While we may have gotten used to the idea of the "new normal" of working from home, with offices reopening and a gradual return to work, the "next normal" is fast approaching. About the Author Matt Valentine, director of Aruba UK&I. What is this "next normal" you ask? Well, you've probably heard of it: hybrid work. With the pandemic, we have seen that working remotely is feasible for many of us, but some level of interaction in the real world is still required. Now that immunization programs are in full swing, many companies are exploring how they can let their employees return to work safely and work seamlessly between home and office when in-person cooperation is required. However, as each and every company has faced unique challenges throughout the pandemic, this next phase will also differ significantly from organization to organization. This presents a challenge for IT leaders, who, while interested in developing a plan to support their organization's hybrid work strategy, must first determine what that strategy is. To help you plan the right approach, here are the top 3 things organizations need to do:
1. Cooperate for success
For a hybrid work model to be successful, dividing every aspect of your strategy and business is not going to work. Hybrid working is going to have a major impact on every single area of a given organization and as a result every department needs to be involved in the discussions, not just senior management. Commercial real estate is surely going to be at the forefront of these changes: the physical space a company has is going to have a huge impact on how it incorporates a hybrid employment policy. In our experience, we have seen many companies employ the pandemic turmoil as a way to rethink their current investments in office space. As a result, many are now looking to downsize, move to new locations, or find creative ways to utilize their existing spaces. Interestingly, this applies even to industries that you imagine move less, such as banking or commerce. These changes are not restricted to the real estate team. HR and management will also need to be involved, giving a very precise context for the wants and needs of the employees, the customer's requirements of the service and the culture of the company. What kinds of roles do your employees fill? What actors do you deal with? How have you handled working from home so far? Connectivity is perhaps the most essential thing in facilitating the hybrid workplace. By extension, IT teams whose role is to support and ensure this. IT decision makers need to be clear and ready to provide feedback on their organization's ability to incorporate hybrid working, and if not, provide advice on these gaps. And finally, let's not forget Finance; Can this strategy be achieved on budget? How will it be financed? What are the financing options? Is this going to be a traditional CapEx approach or an OpEx approach? Each and every one of these questions must be answered already before any implementation.
2. Be aware of internal and external factors
Any hybrid work strategy must be aligned with how a company works. From the needs of employees and customers, the culture of the workplace, budget and real estate constraints, and engaging the right people to make sure this happens. Less obvious is the fact that you also need to align with the larger world on which your organization operates. Take, for example, geography. Rental costs can vary greatly between city centers, suburbs and rural areas, for both commercial and private employment. The living space that your employees call home will certainly influence how, when, and where they use the office. Network infrastructure and reliable high-speed Internet access are also influenced by geography. This can vary enormously from one area to another and consequently can certainly have a huge impact on the connectivity of your employees; as much as your business and your ability to deliver seamless, off-the-beaten-path experiences. Finally, think about where the trends in your industry are heading. While the pandemic has already been a catalyst for many changes, the move to hybrid work is likely to only bring more change. Considering these trends, whatever they are, will help keep your business competitive.
3. Determine metrics to track
The pandemic has served to teach how companies cannot become patronizing. Staying flexible and diligent is essential for any organization; The key here is to use the data to your advantage. IT teams should already be used to providing performance quality reviews, but they should also have regular meetings to monitor, assess, and discuss them. Thus, they can ensure that their hybrid work strategy responds to needs, trends, attitudes and behaviors. Technology has long been at the heart of productivity, communication and cooperation, but as we enter the era of hybrid work, what works in the office may not work at home. To ensure this, the functionality of these tools must be monitored. However, it would be incorrect to assume that the data tells the whole picture and that technology performance is the only metric worth measuring. Indeed, companies should also find ways to monitor the psychological well-being of their employees, for example, through regular employee surveys and/or assessments. For what reason, could you ask? Well, your hybrid work strategy only works if your employees feel it. Aside from enabling employee experience, technology can also help organizations track building performance. Sensors and smart devices can provide information about how employees are using space, energy use, who is coming or going, and more, providing services like real estate, facilities, security, and more. Finance the data they need to determine if their requirements are being met. . .
So what comes next?
By the time the preceding 3 points have been addressed, what happens now? Having a clearly defined hybrid work strategy will allow an organization to take the next step: have the right people behind it. Here, steps will include integrating the long-term home office plan, reinventing the physical office and its connectivity, and financing the future workplace. This article is going to be the first of 4 that will be published over the next few weeks in which we provide a guide to help organizations achieve these objectives and also incorporate a hybrid approach to work that will satisfy everyone. of departments and employees, now and in the future. . In our next article, we'll take a look at how to add the home office into your strategy.