Guidelines To Building A Hybrid & Secure Workplace In 2023

Today, many organisations are making changes in the workplace to embrace flexible and more effective working conditions. One of the emerging trends is the creation of hybrid office spaces to accommodate remote and in-person workers.

According to a worldwide survey by Statista on team member expectations for a hybrid workforce, 44% of employees expect a large portion of their organisation’s workforce to operate in remote work setups, primarily as of 2022.

Luckily, by building and securing hybrid workforce, you can blend remote and office work to offer employees a better work-life balance. No matter where they’re working from, they can stay engaged, connected, and remain productive. That said, here are guidelines on how to build a hybrid and secure workplace in 2023:

A decent number of employees nowadays prefer flexible work schedules. In a 2020 survey conducted by Gartner on 5,000 employees to establish how flexibility fuels performance, 36% of employees performed well in a typical organisation where staff work a standard 40 hours weekly in-office. In contrast, when there was a shift from this setup to one of radical flexibility whereby employees could decide when, where, and how to perform their duties, 55% of employees were found to be high performers.

However, some employees like all-time office work. These workers mostly have several years of office experience and are accustomed to team-oriented spaces where they can learn from their colleagues.

The following are some questions you can ask your employees to figure out their hybrid work preferences:

• How many days a week would you like to be in the office?
• How would you prefer to interact with your team members?
• Do you want team meetings to be conducted in person or virtually?
• Which company activities would you like to remain remote?

By asking them questions, you can determine the ideal sharable work arrangements. For instance, if most staff members go to the office a number of times a month, you can opt for hot-desking. It’s a modern office system whereby desks are used by different workers at various times.

Alternatively, you can redesign the office to include movable workstations. In this setup, employees can reconfigure desks to collaborate on projects or focus on individual tasks.

Technology can transform virtual experiences in a hybrid setting. Below are different types of technologies you might want to invest in to support your hybrid workplace:

• Cloud-based systems: Cloud services enable employees to access the information they need to complete tasks from anywhere as long as they have a stable internet connection. Additionally, they allow team members to work together on documents and other data types.

In fact, many organisations embracing the hybrid setup are migrating to the cloud                 because it provides versatility. They can scale with it horizontally or vertically to                         accommodate the changing remote working numbers.

Furthermore, end-user spending on cloud services is forecasted to grow by 20.4% in            2022, amounting to USD$494.7 billion. It’s also projected to increase consistently in the                subsequent quarters, reaching USD$600 billion by 2023.

• Security: Consider investing in robust security protocols to protect sensitive data distributed to employees online. Some security measures include using strong passwords, scheduling regular backups, data encryption, employing multi-factor authentication, and putting up a strong firewall.
• Smart offices: This kind of high-tech workplace utilises connected technology tools, such as video conferencing software and analytics to facilitate collaboration between in-person and remote workers.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI tools provide smart support by automating workflow management and communications, as well as enabling virtual assistance.

Aside from using these technologies, work with a managed IT service provider for IT support and cybersecurity protection. With professional assistance, you can accelerate your digitisation efforts to ensure a thriving and secure hybrid workplace.

A modern workplace won’t be called one if you’re not fully utilising what technology offers. Hybrid work now involves automating day-to-day processes through the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The strategy allows your employees to focus on more ‘human’ elements of their job, such as imagination and creative work, since most tedious tasks are already taken off their hands. (3)

Investing in the necessary tools can ensure seamless work management, communication, and collaboration flow in your hybrid workplace. It’s also a crucial element if you have remote workers who rely on technology to do their jobs.

Your hybrid workplace can increase conservation and efficiency if you take advantage of a range of technologies that can help identify the resources that your team needs and where or when they need them. An example of such facilities is an occupancy sensor that can be used for better space planning and building maintenance. (4)

For instance, integrating sensors with reservation software can significantly help with meeting room issues that may occur after reserving a space in advance but ends up cancelling the reservation. After the sensor detects the changes, it’ll create a process that automatically cancels the reservation and makes the space available for others who may need to use it.

Hybrid work offers flexibility, allowing employees to work in ways that are more efficient for them. However, you’ll have to adopt effective strategies to manage and maintain a functional and secure hybrid workplace. Above are some guidelines to consider in 2023. Most importantly, take advantage of evolving technologies to achieve greater autonomy and improve productivity.

1. “How to Build a Successful Hybrid Workplace”, Source: https://sprout.ph/blog/how-to-build-a-successful-hybrid-workplace/
2. “How to Make Hybrid Workplaces More Sustainable”, Source: https://greenerideal.com/guides/how-to-make-hybrid-workplaces-more-sustainable/
3. “2022 trends to consider as you build a sustainable hybrid workforce”, Source: https://blog.polleverywhere.com/2022-trends-to-consider-as-you-build-a-sustainable-hybrid-workforce/
4. “How hybrid work can lead to sustainable business practices”, Source: https://garage.hp.com/us/en/business/hybrid-work-sustainable-practice.html
5. “Build a sustainable hybrid workplace model that works for your organization.”, Source: https://www.trebound.com/blog/how-to-build-a-sustainable-hybrid-workplace-model