12 May 2020

Guidance on managing a remote workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic

As governments around the world implement lockdowns to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, businesses are having to close offices and quickly adapt to home-based work where possible. For many businesses, this transition will be far from seamless. Some businesses never trialled homebased working prior to the pandemic and may not have the policies or infrastructure required to do so; even companies for whom remote working is a more familiar practice may face challenges scaling this up rapidly.

This guidance explores some of the challenges involved in managing a remote workforce during lockdown, with a focus on emerging markets, and seeks to provide practical guidance for employers so they can get the best out of their employees. Advice on working remotely exists but it generally does not target emerging markets, which may face a different set of challenges in terms of connectivity, experience working remotely, and balancing household demands.

This guidance is intended to address that gap.