In this episode, Mary Schaeffer, AP Now founder, and podcast host addresses the unique issues faced by managers whose staffs are working remotely. Many had little or no time to prepare for this and as such are making do as best they can. She starts off with the results from a poll that was run 18 months ago on the status of remote working in accounts payable at that time. She then compares it to what’s happening today.

While less than one-third of all companies allowed employees to work remotely one or two days a week, if they wished, today 84% of all organizations now have most or all of their employees working from home. This, despite the fact that 18 months ago, almost all who did not permit remote working thought they would not change that policy.

The challenges of working remotely through this crisis are a little different than the challenges faced when employees are working one or two days a week at home. There is no going into the office to interact and to get what is needed. In this episode, Schaeffer addresses the challenges of staying connected (when you don’t know how long this will last), keeping up morale and IT support.

She notes that video chats are exploding as companies look for ways to make employees feel they are not isolated. To that end, she includes some tips for workers who will participate in them, urging for example, that employees make sure they get out of their pj's before the session starts. She concludes with a few examples of what managers can do to keep up morale.

Host: Mary Schaeffer (https://www.ap-now.com/)

Credit: Music: https://www.purple-planet.com