everyone on the Same Page - Zupa

Let’s face it, if the uncertainty of the pandemic (over the last, almost two years), is anything to go by, working from home may be the future, not just for Christmas. Gone are the days where working at home was some kind of novelty, fuelled with a bit of rare excitement. Today, few of us have the energy or the inclination to debate the pros and cons of it or to argue as to whether the situation is good or bad for us (both physically and mentally).

One thing is for sure, feelings are mixed. Some people are glad of the break from a long commute or the chance to spend more time with family, while others are not so overjoyed. Lack of space to work at home, disruption to routine, lack of connection with colleagues are all complaints we know to be common amongst employees. Working from home won’t be the same as physically working together, of course, but placing internal comms at the top of the agenda is a positive way to get through the next few months at least.

For businesses, times are challenging. Staff retention alongside business survival is a big concern for many. What is important during this period, as with previous restrictive periods, is to ensure that businesses retain that all-important connection with their staff and that they make use of the advances in technology to keep everyone up to date and on the same page. With less staff on site, it is helpful to alleviate some of the processes that simply add to the long list of issues.

Likewise, it is important during these uncertain times for businesses to keep revenue ticking along, ensure budgets and targets are met and that you have a clear picture of your business, both from a financial and operational perspective. When people are working remotely, communication is more challenging. It is more difficult to keep up to date moment-to-moment on activities happening in real time. But having one source of the truth when it comes to money going in and out of your business, has perhaps never been more important.

Using an automated eProcurement platform like Zupa, which operates in real time, will provide greater visibility on business assets, stock, purchasing, supplier availability etc. This gives you clarity on your business assets and means you can stay up to date with every single transaction or purchase in real time. This in turn, will reduce the burden on staff as they navigate the working from home journey again and essentially, it will free up your staff’s time to focus on their roles.