Achieving a sustainable hybrid working model - work smarter, not harder

Looking back at 2020, the arrival of Covid-19 drastically accelerated the movement towards remote working. With no other option, thousands of organisations felt the strain of the initial logistical challenge and were forced to mobilise and adapt rapidly with minimal planning time.

Over a year on from the first stay-at-home message, it raises the question: how much longer can this form of working be sustained? Looking ahead, companies must evolve from a temporary remote working solution to an effective hybrid working model. This will allow employees the flexibility to choose where they work and the digital agility to adapt at a moment’s notice.

The benefits are clear: enhanced work-life balance, reduced commuting pollution, cost savings in overheads, and significant improvements in employee productivity. Furthermore, companies will be able to attract and retain top talent, as well as reduce employee absenteeism and turnover.

As vaccination plans continue to roll out, organisations must embrace the ‘new normal’ and decide how to integrate this into their own models. This can be achieved by applying collaborative technologies and agile systems to transform the initial remote work shift into a sustainable, long-term solution.

Ensuring Employee Safety and Productivity in the Hybrid Workplace

However, as companies transition to hybrid work models, those that haven’t yet invested in employee environment optimisation may face heightened organisational risks. Prior to the pandemic, some offices used sensors to monitor Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ), CO2 levels, lighting, and air flow to ensure employees were healthy and productive in comfortable environments. This will become even more crucial as organisations adapt to new working styles.

Moreover, businesses should implement preventative technologies to assist with social distancing. For example, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth contact tracing systems can reduce the spread of viruses among employees, customers, and visitors, giving added peace of mind. Internal IT controllers can remotely manage office spaces, ensuring they don’t exceed capacity or adjusting floor plans when footfall becomes too high for social distancing.

Cybersecurity Risks in a Hybrid Working World

Alongside addressing physical hazards, organisations must acknowledge the heightened cybersecurity risks in their resilience strategy. With employees working from home on vulnerable routers and multiple devices sharing the same network, the threat of cyberattacks and socially engineered external threats is significantly increased.

Medium and large enterprises must review their outsourcing models and strengthen their IT partnerships to safeguard remote work setups. This may involve assessing home office conditions and reviewing cybersecurity protocols on a case-by-case basis to ensure employees are secure.

A Shift in Productivity: The Opportunity Post-Pandemic

Historically, the UK has been referred to as the ‘sick man of Europe’, with lower productivity compared to European competitors. However, the shift towards hybrid working presents a unique opportunity to reverse this trend and improve national productivity. Now is the time to identify the structural changes necessary to emerge from this crisis more balanced, or even ahead of the curve.

This article was first published in The Herald on 24^th March 2021