Can our infrastructure cope with a population of homeworkers?

You may think that, as far as technology goes, the UK is well set up for remote working. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. Some experts think we need much better infrastructure, software and equipment before remote working becomes a solution we can all enjoy.

Connectivity is a big issue. Some parts of the UK are still waiting for fibre to be installed. Working in a shared office space has its drawbacks, but one plus is that most businesses premises have their own dedicated servers that keep multiple employees connected to the internet and each other. If all these employees worked remotely, they would be forced to use their own household internet solutions—which might come with a data cap in place, or which may offer poor connectivity due to where the router is in their household and/or how many other people in their home are accessing the internet at the same time.

Experts also believe that our hardware will need to be better to effectively cope with a country of remote workers. Advanced, faster PCs and laptops, with greater storage, to support a number of applications running at the same time. More advanced headsets and microphones to eliminate background noise and ensure clear communication in video calls via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Video streaming takes more bandwidth, however, which brings us back to the connectivity issue. How many Teams/Zoom meetings have you been on where someone’s technology/device hasn’t gone down or played up?

Another issue for employers to consider before they send their workforces off to work from home is security. Again, shared workplaces will incorporate cyber-security, but the common-or-garden household router will not have the same levels of protection. Various collaborative tools and project management software solutions are used across the UK, to make participation between remote teams easier; sharing of information, however, could be an issue. Whilst colleagues in the same office may not prove much of a security risk, who knows who’s wandering around individual employees’ homes—e.g. friends, other family members, tradespeople, dog sitters/babysitters…