On this special episode of The Six Five Insider Edition, hosts Patrick Moorhead and Daniel Newman welcomed Alex Cho, President of Personal Systems Business for HP. to discuss business continuity in the age of COVID-19, how HP is supporting partners, customers and employees, why this is the right time to innovate, and how we are all pushing the future of work forward.

 

Partner and Customer Needs Come First

As the majority of Americans are now under shelter in place orders, businesses are faced with the task of ensuring business continuity. Companies need to keep employees connected, productive, learning, and secure from home — which is where HP comes in. HP has expanded their concierge support to 24/7 to ensure that customers can find the answers to their questions when they need to.

Also, in the last week, it’s clear that a hierarchy of needs has emerged. HP is working to educate partners, customers, and employees on what they need to do to keep businesses up and running, including:

 

1. Get Connected. Employees need to be able to be connected from home. Every individual in the household has a device, so how do they all connect safely and securely to a network?
2. Be Productive. Everyone is working in a different environment. Whether it’s a home office, shared living space, or a garage, there is a learning curve to be productive in this new space.
3. Managing Meetings and Events. Everything is digital now. One-on-one meetings, team meetings, and corporate events are all virtual now, so what does that look like? How can companies make sure that these things happen as seamlessly as possible?

 

Now is the Time to Innovate

HP has stepped up in other ways in the last few weeks to help the fight against COVID-19. They are using their 3D print capabilities to produce medical supplies for hospitals across the country. They are working with schools to produce downloadable materials for students to continue their education.

In the name of security, they’re offering HP Sure Click Security Suite for the next few months to help companies protect their now mobile employees. Working from home opens up a host of vulnerabilities and HP Sure Click can help companies shore up those vulnerabilities.

Also, for clients that need the high-computing power, HP is offering their ZCentral solution that allows employees to access workstations remotely so they can continue to work without any performance hits.

Right now, HP employees have become “agents of insights” as Alex put it. They are also working from home, schooling from home, taking care of the home, so they see firsthand the problems that need to be solved. This has become a rallying cry for innovation.

HP has been driven to think about priorities and to simplify what’s most important. Can something be sent in an email or is it easier to hop on a chat stream? Can you still have huddle meetings or do emails work better? Alex pointed out that we are all learning this, HP included, but that this is the time to think of the new solutions that can make this work more effective and productive.

 

Taking Care of HP Employees

Alex noted that there’s been a huge shift for leadership in the last few weeks to figure out how to take care of HP employees. The health and safety of employees has always been the first priority for HP leadership. In this time of crisis, it’s even more important. Is everyone getting the support that they need? Employees look to leaders to be a pillar of strength in the face of chaos.

The second part of the equation goes back to the hierarchy of needs. Are employees connected? Do they have the equipment that they need to be productive? What is their new working environment like? How can the company support them to be more productive?

HP leaders continue to keep a dialogue open between employees because communication has never been more important. They’ve set up virtual water cooler meetings — 15 minutes, no agenda, bring the kids and hang out. The goal is to make sure no employee feels isolated.

 

Moving Forward in the Future of Work

This crisis has given everyone an unprecedented opportunity to learn about working remotely and operating events remotely. People are turning toward technology now more than ever and it’s energizing to see resources being used and businesses still being able to work effectively, regardless of location. Alex surmised that this will likely continue once business returns to normal.

Want to learn more about how HP is helping enable meaningful connections or what they’re doing to help companies help in the fight against COVID-19? Listen to the full podcast here, and while you’re at it, be sure to subscribe to The Six Five Podcast so that you never miss an episode.

 

This podcast is part of a special series focused around what leaders and companies are doing to help employees and customers deal with COVID-19. Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss out on amazing insights.