As your colleagues start tentatively coming back to the office, what will await them? Will it feel just like 2019, or will there be a very different atmosphere and working style?

If, like most companies, you’re considering a hybrid working option, it’s time to plan for what this actually means. Adjusting to a world of hybrid work is going to require major rethink of many aspects of the traditional workplace – from HR to office management to corporate culture. But perhaps the biggest consideration will be around how to use technology to support this new working style. After all, without the tech, hybrid is simply impossible.

So, what technology should you be thinking about when planning for the hybrid workplace?

 

Hybrid working webinar: What’s possible with hybrid technology today?

 

Tech considerations for hybrid working

In a recent survey, Microsoft reported several major challenges facing remote workers. Over 40% said they lacked essential office supplies while working from home, and a shocking 10% didn’t have a good enough internet connection to do their jobs.

If you are preparing for what tomorrow’s hybrid workplace will look like, it’s going to be essential to get the right technology foundations in place. Here are some key things to think about:

  • Do your staff have adequate hardware?

If you are expecting staff to work remotely at least a couple of days per week, it’s going to be essential to provide a full range of hardware for them to do their jobs from home properly. This includes providing laptops, headsets, monitors, printers and much more. Some will need specialist equipment for their home offices too. This will be costly, yet it’s the kind of investment which will pay dividends by making remote staff more productive.

It will also be invaluable to purchase technology for your main offices to make hybrid working more fluid. That includes large, interactive meeting room screens, as well as more cutting-edge tools like AR and VR headsets.

 

  • Focus on synchronous cloud platforms

Many organisations depended heavily on cloud-based platforms to survive during the pandemic – be that Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack, Dropbox or Google Hangouts. Without access to these tools it would have been almost impossible to continue conducting business.

Many companies used a wide variety of apps and services from multiple providers, which meant that syncing files, data and conversations across platforms was a headache. It may be worth choosing a large cloud-based platform which brings all these functions into one place.

  • Non-intrusive monitoring

How many of your employees felt they just couldn’t switch off while working remotely? There’s been a real wave of mental health issues over the past 12 months related to the fact that many people felt they just couldn’t leave ‘work’.

There are now several apps (such as Viva Insights) which are designed to monitor how much time people are spending at work, notify them if they’re doing too much overtime, and let their managers know about the risk of burn out. Of course, it’s important to keep personal data anonymised to ensure people don’t feel ‘spied’ on.

 

  • Do you have a hybrid cybersecurity plan?

As hybrid working becomes more normal, companies risk opening up more weaknesses in their defences. This could be through an employee’s weak password on their home internet connection. Or it could be the theft of physical hardware while commuting. Or it could be the risk of ‘phishing’ emails directed at those working from home. In any case, you will need to re-evaluate your cybersecurity risks and build up robust defences.

 

  • Are you training people for hybrid?

Hybrid working requires a very different mindset to both pre-pandemic IT, and the relationship we had with tech during lockdowns, so it will pay to be prepared. Staff will benefit from training about everything from:

    • Hybrid working etiquette
    • Setting focus work and free times in their calendars
    • Security when working remotely
    • How to use any new platforms you implement
    • Ways to avoid tech overload

 

  • Support

And the same goes for your IT support function. It might be valuable to invest in new tools that let IT support staff remotely view your colleagues’ screens, install updates over the internet or even use ‘chatbots’ to automate some aspects of IT service support.

Your journey to a hybrid workplace

Getting your company’s technology set up for the hybrid workplace will require detailed scenario planning and forward-thinking. Since we’re still in the early days of this new era of working, it’s impossible to say exactly what it will look like. But, by getting the foundations in place now, it is much more likely to be a success.

FITTS has a deep understanding of the challenges facing medium and large sized organisations that are transitioning to the hybrid workplace. In our upcoming webinar, we look at what’s possible with hybrid working technology today. If you’d like to begin planning your journey to hybrid, sign up for our webinar, or contact us about your organisation’s hybrid ambitions.