Posted by: Tavis Patterson on December 7, 2021 at 10:43 am
Our life the past couple of years has been everything but normal. COVID-19 has changed the way that we interact with each other forever. The world couldn’t stop forever so we had to adapt. Now two years later COVID-19 is no better than when it started. The reality of the situation is that the way we go about life is changed. One of the ways life has changed is within the workplace. If possible, most companies have figured out some sort of remote work option.
TAZ Networks was prepared for this. Due to being a 100% cloud-based company, we were able to make the switch with relative ease. Even our phone system is cloud-based. With Zoom and Microsoft Teams we can still hold our weekly meetings. Microsoft Teams proved vital to our operations as it allowed us to communicate with each other as if we were in the office. One of the things we pride ourselves on is that you are hiring a team, not just one IT person. By having Microsoft Teams, we were able to remain connected and provide that same support to our clients. Teams is also used to hold small group meetings while Zoom is used for our company-wide meetings. Since we were so prepared, the transition happened quickly and efficiently. Don’t be fooled though, we were not completely prepared.
Inventory management was something that we struggled with. We had to figure out what we had and where it was. We also needed to set up machines at home. Being a company that offers IT Support and Network Services, we had enough supplies to set up all our employees at home. However, fully setting up everyone took some time. Another problem we faced was needing at least one person to be at the office to accept packages and deliveries. After working out these problems we were able to find our rhythm and adjust to working from home.
TAZ Networks now supports working fully remote, recognizing that it is part of our lives now. By already being fully cloud-based we were able to offer a hybrid workplace to our employees, allowing them to choose if they want to work in the office, at home, or a mix of both. Most of our employees chose to stay working at home. Notice what Grant Thomson, our service manager, says about having a hybrid workplace,
Interview with Grant Thomson
“As a service manager, I’m always interested in my team’s productivity. But I’m also very interested in the team’s wellbeing.
On the one hand, I do believe that productivity is slightly down. Let’s face it, there are distractions: handling family matters with one’s spouse or children (homeschooling, picking up/dropping off kids, kids homesick), Amazon (shopping/order checking/deliveries), social media, paying bills, walking/tripping over the dog, home improvements (real examples: new windows, new roof, flooded basement), personal appointments resulting in extended lunches, food, naps, Discord). The list goes on and on.
On the other hand, morale is definitely up since the hybrid workplace has been implemented. Team members have less stress because they commute less, are able to handle family concerns, and obviously have a more relaxed atmosphere at home. Even things as simple as being home for a visit from a utility company (DTE, Consumers Energy) can make life easier.
Overall, the hybrid workplace has been a great success. The team has unanimously given positive feedback for this new provision. We have been able to not skip a beat when it comes to giving great service!” One thing is for sure, we save a lot of money on coffee now.