Holding a Post Graduate in HR from XLRI Jamshedpur, Sonica has been associated with Marching Sheep for over six years now, prior to which she has worked with companies such as PepsiCo, Vodafone Essar, and Philips Electronics, to name few.

Since the exponential spread of corona virus, work from home has become the new normal. Organizations across sectors have moved to work from home model primarily for the safety of their employees and to also cope with the economic impact of the pandemic. Organizations have evoked their Business Continuity Plans to ensure continuity during this contingency period and ensure minimum impact on business. They are extensively using collaborative platforms like Video Conferencing, Zoom and Slack to stay virtually connected with its employees.

But implementation of work from home in the manufacturing sector has been a tough call. Apart from the nature of work which requires physical presence, factors like low digital connectivity and lack of use of telecommuting tools have been causes of concern. Several manufacturing units have temporarily shut-down operations, which will have an impact on their annual business goals.

The financial sector is also facing typical hurdles like concerns over security of critical financial data and certain real-time operations, which is casting challenges in seamlessly moving to remote working.

This also falls under essential services, and some operations will need to be continued; for example, telebanking and net banking. Banks are working with minimal staff, and this will lead to excessive workload and stress.

IT industry on the other hand already has the best of teleworking systems in order, which has made the transition to complete remote working easier. Yet, their business continuity depends on clients continuing to work, and during this period, several projects will either be put on hold or cancelled altogether, leading to business distress.

Work from home model has worked as a champion in helping organizations fight the current crisis and leaves organizations with a learning to be open and prepared for a big shift in future ways of working

FMCG industry is facing challenges of Go-To Market during the lockdown. While consumer need is there, making products available through distribution channels is proving to be challenging. Every organization is tackling unique challenges to transition to remote working, depending on various factors like nature of industry, its level of maturity, nature of work and technology infrastructure. It is also a time for employers to empower employees and train them to embrace work from home, but without reduced productivity and commitment.

Work from home model has worked as a champion in helping organizations fight the current crisis and leaves organizations with a learning to be open and prepared for a big shift in future ways of working. It is a wake-up call for all those sectors which have steadfastly stayed away from introducing work from home practices and embracing technology.