Seven out of ten employees are not used to the home office as an ideal way of working. According to surveys, they prefer a combination of home and office work. How to set up a company in such a way that high productivity and optimal satisfaction of people are maintained?
The past period has forced us to look for forms of work that, on the one hand, insulate us and protect our health, and on the other, allow companies, institutions and individuals to function.
To function meant: to keep the business going, to develop the business, to provide education, not to be completely isolated.
Home offce has proven to be an effective model, and not just a full-fledged replacement for the office environment. Other benefits of working from home have proven to be:
- Savings on operating costs
- Saving time and travel costs
- More freedom in working time scheduling
- More efficient people and increased productivity
However, the result was not a happy employee. Different surveys (Profesia, IT-chkari, Microsoft) point to the common fact that most Slovaks, seven out of ten, despite their initial enthusiasm, do not want to work from home permanently. The physical office environment will remain an important place where colleagues can meet, collaborate on common tasks and projects.
It was left to the managers to find a win-win solution. And it turns out that the answer could be a hybrid model of work.
Hybrid working presents a fundamental challenge to create an optimal space for employees and customers, providing the tools and technology to collaborate efficiently, reliably and securely. Companies should be mindful of the fact that satisfied and engaged employees are the most important. Create a work environment that is dynamic, fluid and allows people to work from anywhere, but also at any time.
Where and how to start? The pillars of the strategy are defined rules that will enable people to work flexibly. It is also necessary to reimagine the physical space and invest in technologies that can both connect people and enable smooth, seamless collaboration. At the same time, at all times, remember to protect corporate know-how, the corporate environment as such, and to resist attacks or minimise the risk of attacks.
Hybrid work mode rules
If you want to provide people with opportunities for extraordinary flexibility, you must first answer these questions:
Who will be able to work remotely? How will they connect to company systems?
People working remotely need to be able to access company systems and documents securely. The solution is to use a VPN, RDP or encrypted login to a web environment.
Is the remote connection secure enough?
Being suspicious and suspicious is justified in this case. RDP technology is a frequent target of cyber attacks. There have been several cases of security breaches, especially when attackers have managed to find a way to exploit poorly configured settings or weak passwords to gain access to corporate networks.
How do I know that the person logged into the system is my employee?
So, I’m going to use a form of Identity Verification. Such an entry into the corporate environment should already be a necessary – basic preventive / security act. To prevent the frequency of authentication from becoming bothersome and restrictive, conditional authentication scenarios can be applied where appropriate. Simplified, initial identity verification is automatically triggered when suspicious, illogical or non-standard activities are observed.
Who will have to go to the office, for how long, and where will people do their work?
The alternating work mode entails a reduction of “desks and chairs”. Some companies have even eliminated them altogether and are fully operational. Appropriately selected tools and technologies enable them to do so. Routine work activities such as meetings with colleagues, work meetings, business consultations, we have learned to handle online. Experimenting with various “free” solutions can prove to be the most expensive and difficult way to go.
So how do you choose the right service, application or tool that meets the combined way of working?
SOLUTION
Consulting specialists is certainly a safe shortcut. The proposal is “tailored”, taking into account needs and habits, and perceiving the situation from a perspective, and the result is an optimal solution and satisfied all parties involved.
Creating a “new” physical space
The determination of the rules of the hybrid mode of work naturally starts the phase of their application, i.e. the creation of a “new” physical space. Hybrid mode requires linking the physical world – the office space, with the digital world and meets the needs of individuals and teams and specific roles.
However, what remains common in both forms of work are the working tools used – computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, printer. That is, the devices through which the employee connects to the company’s systems. These contain a variety of company data, including sensitive or confidential data. But, let’s face it, we don’t always use work devices just for work. How many times does a child need to fulfill a school obligation, play, or ONLY need to order something in a hurry. Facilities that are not under the control of the company are the weak point of the organization, regardless of the place of work.
SOLUTION
Don’t open the door to burners, take care to protect the equipment. Well set up equipment protection can cover several areas at once:
- Encryption also fulfils the GDPR requirement;
- By detecting threats – you prevent the fatal consequences of an attack;
- If the device is stolen, you can immediately “shut it down”, e.g. by switching it off and deleting its contents;
- You can monitor and update devices and even locate them;
- You can apply security policies – apply them from one place on all types of devices (Windows, Android, iOS, Mac);
- You can protect and manage your business applications;
- Adopt a BYOD model – and protect and manage corporate “space” on private devices and save on device costs;
- Conduct forensic activities after an attack;
- Leverage the features of artificial intelligence in threat detection.
Investing in technology
Modern technology is evolving at a tremendous pace. Effective solutions are pouring in from every direction, impacting employees, customers and suppliers alike. If you’ve already adopted the hybrid working model as your standard or are preparing to do so, the criteria for technology support are the same at key points. Security, availability and flexibility to support employee mobility. The market offer is not lagging behind, in some cases it is even several steps ahead.
The integration of cloud solutions and mobile applications that enable collaboration between employees working remotely is key to ensuring people are consistently engaged in remote working.
Focusing on security is essential in this regard. Companies, and especially their employees, often fail to protect their data and quickly fall victim to hacker attacks. It is not only hybrid work that requires quality security that provides early warning of impending risk. Qualified IT professionals specializing in cybersecurity are expensive and hard to find. Companies need to find ways to optimize their IT support for employees working remotely so they can focus on solving common business problems. How to which technology to properly integrate into business systems and existing processes so that everything works together. Having a dedicated partner for this who has their own cloud solutions and can provide skilled support on security issues as well can be incredibly helpful. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of outsourced IT management services or consulting for IT infrastructure changes that come with new solutions that support hybrid working. It will definitely pay off.
