Modern work life has evolved. Employers realize that employees can be productive even if they are not on office premises. Although some offices still have concerns about remote or hybrid working systems, the benefits of hybrid working continue to attract them.
What is Hybrid Work?
Hybrid work means your employees work both on-site and remotely on specific days of the week. So, managers can present total flexibility to their workforce.
To increase employees’ creativity and flexibility, many companies switch their work environments to hybrid systems. They know that the majority of employees prefer working from home on certain days of the week. Employees can save time because they do not need to spend time on transportation. Also, they no longer think about what they are going to wear. A home office allows them to focus more on their work, not the details. From the company’s point of view, hybrid work is also beneficial. They can reduce their office expenses, such as bills.
Hybrid Work Challenges
Hybrid work also has some difficulties. One of the challenges of hybrid work is the hardship of connection and communication. Preserving the same communication culture when working in a hybrid environment is not simple. It is more advantageous when compared to remote work systems but still vital for the productivity of a company.
The thing is to continue productivity and communication at work regardless of location. There are several ways for companies to adopt hybrid systems in their businesses. The crucial thing is to choose proper methods and be planned.
First, managers must be sure that their workforce can access company resources with ease. The second concern should be online security. Work management, psychological challenges, work-life balance, and working hours are vital matters for organizations.
If you decide to set up a hybrid work environment but still have some concerns about productivity, you should consider our recommendations below.
4 Ways Employees Can Stay Productive in Hybrid Work Environments
1. Adopt a Cloud-Based Company Infrastructure
The only way to keep working in hybrid work is to keep your employees in touch with company resources. They should be able to access company resources, databases, and other online materials with ease. If you can not provide a comfortable environment for them, you should not wait for them to be productive. Always remember the fact that they need to reach specific sources to continue their work. As a manager, providing a productive environment is your mission.
If you are serious about hybrid work adoption, you should consider moving your resources to the Cloud. Cloud-based systems are indispensable when it comes to remote access. You can not imagine a better way to be productive in hybrid business life but Cloud-based resources.
By using cloud architecture, you can level up your work scale. You can shape your system according to your requirements and desires. Furthermore, cloud systems are easy to manage and present a satisfying virtual experience.
2. Create a Secure Work Environment
Although technological devices and the Internet make things easier, it obstructs work sometimes. For instance, a data breach is one of the difficulties of a hybrid environment. Both companies and employees can put company data on the line. When data leakage happens, it can cause a disaster. Imagine the size of data an average company holds. This data is amazingly precious, so it will be a target for cybercriminals. To avoid any breach in your company data, you can profit from VPN solutions and Zero Trust. These are the main pillars of hybrid work security.
We can not deny that hybrid work increases both internal and external threats. Company data becomes more prone to attacks and negligence. Many people assume that risks can come only from the outside. But they should know people in network boundaries pose a risk as much as external ones. When it comes to online security, both sides should be concerned. A secure network environment means stress-free and productive employees.
3. Zero Trust
In terms of hybrid work, internal threats are more common. Because employees connect shared Wifi getaways, use their own devices, and sometimes can be more distracted when working from home. Zero Trust reflects the idea of more authentication, less privilege on resource access, and a great solution to these kinds of risks.
Most of the risk and damage originated from over-authentication. It means that each employee has access authentication regardless of their job description. When they can reach all the resources even if they are not required, they increase the risk of a data breach. But when companies embrace the Zero Trust philosophy, they can protect themselves from any kind of risk.
4. Use Available Communication Channels
Keeping in touch is vital to both employee-to-employee and employee-to-employer relations. Hybrid work does not mean that everyone will work on herself/himself. As in the office environment, employees should make meetings, chats, video conferences, phone calls, and other social activities.
Communication is the key to a productive working environment. When employees can reach each other and their managers, it creates trust and awareness. Filing regular reports is also crucial because hybrid work can cause distractibility—the less focus on work, the less productivity. If communication is proper and open, both employees and managers can know their needs, demands, and other wants.
Conclusion
Companies can create a productive hybrid work environment by using the right tools. Being in an office does not mean that everyone in there will perform amazingly. Allow your employees a more relaxed work environment and give them the optimum conditions so that they can reveal the productivity that is concealed in them.
