Let’s start with a fact.

56.8 percent, to be exact, are working remotely at least part of the time (Upwork, 2020). And the managers believe that 26.7 percent of the workforce will continue to remain fully remote in 2021. Whatever the future holds, as a leader or a manager, you need to take lessons from the past and make smarter decisions about remote work leadership to manage employees working from home.

Check out – Optimizing Cost: Immune your Organization from COVID-19

In March, the world was pushed into the unknown scenario which escalated the digital transformation plans of years into weeks! Since 2021 Q2 has already set its foot forth, here are a few leadership lessons learned from COVID-19 which will come in handy to manage employees in a remote work setting.

1. Get mindful about your activities: When we worked at the office, we took coffee breaks, grabbed a sandwich, and some natural pauses to take physical and mental breaks. However, when it comes to working remotely, you miss these breaks and feel like you are working non-stop, yet you are not achieving maximum productivity. That is where you need to be intentional.
2. Polish your communication skills: Being separated from your workplace sure wore out your communication skills. Working alone in a house is different from working surrounded by people. Communication is the key, and you need to use this key to unlock the barriers between you and your employees. Working on your communication skill will help you get those extra points in best leadership during COVID-19.
3. Build processes for project management: COVID-19 has tested our ability to manage our work virtually and deliver them on time. While some projects quickly adapted remote work model, many took more time. It is necessary to implement a process for project management that can work effectively and efficiently.
4. Focus on the need of employees: Employees are the base of any organization. The ones who keep your operations running even remotely! So it just makes sense to keep them motivated and more into the organization. Focusing more on their needs, encouraging and appreciating them gives them a boost to work more diligently.
5. Build your relationship-building skills: By now, you may be comfortable working remotely, but although the tools like Zoom, MS Teams, Slack may help in establishing connection virtually, they cannot make you feel connected. To build your relationship with your colleagues, you have to take the initiative and bridge the gap between you and your employees.
6. Be comfortable with your workspace: It is necessary to adapt and find peace with a new situation. You should discover a new normal spot to lead your team better. You can try by starting the day with some light-hearted chats which would have taken place before the work, in the office. Being comfortable with the setup will give you a sense of familiarity and will boost your efficiency as a leader.

Leaders from across industries are worried about all the other intangible factors affecting remote teams. How can you preserve the company values in a virtual environment? What is the impact on the mental health of the employees while working remotely? As the only difference between their life and work is whether they are using a company-provided laptop or their own.

These are some of the many factors that are harder to quantify. But few things are clear from this remote work experiment that we have embarked on.

Here are lessons learned from COVID-19 in the workplace;

• There isn’t a single version for the remote-work model: For most companies, working remotely means replicating the activities that usually happened in the office. Whereas, in some companies, leaders were able to construct a successful work model where the employees felt connected and empowered to do creative work. Since this pandemic is a “first” for all, organizations around the world are trying to implement work models that fit them best. Therefore, there isn’t any defined version for the remote-work model.
• Reconstruction and support are essential in creating a successful remote team: COVID-19 leadership style is different from the traditional style. Creating an environment in which holding more frequent check-ins with direct reports from employees will not solve the purpose of being connected virtually.  Micromanaging is not the ideal method to boost the productivity of your remote employees. The management should prioritize results over hours logged. The support is needed the most, at the time working remotely.
• Flexibility is good, but up to an extent: One of the best things that came from remote work is flexibility in work. For employees, this has caused changes in their daily routines, both personally and professionally. While flexibility can be great, it comes with some not-so-great results as well, such as the laid-back attitude of employees, delay in completion of work, and mixing of personal and professional life.

Read – TALENT ACQUISITION STRATEGIES DURING COVID-19

Leaders need to set some work cycle that would help the employees to differentiate between the two lives even by staying in the same place. Employees should also try to create a gap between their professional and personal space.

Signing off

Moreover, COVID-19 has taught us many things about various leadership styles. Every organization has adopted its unique set of processes that would be suitable for it. You need to find your unique approach, what best for you and your employees. How you can support them and create a favorable environment for them to work? All these factors will determine how well you can manage your remote team.

Adoption of AI in the government can improve citizen outcomes and help achieve your agency’s mission.

The constant development of artificial intelligence recently has brought solutions for several pressing challenges that the government face. One of them is witnessed by all, i.e. to combat a global health crisis.

In recent years, governments have been using AI to –

• Manage budget
• Identify frauds
• Forecast and control energy usage, etc.

Additionally, AI in the government has been leveling up to help agencies in generating data for evidence-based policymaking, and data-driven decision making.  As the private companies have already made cutting-edge investments, it’s time for the public sector as well to expand the horizons for the applications of AI.

AI in the public sector

While some governments have used AI to restructure some services and reducing expenses, many government agencies are a little behind in adopting full digital transformation. The decision-makers are hesitant to accept major changes following the investment required owing to scrutiny and bureaucratic processes.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn have created opportunities for government to open the doors for process modifications and AI adoption in government.

“All of a sudden, the risk of being constant with no action seems greater than the risk of adopting new technology and processes”

With vTech’s AI Solutions, you can create better, more personalized experiences for customers, measure the expertise of your best people across the organization, and make smarter decisions based on profound insights from data.

How does AI help the government?

Owing to the pandemic, the citizens and businesses are relying on the city, regional, state, or national government agencies for answers to their questions related to medical aid and supplies, employment of personnel, etc.

On the contrary, governments have to figure out ways to continuing the activities safely such as waste collection, public transport, mailing services, and other necessities.

Utilizing AI Tools during the pandemic, civil servants and policymakers have witnessed the value of maintaining and widening AI solutions to make operations smooth and efficient, that quickly address people’s needs.

For instance, the US Department of Health and Human Services is implementing AI for evaluating procurement data, reduce buying time, plan contracts, and get clarity on their spending process across the agency.

It is great that the government is bringing in AI initiatives, but they can look up to companies that have applied machine learning and predictive analytics for improving user experience to apply machine learning in the government sector.

Embracing change

Though the opportunities for AI to improvise the functions of government are clear, the obstacles to slow the application of AI also exist. Change management becomes difficult also because cross-functional management is not a standard practice in all government agencies. This leads to limited AI use cases in government to specific departments or sectors.

If a broader perspective of AI implementation is not there, then AI tools cannot reach their full potential.

Also, Read - Benefits of AI for The Help Desk That You Can’t Turn A Blind Eye

Here are a few strategies that leaders can undertake to overcome such limitations while implementing AI –

1. Have a strategy in place
   
   If you are planning an agency-wide AI adoption process, then you need to set a clear vision to ensure that your employees and other departments are functioning in a well-organized manner.
   
   
2. Achieve big with small steps 

   If you are envisioning a large-scale change for adopting AI in your government agency, then you need to start with smaller projects which yield high impacts to build credibility and enthusiasm. Failures and successes from these projects can help leaders to avoid such problems for future process changes. Pilot projects are ideal in such scenarios to make a big case study for implementing AI technologies.

3. Be open to exploring options
   
   Yes, leaders cannot test every idea. So, accept the group of options that gives you quick benefits such as automated business process and integrate them with long-term projects such as fraud detection. Consider factors such as obstacles during practical implementation, cost reduction, and utilizing open resources.
   
   
4. Be transparent by ensuring safety nets
   
   It is important to develop trust in the AI data sharing and security features while planning a government-wide AI adoption. Here, government employees and the population at large need to understand that with proper security measures in place, data sharing is possible. To bring that credibility, open dialogue for the AI use cases in government is required.
   
   A global survey by BCG on the citizens’ perspective on the use of AI in government showed that they were inclined with the AI implementation for critical decision-making processes, such as tax management, and maintenance of public infrastructure.
   
   Also Read - AI: The Ace Tech in the Financial Services Sector
   
   
5. Grab the opportunity
   
   If you have a well-designed AI model in place, your agency will be better prepared for the recovery that lies ahead. With the advancement of the pandemic, government professionals need to work together and engage with the citizens to support the use of AI and other technologies for empowerment.

Wrapping it up

In the future, it is important to note that AI can touch almost all areas of government, from customer service to automated chatbots to the helpdesk. The government agencies who can embrace this technology can get faster economic recovery, enhanced efficiency, happy workers and citizens, and much more!

To attain the government digital transformation, reorganize your workflows and enhance operations with vTech’s AI Solutions. Introduce AI into your apps and workflows to tap into your agency data and operationalize AI across several departments, such as accounting/finance, customer service, supply chain, logistics, and more.

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Blockchain is an immutable and distributed ledger-stores and records the transactional details across many nodes in a network form so that the data is not modified. In other words, a chain of blocks that contain information or data is called a blockchain.

Blockchain was introduced to timestamp digital documents and prevent the changing of records. The blockchain network is not under the control of a single authority so, it is more secured and bounded using cryptographical ideologies.

Being a distributed ledger, the data stored in it is visible to anyone and at any time. So, the building blocks of the chain are transparent and liable for their activities.

Do you know how blockchain technology is different from bitcoins?

Bitcoin is the cryptocurrency, blockchain technology that found many uses beyond bitcoin. Bitcoin is implemented using blockchain technology, but blockchains in contexts refer to the combination of several technologies, including its data structure, public key encryption, ledgers, and consent mechanisms.

Importance of Blockchain 

Due to COVID-19, the field of Blockchain technology is developing very fast in the IT sector. The demand for blockchain developers increased as one-third of the organization requires blockchain technology to be introduced in their businesses. This technology is too secure while doing online transactions that have made all the industries adopt this. Blockchain provides benefits to companies with new opportunities through greater transparency, advanced-security, and easier trackability.

A blockchain network technology can help in tracking orders, transactions, profiles, and production.

Top 5 ways how Blockchain technology benefits businesses

Global supply chains, industries like healthcare, financial services, commercial sites, and much more are exploring the advantages of blockchain technology to dislocate and transform traditional business methodology.

1. Better Transparency 

With the use of blockchain technology, transaction-records are becoming more transparent.  Organizations have tried to impose more rules and procedures to enhance transparency. But due to centralization, a system cannot be fully transparent.

2. High-level Security

Blockchain utilizes high-level security compared to other record-keeping systems due to its digital signature and end-to-end encryption. This technology is to be highly secure, appropriate, with tamper-proof recording. Transactions are more secure than other record-keeping systems and to be agreed upon before recorded. After approval of each transaction, it is encrypted and has a proper link to the previous transaction using a hashing method.

3. Lower investments

At present, businesses require to invest a lot of money to improve and upgrade their previous running systems. With blockchain technology, they can have lower investments or reduce costs with great new opportunities and higher efficiency. They can also cut costs with the third-party vendors within less time and interaction while validating a transaction.

4. Improved Traceability

Companies can now trace the products and can focus on the workings of both vendors and suppliers. Earlier it was hard to trace items that usually lead to multiple problems like theft, forgery, and loss of goods, but with blockchain technology, the supply chain becomes more transparent than ever.

Moreover, it helps improve security and prevent fraud in exchange-related businesses. It can also help in verifying the validity of the traded assets.

5. Increased speed and efficiency

With the decentralized feature, blockchains can benefit the organization by providing increased efficiency and speed. It removes the unnecessary processes in many fields like payments and solves the time-consuming process and, systematizes them to maximize efficiency. There's no scope of man-made errors with the help of automation.

Every recorded data in a decentralized ledger makes it easy for everyone to trust each other. In short, blockchain technology develops its unique way of data storage to provide a highly efficient process with transparency, trust, and immutability.

Where Is Blockchain Being Used?

With a broad area of applications and uses, blockchain technology has been implemented in the following domains:

• Finance- Blockchain technology in the finance industry worked well due to improvements in the speed of transactions, easy accessibility, and enhanced security.
• Government- Blockchain technology helps to keep track of voting records.
• Healthcare- Blockchain technology in the healthcare industry manages a large number of patients’ confidential information or data.

  vTech Solution, Inc. provides enhanced security to the healthcare industry for the confidential data records of patients.

• Education- Nowadays, blockchain solutions have simplified the processes- document verification and universities to maintain records of students.

The COVID-19 pandemic indulged students in the digital processes of attending the lectures online.

vTech Solution, Inc. has helped several education organizations withstand the pandemic by providing the education package.

Applications that are changing the world 

Do you think blockchain technology has changed your life or can give you better opportunities to work in the future? Blockchain technology serves a variety of different applications and integrated mobile applications in the following ways:

1. Integrating a Payment Service Provider

To have access to a mobile app, you can select a payment service provider for integrating the network. A service can be added to the network using a few lines of code. Cryptocurrency is Bitcoin that can later be converted or transferred to a bank account.

2. Safer financial transactions

Once blockchain technology is integrated further into current financial systems, count on most of your financial transactions being safer and secure. Blockchain protects other manipulators from spying on your data and simultaneously prevents the potentials of duplicitous tampering.

3. Improved file storage

Beyond financial transactions, there is a lot more in which many companies are experimenting with different potential uses for these mutually accessible, digital records, including file storage.

Conclusion

COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of this technology and in the future can set up to operate in many ways, using a different methodology to secure a consensus on transactions, visible only by authorized users. As an example, Bitcoin is the most well-known proof that shows how huge Blockchain Technology has developed.

We have helped our clients in the construction industry to transform business operations using the tools in the Office 365 platform.

On a construction site, you’d hardly find any employees working on their desks. They would be seen mobile on the sites. Be it a supervisor or a foreman, each employee requires accurate information from the office. To make quick decisions, they need the ability to refer to files and data associated with their projects.

vTech Solution, Inc. is committed to helping our clients with their digital transformation journey. The construction industry needs to buckle up in implementing advanced technologies. It could help in enhancing productivity and operational efficiency through collaboration, business process automation, and project management.

Empower your employees with optimized operations and minimal inefficiency. Ready for Office 365?

As companies hire younger staff, they would expect advanced digital tools and capabilities.

How Office 365 tools can transform construction operations:

1. Allow accessibility of critical information from anywhere –

In the presence of a well-thought approach, on-site and remote employees can easily access information from a phone or a laptop/tablet. All project-related data such as CAD files, design specifications, contract details, and construction schedules can be viewed via Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or OneDrive installed on your phone or laptop.

Also, when it becomes tedious to track the latest versions of documents and track the progress of on-site and remote operations, online access to files on OneDrive and SharePoint becomes handy!

Avail of all the documents and get your job done!

2. Optimize business processes with automation –

To curb the burning issue of job delays, technology can transform operations and save time by optimizing business processes via automation. A shift from manual processes usually involving paperwork to effective digital document management in a secured environment can up the game of the construction operations!

It is not just limited to project operations; even other departments can reap the fruits. HR can automate employee expenses, reviews, leave tracking. The legal department can secure documentation for faster claims response. Automation from Microsoft Flow Workflows and PowerApps forms are available to the desktop, laptops, or mobile phones.

In order to reduce manual processes and errors, checks can be automated on the data such as timesheets. Automating checks help reduce time and labor to manage and also identify inaccuracies. Even the monitoring of the worksite can be automated. Workflows can be set up to notify management about on-site issues.

3. Streamline internal communications

During the age of remote work, it is critical to have a proper flow of communication to share important information and strengthen your company culture by bringing the team together virtually. Especially when you have a younger workforce, this type of communication is a must.

Through SharePoint intranet, it is easy to access and share information and documents, irrespective of the location of the employee.

And, guess what? As all Office 356 applications sync, if an employee is editing a document on any of the applications, the edits are made in real-time, and colleagues can collaborate via chat within the document directly. With Microsoft Teams, you can –

• With SharePoint, you can access files, meeting notes, dashboards, and progress reports
• Search chat activities to verify shared information
• Watch video channels via Stream for safety training

4. Facilitate efficient and secure collaboration –

Microsoft Teams and Project enable effective project management and collaboration. These tools help your internal team to work in synergy in a secured environment. The Office 365 tools also allow to effectively resource projects, manage timelines, and track progress.

5. Empower better, data-driven decisions –

A reporting tool, Power BI, helps to build dashboards that reflect the KPIs and then improve operations. Dashboards can present gross revenue, profit, and present financials in real-time.

This tool has helped construction companies to configure and retrieve valuable data insights which the management team can use to make business decisions.

6. Save time –

In a construction company, you can see a lot of paper-based documentation is produced. With Office 365 tools, you can create a well-organized document repository, employees are able to access the documents based on their categories, related to the project, supply chain, vendors, etc. With defined search capabilities, a lot of time is saved in looking for documents.

vTech has successfully implemented the Microsoft 365 tools for several construction companies. And let’s talk if you’d like to have a quick chat to see how we can help you as well!

7. Organize training for employees –

The dashboard enables the managers to easily train on-site and remote employees on one application interface where they can access every information required for the job. The interface can be customized to suit your business needs. Microsoft Office 365 provides several resources to help support the transition.

Office 365 enables construction employees to train employees who usually make efforts to learn new technology. Office 365 is also accessed online, enhancing the productivity of mobile employees.

With Microsoft Stream, you can review recorded meetings, reference videos, and channels. You can also share safety training videos.

Is your team ready to adopt Office 365?

Yes, vTech Solution, Inc can customize Office 365 according to your business needs and the construction industry’s demands for easy-to-use and mobile technology. Gauging the right time for your firm to take the first step can be difficult. Our experts can tell you more about the Office 365 implementation.