Hybrid working: your business screened

From a major breakthrough during the Covid pandemic to a comeback wave in 2023: hybrid working has had an eventful few years. Despite this fluctuating popularity, it seems to have become a permanent part of our work culture. Even so, businesses are increasingly discovering that it’s a complex balancing exercise that requires the right decisions to be taken at different levels.

Ingrained in the business culture

Hybrid working offers companies and their staff many benefits, but it’s not a valid option for every position. To protect the efficiency and productivity of every employee, businesses need to embrace hybrid working in all of its complexity and develop a transparent policy.

Putting in place such a policy is far from easy, as Frank Vander Sijpe, Director HR Trends & Insights at Securex, told us in an interview in late 2023. “On the one hand, it’s now clear there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all arrangement. Asserting that everyone has to work at the office one day a week without a valid reason is just pointless. Also, hybrid working is not for everyone, as it is fundamentally a matter of mutual trust – which can lead to tensions and difficult conversations within companies.”

Invest in connection

In addition to an efficient policy, it is obviously crucial that hybrid working doesn’t have a negative impact on employee productivity. Vander Sijpe says in that same interview: “Businesses that adopt hybrid working must also ensure adequate connection with their employees at home. That connection, and the feeling of being engaged, are very important for motivation.”

To ensure quality work, staff working from home must have access to the same features as their colleagues at the office. Tools such as Microsoft 365 and Teams provide the right support and include a host of possibilities that remain underused in many companies.

It takes more than digital tools to keep motivation high among hybrid workers, of course. Online collaboration not only has a technological element but also includes a human factor. This is where smart conference rooms play a crucial role. Spaces that are equipped with customised, high-quality audio and video ensure that remote working employees can participate in meetings under optimal conditions. This fosters collaboration as well as engagement and team spirit throughout the company.

A secure backbone

A secure and reliable network is the precondition to make hybrid working a success. Seamless working with digital tools requires a stable and robust network, with a well-considered infrastructure to efficiently manage the various traffic flows. Security is also crucial. If employees have access to the network from a series of external locations, thorough identification procedures are necessary to avoid cyberattacks and to protect your company data.