Delivering stellar work experiences takes commitment and continuous improvement. The onset of the hybrid work model, which blends in-office, remote and on-the-go work, has introduced new levels of flexibility and convenience for employees.
For many organizations, hybrid work is still relatively new, created out of necessity during pandemic operations. What was at first a temporary solution has turned into a viable model, with companies evaluating how to make work easier and more efficient with hybrid operations.
If you’re wondering how to enhance and sustain hybrid work, you’re not alone. A survey of U.S. companies across five key industries found that while hybrid is the preferred choice by many, 72 percent of businesses lack a clear hybrid work strategy.
Are you ready to move your hybrid working model from temporary to intentional?
Let’s explore six ways to help your company commit to anywhere work.
1. Remember the “why.” (Hint: Because your employees probably really like it)
Analyst research shows that when employees can work fluidly across in-office and remote locations, their well-being and productivity thrive.[1]
Flexibility in the workplace has moved from a nice-to-have to a must-have, with a study by International Workplace Group finding that 80 percent of workers would turn down a job that did not offer a flexible work schedule. And for those currently working exclusively on-site, two out of three would prefer to work in a hybrid or remote model.
2. Unsure if your hybrid work model is working? Ask.
In an ideal world, a hybrid work environment gives employees more autonomy, more control over their time and greater capacity to be productive—whether on-site in the office, or not. Is your company keeping pace with what hybrid workers want and need? Go straight to the source and ask.
Do you have access to resources and systems to do your job well? What do you need to perform better, more efficiently? Are we building a sense of community? Do you feel connected to the culture? Are you able to collaborate as needed? Can you innovate at the desired pace?
However, being in a state of limbo—wondering if hybrid work could vanish as quickly as it appeared—could impact productivity benefits and confidence in the organization at large. Therefore, establishing a hybrid work policy helps demonstrate a commitment to supporting employees’ desired workplace flexibility, while providing clear guidelines and expectations around where, when and how employees work to build a common sense of understanding and purpose.
3. Help employees work smarter, not longer.
Forrester’s Workforce Survey, 2022, found that 55 percent of business and technology decision-makers believe they are working harder than before the pandemic. And for those working in the office full-time, a separate survey found those employees reported lower employee experience (EX) scores tied to stress and anxiety, work-life balance, flexibility and satisfaction with the work environment.
By leveraging technology designed to empower modern workforces, such as secure digital collaboration tools, you can enable remote content sharing across distributed teams. But the content-driven productivity benefits shouldn’t stop there. Also look to enhance collaboration outside of the organization, assessing your company’s ability to provide secure access to critical documentation and deliverables across a network of suppliers, contractors and partners.
4. Make in-office days matter.
According to Forrester, “The office is no longer the place you work; it’s the place where you work with other people.”[2] Yet, the last thing you want is employees showing up to the office only to be met with empty cubicles or all-day Zoom meetings, questioning why they are on-site.
Consider establishing set days when teams or divisions are expected to be in the office, building consistency. A 2022 survey showed that, 11 percent of companies have adopted a split-week schedule, assigning specific days of the week for teams to come in and eight percent had policies where managers chose which day(s) employees come into the office. Regardless of the approach, encourage teams to be intentional about in-person activities to spur creativity, connection and collaboration, such as training, planning sessions, team meetings or onboarding events.
5. Power modern work.
When it comes to digital workspace solutions, how well do your technologies and business practices support a hybrid work model? The improved flexibility delivered with hybrid work, doesn’t mean productivity, collaboration or security have to suffer. Cloud-based content services, device management and collaboration technologies enable maximum location flexibility, while connecting global, disparate teams.
Forrester research shows that organizations taking a hybrid cloud-based approach to content services see greater benefits to customer experience (72% vs. 25%), security (70% vs. 16%) and usability (64% vs. 16%). By combining collaboration, business processes and information management within one powerful SaaS content services platform, organizations can empower employees with the information they need, when and where they need it in a hybrid work world.
6. Remove information barriers for good.
For employees to be truly empowered, they must have fast, simple access to accurate, timely information—wherever they are, whenever they want it and from whatever device they are using.
With information management tools and technology, organizations can create engaging and personalized employee experiences by integrating content experiences within the lead applications employees use every day, ensuring information is tied to specific tasks and workflows and surfaced through intelligent automation. The result: flexible digital workspaces that enhance information access, deliver content in context and turn information as an operational advantage.
Ready to be intentional about the future of hybrid work to ensure employees have what they need to do their jobs well? Discover how to master modern work or get started with a SaaS solution.
[1] Gartner, Infographic: Remote Work — How 2020 Concerns Have Evolved, July 2022
[2] Forrester, Don’t Let These Three Anywhere-Work Preconceptions Hold You Back, December 2022
