You would think that email marketing is custom-made for working from home (WFH), and you’d be right. In fact, it makes perfect sense. The government advice gives you the opportunity to implement it. Not to do so requires well-documented reasons. 

The positives include your staff avoiding the close contact of public transport and lifts. If you don’t run to a canteen, then there’s probably a coffee-making rota, or maybe someone goes out to queue in a crowded Starbucks to buy takeaways. That’s not to mention, well, many things. It’s a way to keep your staff healthy.

That’s not to suggest you should send them home without instructions. It needs to be carefully planned or, at the very least, discussed with your staff as early as possible. It is so easy to get it wrong.

One example I’ve heard of is where a company had cloud-based word processing. This meant that almost every keystroke could be monitored in real time. When a member of staff was asked why they hadn’t booked on the system until over 90 minutes after their start time, accusations of Big Brother abounded. The fact that a remote supervisor did the same thing in the real office did not placate the offended staff member.

It is essential that each member of staff knows what is expected of them and when. If you require notice of flexible hours, then say so. If Kevin was woken at 5.30 am by his baby crying, and decided at 6.30 he might as well start work, if that gives you a problem, best he knows about it before-hand. 

Accept that domestic necessities are just that; necessary. If you want an online conference, then give notice. Have a response to someone in their household going down with Covid-19. Have a plan for yourself as well. 

Government advice changes frequently so your plans should be able to be modified equally frequently. Advice is not binding. If you want to go against it, ensure your staff agree with your logic. 

Have post-virus plans. It is possible that your staff might want the process to continue. If you expect to return to normal immediately, think again.