This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 8, 2020 - June 14, 2020

THE Covid-19 pandemic, which forced a worldwide work-from-home (WFH) experiment over the past several months, has shown both employers and employees one important thing: it is possible to continue business operations remotely.

Yet, while this has been the case, many have had to adapt to this abrupt change by creating makeshift work spaces at home and learning to productively juggle between work tasks and caring for their families. Many have also taken to social media to show how they cope with WFH with hopes of sharing tips and garnering understanding from their communities.

Employers, meanwhile, are also in new territory as they figure out how to best facilitate an effective and productive work arrangement for their staff.

To better understand the social impact of this new arrangement on both employers and employees and how, or what factors could be changed to improve the situation, an online poll was carried out by KPMG Management and Risk Consulting Sdn Bhd between April 7 and May 19 — at the peak of the Movement Control Order (MCO) when most had to work from home — involving 3,022 respondents in Malaysia. (For more on the survey findings, see infographic on page 54.)

The survey generally shows more optimism for WFH practices among employees than employers, with 69% of employees agreeing that it should continue after the MCO, although they reported facing difficulties, which must be addressed. Meanwhile, only 56% of business owners were keen to support it.

To ensure business productivity, the right tools are important, says KPMG. Collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Skype as a mode of communication are seen as having a direct positive impact on the productivity of respondents, according to the survey. About 77% of respondents see productivity when using such modes, higher than other reported modes of communication such as email or social media.

Productivity levels, however, have a direct link to the capability and capacity of communication platforms and the readiness of individuals to adopt technology, KPMG stresses.

Thus, the productivity levels of respondents were impacted when faced with challenges. The top three challenges faced by respondents were network issues, communication barriers and lack of technology readiness. As a result, they say, productivity levels fell 9%, 23% and 24% respectively.

To establish strong workforce productivity when working from home, KPMG says organisations must invest in effective communication platforms and upskill employees to better adopt new technologies. It says organisations should also consider extending some form of assistance, whether tangible or intangible, to their employees to help with the challenges faced.

“The implications of these results emphasise the need for organisations to provide their people with the right tools. To achieve strong workforce productivity, organisations must invest in effective communication platforms and upskill employees to better adopt new technologies,” says Sharmini Ann Jacob, executive director of KPMG’s People and Change Advisory in Malaysia.

Sharmini says the study also shows how human resource (HR) is a key enabler in helping organisations transition to WFH, and that top management’s commitment is a must to embed an organisation-wide culture of online learning to upskill employees to achieve higher productivity.

When asked, respondents agreed that when HR plays an active role in facilitating WFH, it becomes easier for employees to transition, as well as to implement and do work productively.

“Empowering your HR with the right capabilities is crucial to keep employees engaged and productive when implementing new ways of working.”

The top five industries supporting and driving e-learning among employees are education, consulting, professional services, financial services and security, the survey found.

Moving forward, as more of the workforce discover they can effectively work remotely, organisations need to evolve their capabilities to best support their employees and business operations, says KPMG.

“Organisations have started to shift from focusing on short-term responses to a long-term view on how and where people work. A foregone conclusion is that organisations that optimally support new ways of working will be the ones that will achieve business resilience,” notes Chan Siew Mei, head of advisory at KPMG in Malaysia.

She adds that the discussions around employee experience and digital tools have rapidly intensified, moving beyond attracting and retaining talent to enabling and supporting a fully remote workforce with capabilities and technologies, which are now deemed mission critical.

“Organisations that succeed in the new remote workplace should plan for the entire workplace ecosystem, equip the employee and support critical business operations,” she opines.

Although many businesses have resumed as normal, the practice of WFH is likely to be a continued policy for many in the months to come as both businesses and people adapt to the government’s imposed health procedures.

KPMG recommends six areas for consideration by companies to help ensure continued productivity and security during times of remote work.

This includes performing an infrastructure review and doing capacity planning to ensure the additional load of remote working is supported, followed by determining who needs access to what materials.

Businesses should also set clear policies and guidelines for remote working, which will provide structured parameters for the workforce to operate within, it adds.

Other areas include engaging the right use of communication tools, being weary of cyber security as well as ensuring the help desk capacity is supported, given increased queries with the WFH implementation.

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