Managing Records in the Covid-19 Era at the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic caused businesses to re-evaluate the way in which to ensure effective information exchange, and the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority was no exception. The Covid-19 lockdowns had such an impact on records management that the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority moved its services online to enable access to information. This article discusses records management practices at the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority during the pandemic, explores the challenges and threats of managing records during the pandemic as experienced by the organisation’s records curators and presents opportunities arising from the pandemic and recommendations. The study adopted a qualitative approach through unstructured interviews, document review, and observation. The interviews were carried out in a focus group. Purposive sampling was used, where four records management personnel were interviewed. The data were analysed narratively by reformulating stories presented by the participants. The article reveals that the challenges included a lack of disaster preparedness plan, misfiling and loss of records, a lack of records management awareness among staff, an over-reliance on electronic records, and the production of audiovisuals despite a lack of policies and measures to manage these records. It was therefore recommended that the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority develop and implement Covid-19 guidelines and remote working guidelines, the business continuity plan for records management and an audiovisual preservation strategy. It also recommended that records management personnel raise awareness of records management among staff.