There was a time when remote working was considered the new normal, and there were even some people wondering whether we would ever go back to the office. Well, many people have returned to the office, but some of their colleagues haven’t. The revelation that workers can be just as productive working from home as they are working in the office was quickly followed by the revelation that, if businesses give their workforce the option to work wherever they need, productivity is maximised. This is the underlying principle of hybrid working. We discussed this with a company that provides IT support Central London businesses have been relying on for over a decade. According to them, the following tips will help businesses with implementing hybrid working in their workplaces.
Centralise in the Cloud
First of all, when some people in a business are working in the office, and others are working from home, how does a business make sure each has what they need, and can communicate with one another? With the Cloud.
Cloud computing has transformed the business in so many ways. Using cloud storage, you can maintain access to your files no matter where you are – it also makes file sharing much quicker, and safer. Using cloud applications, you can keep all the tools you need for your work with you, whether it is on your laptop, your phone, or a desktop at home or a desktop in the office.
The cloud is the key to hybrid working. By keeping all the resources centralised in the cloud, each has what they need.
Make Work Remote-First…
Any business looking to implement hybrid work should acknowledge that remote workers may have it harder. This is because for decades business has revolved around physical workspaces, so in poorly managed hybrid businesses, workers may naturally form around the office still, leaving out the remote workers. This is why the workplace should take a remote-first approach. This means ensuring all resources are easily available remotely; it means keeping processes like project management up in the cloud; and it means standardising virtual communications in the office.
…and Optimize Remote Collaboration
Following on from the remote-first approach, a business should also put great emphasis on collaboration. When we asked the London-based company about their experience providing IT support for Architecture, and various other sectors, they said that across all of them, the common factor was that collaborating remotely was a challenge at first. This is because people are used to in-person brainstorming sessions, and visiting colleagues’ workspaces to review work and give their opinions.
This is another example of how office workers can quickly fall into patterns of working together and leaving out remote colleagues. Instead, implementing solutions that make remote collaboration easy, so that everyone can connect and work together from their desks (even if they’re in the same room together) means that people will more instinctively turn to these solutions, and thus, remote workers will be included.
Listen to the Workforce
It is the instinct for people to fall into patterns. The same is true for businesses and managers. Some organisations might want to standardise the hybrid working arrangement – however, this goes against the entire idea of hybrid working. Employers and managers should continually listen to their employees to make sure they are satisfied with how things are being managed and arranged. The great thing about hybrid working is that all the circumstances have been set up to make pivoting to change a lot easier – so organisations should keep this in mind.
Optimize the Office for Flexible Working
While the remote-first approach, along with the implementation of cloud services and other virtual tools are all important, what is equally important is adapting the business’ physical space to be more conducive to hybrid work patterns. Normally, people have desks they sit at every day. But hybrid working might mean that people split their week between their home and the office, meaning that there are always empty desks throughout the week. Hybrid working is a great opportunity to optimize the workspace – some organisations might find that they can downsize and save money. The software can play a role in this, too. For instance, Microsoft Office 365 solutions now include a service designed for managing hybrid workspaces.
