Hybrid work culture with employee-first approach is the future of work

As we move ahead and navigate our way in the post-pandemic world, it is evident that some changes that were deemed temporary are here to stay. While several businesses have moved to remote-only enterprises, others believe hybrid work represents the future of work. The hybrid working model represents a new breed of work culture where employees work partly from their office and partly remotely, depending on work requirements and productivity.

Employee expectations from work and workspaces have changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Organizations are now openly discussing new hybrid work strategies to run their businesses smoothly. Their priority is to ensure an office kind of experience at home or anywhere between the office and home, plan a device strategy to meet a multi-cloud environment, and ensure that they have the best collaboration system in place to support a diverse workforce.

As per the latest survey conducted by TeamLease services, at least 77% of corporate India is ready to give employees their preferred hybrid work model, signaling no forced return to the office in the post-pandemic era. Businesses are now considering which employees will return to the office and which will continue to work from home or remotely. To successfully support the hybrid workforce model, organizations must address different variables that may require significant changes to the way businesses typically work. These can provide capabilities and opportunities to the employees, including conference rooms, virtual meeting rooms, audio, and video solutions, chat rooms, etc.

There are ways in which organizations can transition into the hybrid working model and prepare their IT teams with the capabilities to handle the issues the remote working environment can create.

Incorporating collaboration tools

The foundation for this model to work is collaboration tools that are cloud-based software solutions and are evolved to handle tasks quickly and effectively while working from home. The software help in organizing effective workflows, tracking changes in documents, and communicating with the team member working on the same task in real-time, thus minimizing confusion. Face-to-face meetings are becoming a passé and the workforce is keen to use online business collaboration tools instead of in-person meetings. These collaboration solutions enable employee engagement, enhance productivity and provide data security in hybrid work culture. Effective collaboration also improves the flow of information across the organization and fosters better communication.

Invest in Video conferencing solutions.

The demand and adoption of our advanced technological solutions offering voice and visibility have increased considerably. Online meetings have become an essential aspect of companies’ collaboration strategies. According to the Markets and Markets report, the global video conferencing market size is expected to grow from USD 9.2 billion in 2021 to USD 22.5 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.7% during the forecast period. With the availability of cutting-edge tech and lower prices, VC software/solutions are gradually transitioning as one of the core enterprise productivity tools. These solutions help make collaboration seamless and build a sense of togetherness regardless of an employee’s location.

Setting up dynamic meeting room spaces

Meeting rooms have come a long way in modern workplaces, and there is an additional consideration for hybrid teams consisting of in-person and remote members. Meetings with remote team members are usually conference calls or video calls. This new shift is driving changes to the meeting room spaces as well. Businesses are standardizing web-based collaboration platforms on employee laptops that typically require less IT support to bring more flexibility and ensure that the employees have options to collaborate effectively. These platforms can be easily managed and updated as Huddle rooms, conference rooms, and boardrooms. They are also acting as simple tools to bring more collaboration between the employees sitting at multiple locations.

Hybrid working not only provides flexibility but also has a significant impact on productivity and employee satisfaction. This shift toward new workplaces, styles, work cultures, and hybrid working has emerged as the new normal and will continue to thrive exponentially. With the rising demand for collaboration solutions, businesses are upgrading their meeting spaces without considerable capital expenditure and increasing demand for their IT team. These tools provide the simple user experience employees have become accustomed to these last two years.

Authored By: Sanjeev Chhabra, MD & CEO, Beetel Teletech Limited