Executive Summary

Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses have attempted to implement digital communication in communicating with both their employees and their client. We have witnessed an upsurge in the application of remote communication tools across the globe. Most companies consider implementing cheaper and faster alternatives while choosing the best tools to facilitate the communication process. In some places, poor network connectivity has acted as an impediment. Although most businesses have been trying to help their employees access a broader bandwidth that solves the issue of a poor connection. Businesses will continue to use better policies such as the VPN usage policy while implementing remote communication.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most businesses to adopt remote communication tools. Most organizations have established remote work arrangements to enhance remote working. According to Team Vidyo (2020), 40 percent of firms have increased their reliance on video conferencing tools such as Zoom to perform their business operations. However, implementing a remote work policy requires the appropriate tools and strategies to ensure an effective transition to remote work. Organizations across the globe have allocated resources to various teams and ensure remote working. In some institutions, the remote communication tools have worked efficaciously, while in others, the challenges have been overwhelming.

The issue of internet connection has been a hurdle towards remote working. Even though most workers have internet access from their homes, enough bandwidth to support extended online meetings and video conferences has been challenging (Hinchcliffe, 2020). To address this, businesses have resulted in investing in data plans that would allow their workers to acquire the appropriate bandwidth. Businesses are attempting to help their employees either establish home internet access plans or upgrade the existing access. However, the budget to finance sufficient internet access, as well as support consumer technologies, has derailed the implementation of effective remote communication tools. As illustrated by Tripathy (2017), video conferencing help the leadership to convey messages to the workforce regardless of the location and has been instrumental during the COVID-19 crisis.

Remote work devices are a component of organizations’ communication tools in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some businesses, allowing workers to use their devices has proven a cheaper and faster alternative regardless of the associated security risks. On the other hand, some have opted to provide these devices to their employees.  Examples of remote work devices include a smartphone, tablet, computer, or other internet access hardware. The majority of the business operations require employees to have a webcam for web conferencing. The minimum acceptable resolution for a webcam is 720P for quality results. Also, a high-quality headphone is essential for web conferencing (Team Vidyo, 2020). Nonetheless, business tools such as business emails and digital spaces have also proven effective communication guides during the COVID-19 crisis.

Also, businesses have come up with beneficial policies to aid in the light of the pandemic. For instance, most firms are establishing a VPN usage policy to guide their employees in a remote work chain (Hinchcliffe, 2020). The beneficial policy outlines how an encrypted network connection makes it safe for employees to access IT resources within the institution or elsewhere across the internet. The VPN usage policy in most businesses highlights that every employee would be required to turn on the VPN on their devices whenever they perform their tasks since the VPN guarantees an increased security and safety level. Additionally, companies have established a two-factor authentication (2FA) policy to boost security.

The elucidation demonstrates that businesses have made significant steps in implementing remote communication tools that have enabled remote working.  Despite the challenges in internet broadband, companies have allocated resources to help their employees access proper internet connection. Digital communication continues to aid effective communication and operations of most businesses during the pandemic (Ludwig, 2020) Video conferencing remains the most effective remote communication tool between businesses and their employees and customers.

Biography:

My name is Maureen Osuji. I am a student at Montclair State University, enrolled in the School of Professional Sustainability Science with a concentration in Sustainability Leadership particularly in business or organization sustainability. I believe that as individuals we must remain avid in learning to actualize our fullest potentials. Thus, I look forward to learning and enhancing my knowledge of business processes and business management.

References:

Hinchcliffe, D. (2020, March 11). Working in a coronavirus world: Strategies and tools for staying productive. ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/effective-strategies-and-tools-for-remote-work-during-coronavirus/

Team Vidyo. (2020, March 23). Coronavirus: Effective strategies and tools for remote work during a pandemic. Vidyo Blog. https://blog.vidyo.com/technology/coronavirus-effective-strategies-and-tools-for-remote-work-during-a-pandemic/