Businesses and organisations of all sizes have adopted the hybrid workplace environment as a way to cope with the COVID-19 crisis. The concept of a hybrid workplace or hybrid office has been viewed as a ray of hope for the plethora of challenges that most organisations face, particularly in their struggle to become fully operational post-pandemic.
In recent research published in 2021 – the Global Survey of Company Leaders and Knowledge Workers, 68% of those surveyed are already working from both home and the office, with 58% considering leaving current employers if they were required to return to an office full time.
But what exactly is a hybrid workplace? What impact does the hybrid workplace have on productivity and cybersecurity? What do you need to transition from a traditional office setting to a hybrid workplace? In this post, we’ll explore what a hybrid workplace is, its impact on productivity, cybersecurity, and workplace collaboration, and how you or your organization can transition to one seamlessly.
What is a Hybrid Workplace?
A hybrid workplace is an arrangement that supports a distributed workforce, allowing both in-office and remote workers. It’s a concept that encompasses both physical and digital workspaces with the goal of supporting every work style of all employees. Beyond the main idea of having to work wherever you are most productive -in the office or from a remote location — the crucial point of adopting a hybrid workplace is its flexibility, support, and security.
Today’s hybrid workplace offers different types of hybrid work policies or schedules that balance autonomy and the need for a team. Here are just some of the hybrid work models that we have observed:
- Flexible: Employees can choose between working from home or at the office most of the time.
- Shifts at will: Employees can choose which days they want to come into the office and work remotely for part of the week.
- Week by Week: Employees come into the office for one week to perform certain duties that are best done in person and then return to remote work for another few weeks.
- Split-week: The organisation assigns specific days for on-site and remote work by team or function.
- Split team: The organisation has both full-time in-office employees and full-time remote workers.
- Manager Scheduling: Managers choose which days their team will come into the office
The Evolving Workplace
The concept of hybrid work predates COVID-19, but the latter’s emergence has accelerated the shift to remote and hybrid work. As businesses slowly transition to remote work in 2020, the concept of hybrid work has risen in 2021 and has become the new norm up until now.
It makes sense to adopt a hybrid workplace that can support workers regardless of where they are working. For one, it is costly for organisations to shift back and forth between the office and remote work each time there is a new lockdown announcement. On top of that, the resources and technology have to be rethought, especially in terms of using better tools for collaboration, data security, and productivity.
The Era of Hybrid Work
Hybrid work has become the new norm. While many organisations have adopted the remote work option for quite some time, never before has this concept pushed business operations to change, adapt, and use advanced collaboration technology to enable interactivity and improve productivity regardless of location.
Not every company is back and ready for post-pandemic workplace traffic. So it’s no surprise that there is an increase in the percentage of employees working from home and the rise of the term ‘hybrid workplace’. After two years of almost working remotely, the era of hybrid work has begun and its value in the rapidly evolving workplace landscape will be magnified.
So…
The Hybrid Workplace: Is it the future of work?
In a traditional office setting, employees are expected to work between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during a five-day on-site workweek. On the contrary, the hybrid workplace offers employees the flexibility to get work done anywhere, anytime.
Hybrid work is here to stay. The pandemic has shown us that it’s possible to do a large number of tasks remotely and that organisations need to reimagine their workspaces as an evolving smart workplaces that should be flexible, supportive, secure, managed, and inclusive. As we enter the era of hybrid work, you might have asked the following questions
- How do you create a hybrid workplace?
- How do you manage hybrid teams effectively?
- How do you secure proper spaces to work in and collaborate with remote colleagues?
- What are the challenges of doing hybrid work?
- How do you address employees’ disconnection and isolation?
Hybrid work is more about how you connect and do the work you do and less about where you do it. Transitioning to a hybrid work model requires technology that ensures all employees have secure access to data regardless of where they physically sit. Let’s take a look at a few important things to consider when adopting or transitioning to a hybrid work model in your workplace…
What does it take to become a hybrid workplace?
- Technology – the heart of the hybrid workplace
Investing in the right technology is a must to ensure that employees, no matter where they are located, can work together in real-time. The demand for internet-based collaboration tools needs to be securely implemented and maintained as employees transition from on-site data storage to cloud-based storage processing. - One-on-one spaces – keeping confidential meetings in private
The hybrid work model will decrease the number of hours spent in the office by most employees. And as some organisations adopt a hybrid office, that is, going to the office every few days and working from home the next, ultimately, secure collaboration tools have to be put in place to allow in-office employees to work and collaborate with their remote colleagues. - Video Conferencing and Collaboration Tools – making the hybrid workplace a reality
Video conferencing tools and collaboration software allow employees to brainstorm, collaborate, organise their workflow, and get things done regardless of where they choose to work. More than that, the organisation needs to ensure that all relevant information is readily accessible yet secure—anywhere, anytime. - IoT automation – transforming offices into futuristic ones
The hybrid workplace is built on the idea that employees can have the flexibility to choose where and when they work, which suggests that there will be fewer employees in the office to take care of some common tasks like monitoring spoiled items in the refrigerator or checking the toner in the printer. The Internet of Things (IoT) will allow office appliances and tools to be controlled digitally and perform a variety of tasks without the need for human intervention. Moreover, employees can access documents virtually and interact through video conferencing.
- Technology – the heart of the hybrid workplace
Hybrid work is developing into the new norm. As organisations move toward adopting hybrid work models, security risks will continue to rise and remain a major concern. And since employees are spending more time working remotely using their own devices and networks, end-user education and security should be a focus. Protecting company data doesn’t have to be complicated. Awareness of existing cybersecurity threats and enabling basic security measures are your best cybersecurity strategies. On the other hand, organisations and businesses that embrace the hybrid work model should invest in stronger security infrastructures. When planned carefully and strategically, the hybrid workplace offers flexible work styles to employees—in-office or remote, single or team—and provides an abundance of cost-saving benefits to organisations and businesses.
Advantages of the Hybrid work model
- Flexibility to work in a modern environment that best suits work-related needs.
- Improved collaboration across departments, teams, and workgroups.
- Better work-life balance and mental health outcomes.
- Increased productivity and employee satisfaction.
- Saved costs associated with the demand for unnecessary facilities in an office.
Challenges of Hybrid Workplace Arrangements
- Heightened cybersecurity risks.
- Difficulty collaborating with remote employees.
- Increased employee isolation and faster employee burnout.
- Difficulty maintaining productive routines, especially for those who work remotely.
- Hybrid work models are not suitable for every business or organisation.
The Future of Work – Hybrid Workplace
The hybrid workplace combines remote work with office work. It’s no longer an alternative work style. More than that, it allows employees the opportunity to fit work around their lives, and not where they do it at fixed hours. You may view the hybrid workplace model as having an optimal work-life balance as employees are able to alternate between home and the office seamlessly. The hybrid work era has begun, and the hybrid workplace will continue to evolve in the face of future hardship.
But…
- Are you prepared for hybrid work?
- Does your hybrid workplace support your workers?
- Are you looking for hybrid workplace resources?
Contact Hexicor on Solutions to a Hybrid workplace.