For many workers who have been working from home for two years, the benefits of remote work have become apparent. The lack of a commute, ability to choose where to work from, and financial benefits such as eating at home and limiting driving distance give this work structure long-term appeal.
Since 2020, companies have become better at administering remote work scenarios, and the learning curve has largely passed. Organizations and employees have acclimated to remote work and the flexibility it affords, even though it is now much safer to return to work in a traditional office setting.
This is where hybrid work comes in. Hybrid work is a combination of working remotely and working in a traditional office. This term has gained traction in recent months as COVID transmission rates declined. Google web search traffic for the term “hybrid work” in the Business & Industrial category (to avoid hybrid car searches) has increased since the start of 2020.
Since employees and administrators are now used to remote work, organizations across all sectors are looking to fuse traditional and remote work to create a schedule that benefits both employee satisfaction and company bottom lines.
Balancing Flexibility and Security
At the beginning of the pandemic, the conversation was structured around pivoting to remote work, and largely dealt with how to securely and efficiently transition to a company structure that was spread across massive geographic distances.
Hybrid work presents slightly different security concerns from an organizational IT perspective, since employees are expected to work both at a central location and from home on a regular basis. With a hybrid model, devices and data will be traveling between at least two distinct locations regularly; a central work office and a home office. The concept of the “home office” may also include multiple different locations, since the flexibility this option provides includes the ability to work from places other than merely a home office or work cubicle.
While home office security best practices should continue to be maintained, a hybrid workforce must also be provided proper training and protocols to protect data in transit. Devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops used in hybrid work settings contain company data and proprietary information, and can cost a company thousands of dollars in the event that a device is stolen.
Organizations need a robust Mobile Device Management program outlined within their updated hybrid work policy, which should address how remote locking, remote wiping, and device locating tools will be used to protect customer, employee, and company data in the event of a security incident.
Asynchronous Work
There is also increasing interest in the idea of asynchronous work. Asynchronous work means that the company does not all need to be working at the same time, allowing employees to choose their work time to match when they are most productive. This style of work has obvious benefits, such as allowing parents to work while children are in bed, or students to work around class schedules. Many employees are interested in these benefits, and it fits in neatly with the overall trend of increased flexibility and better work-life balance.
Asynchronous work requires a slightly different communication structure. Meeting times should be limited, and constrained to particular days or times to allow for windows of uninterrupted work time. In hybrid work settings, it may be possible to arrange all meetings to be on a weekly in-office day or other specified day, so employees can arrange their time accordingly.
With meeting numbers and length managed to allow more self-driven work, email communication must be efficient and encrypted to protect the data being shared. Companies using a hybrid model must also have a way to manage encryption on the devices employees will be working from.
Managing New Work Structures
Asynchronous and hybrid work teams needs to be well-managed to address risks and concerns associated with employees. There is a risk that employees who generally work outside of the office may miss task opportunities and career progression since they are not “seen” as often, and may be less connected to their co-workers.
Working on an entirely self-driven schedule during large periods of time also can contribute to a lack of community and camaraderie, which may impact employees negatively. It is important that management is able to engage with remote employees, and encourage bonds between alternating teams who do not often interact in a shared physical space. This can be done without sacrificing the flexibility that employees value.
Hybrid work is the best of both worlds: it offers the flexibility and benefits of working from home, with the relational aspects of the traditional in-office experience. With a bit of technical know-how, proper software, and managerial training, hybrid work will benefit many companies in the coming years.
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