Posted by Narene Nicolas
Nov 29, 2024
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The COVID-19 Pandemic last 2020 reshaped how countries and industries operated in several ways. With little to no prior preparation, worldwide lockdowns were implemented during the height of the pandemic which caused companies and businesses to re-evaluate their operations and service delivery processes.
For D&V Philippines, this pandemic became the catalyst for innovation – allowing us as a company to set business continuity processes in place designed to keep our service delivery ongoing regardless of unprecedented situations. The shift of our company’s processes, culture and overall work environment from then to now has shown how companies who adapt to change and do what needs to be done can stay competitive even when faced with challenges that are out of our control.
D&V Philippines’ Operations Pre-COVID-19 Pandemic
Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, D&V Philippines adopted a quite traditional business operational approach. With 100% of our workforce working onsite in our two locations, our delivery service was completely dependent to our offices. During this time, the protocols in place were designed for localized disruptions – internet problems within the office, natural disasters, power outages and office closures.
While effective during this time, our culture then was in-person heavy as communications were limited or non-existent between our employees and our clients outside our office spaces. Since then, D&V Philippines’ entire operational approach has changed, allowing us to be better prepared to navigate challenges that may affect not just our locality but that of our clients’.
D&V Philippines Post-Pandemic: Our Hybrid and Adaptive Infrastructure
During the first announcement of the nationwide lockdown here in the Philippines, D&V Philippines’ management team immediately went into action. From being able to deliver desktop computers to employees and purchasing company laptops to be able to facilitate a work-from-home set up to making sure that those who work onsite have the resources and accommodations to support their work and personal needs, D&V Philippines’ quick response was a reactive approach that allowed our operations to continue throughout the pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased however, we saw that the new normal was here to stay and decided to not only take on a reactive approach but to shift out business continuity processes to a proactive one: able to remain operational with no heavy changes should emergencies occur.
1. A Permanent Hybrid Work Set-up
In planning to adopt proactive measures, one thing became clear: the hybrid work set up for our employees is the best way to make sure efficient and continuous operations. We shifted into adopting a permanent hybrid work arrangement with the right infrastructure to support this on a long-term basis.
In the past year alone, this arrangement has proven to be effective as emergencies such as super typhoons and physical office disruptions have had no effects on our operations.
With emergency protocols in place where employees can openly communicate their personal situations at home during natural calamities, management is able to provide help to affected employees while making sure that preventive measures are taken so that clients do not experience delays in our outputs.
2. Adaptive IT and Security Infrastructure
From shifting from desktop computers to company laptops for flexible hybrid work arrangements to working on putting IT and security measures in place to protect sensitive client information as our employees access and use this information for their deliverables outside of the office, D&V Philippines has invested in making sure we are able to secure our operations from any threat wherever our employees are located.
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, our IT department has put several systems in place such as VPNs, cloud firewall and multi-factor authentication along with performing regular security audits which effectively combat the risks that come with remote work.
Read: Why the Success of a Hybrid Set Up Relies on an Adaptive IT Department
3. Proactive Emergency Management
The biggest shift in D&V Philippines’ emergency response since the COVID-19 Pandemic has been our proactive and dynamic responses to any emergency at hand. With proper risk management, we have processes in place for various scenarios that may happen which may be caused by several factors (economic, natural disasters, etc.). These processes, which are integrated into our hybrid work arrangement model, allow us to adjust our workflows and reallocate resources immediately.
Such as the example above, amidst super typhoons and natural disasters, our teams remained fully operational with seamless transition of work from one employee to the next done whenever necessary thanks to our cloud software.
This adaptability has allowed us to deliver consistent support for our clients, establishing D&V Philippines as a reliable support provider even in the midst of challenges.
All these changes, which we have implemented in the midst and after the COVID-19 pandemic have positioned us as a future-ready organization. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught every company that it only takes one situation to put our entire operations at risk, which is why instead of being complacent, it is time to take on proactive measures –to be ready for what the future may bring.
At D&V Philippines, we view our business continuity processes as something that needs to be continuously evaluated and changed to adapt to today’s times as an ongoing commitment to operational excellence. The lessons of the pandemic have transformed our approach, empowering us to thrive in the face of uncertainty and continue delivering value to our clients worldwide.
Read Next: The Importance of Operations Excellence and How it Contributes to Company Growth
Need a Partner in your Business Continuity Strategy?
D&V Philippines provides scalable finance and accounting outsourcing solutions and access to talent that makes sure your business’ operations is top priority.
If you’re interested in learning more about our services, schedule a free consultation with us or download our Your Talent Sourcing Partner to see how our talents can be your assets too!
This article has been written in collaboration with Aly Tagamolila, a content specialist at D&V Philippines.
