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Business continuity during work-from-home: Lessons from WashREIT
Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Human Resources
Use Cases
- Remote Collaboration
Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
Publicly-traded commercial and residential real estate trust WashREIT was facing many challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. The company moved 100% of its office workers to work-from-home but still needed them to fully support the field agents at the heart of their business. Following their business continuity plan and using the Firstup platform, company leaders moved quickly to align workers with new policies, provide effective virtual leadership, and prioritize employee wellbeing. The challenge was to ensure that the entire workforce was consistently up to speed and mobilized to keep the business running efficiently, despite being in a fully digital environment. This required leadership to be at its best and employees to feel supported throughout the uncertainty.
About The Customer
WashREIT owns and operates uniquely positioned real estate assets in the D.C. Metro region. The company’s portfolio of 45 properties includes approximately 4 million square feet of commercial space and 6,861 multifamily apartment units across the region. With a $3.5 billion enterprise value, WashREIT is a significant player in the real estate market, managing a diverse range of properties. The company is publicly traded and focuses on both commercial and residential real estate, making it essential for them to maintain business continuity and productivity, especially during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Solution
WashREIT utilized the Firstup platform to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. They used Firstup push notifications to send real-time alerts to employees about the latest COVID-19 policy changes. The platform’s intelligent automation identified which employees clicked the notification and sent follow-up emails to those who didn’t, ensuring that every member of the workforce received the message. The company also created a crisis response taskforce responsible for gathering the latest situational data, updating policies, and informing employees about how the latest developments could affect them. To measure the response to taskforce initiatives, WashREIT used the new COVID-19 dashboard available to all Firstup customers. By tagging communications related to each initiative, the company could track how employees responded to new work-from-home policies, wellness support, safety procedures, and similar efforts. Additionally, WashREIT executives launched a plan to create weekly videos from the CEO that would live stream directly to the workforce, helping to build trust and address employee concerns directly.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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