Recently, working from home has taken the business world by storm. While the jury is still out on whether remote or hybrid working affects important metrics like productivity and employee satisfaction, the truth is that every business and individual employee has a unique experience. Working from home full- or part-time can work well for different businesses, employers, and employees, depending on their specific demands, management styles, and working preferences.
When it comes to hybrid situations, managers and executives who pay attention to the right things can make the working environment as productive and happy as possible.
How can IT support a hybrid workforce?
Hybrid work can often lead to communication issues, decrease in productivity, and technical difficulties. By employing IT best practices for a hybrid workforce, you can alleviate some of the struggles in these three areas.
Communication
Without being together in the office, invaluable face-to-face communication — whether that’s the in-person meeting or the impromptu water cooler talk— simply isn’t happening. There are many ways managers or business executives can promote open communication in the remote environment, which is important to keep employees feeling connected and informed. When it comes to how IT can support that vital communication, decisions about the hardware and software employees are provided is what leads to seamless and consistent communication.
Some commonly used services include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, and Slack, but there are plenty of other services that might offer packages more aligned with your business needs. Whatever service you go with, providing the right tools to communicate, offering training, requiring employees to use the tools, and offering consistent support makes hybrid working much easier.
Productivity
A common problem with remote or hybrid working is reduced productivity. With the help of the right technology, managers or executives can encourage the same levels of productivity while still allowing flexibility in their employees’ work locations.
There are tons of apps dedicated to productivity, including completing tasks, keeping track of tasks, keeping track of time, keeping track of efficiency…and the list goes on. Brosix, a communication app for businesses, has a blog (linked here) devoted to many different productivity applications. If there is an aspect of hybrid work that is challenging for your employees, identifying that particular area is the first step, followed by finding an innovative solution, perhaps offered by new technology.
Technical Difficulties
On a related note, your IT team should also be working to make sure that technology is running smoothly so that it is never the reason for slowed work or inefficiency. In 2022, employees and customers will have little time or patience for technical difficulties. Technology shouldn’t create problems; it should solve them.
If you don’t have an IT team or department, or your internal IT staff cannot be tasked with handling all your employee issues and questions, a managed IT service provider is a great option to make sure problems are addressed immediately so employees aren’t kept from doing what they need to do.
Call Us!
Feeling overwhelmed by the technical complexity of a hybrid workforce? We can help. At Royal Network IT Solutions, Inc., we have over 50 years of experience providing technical support to the Tustin and Eastvale areas of California. We can provide insight into what might help your business handle a hybrid working situation and assist in implementing and supporting that technology.
Call or email us today for a consultation at (949) 236-7700 or services@rnitsolutions.com.