In 2020, most people began working remotely, as the pandemic changed how different roles in society are fulfilled. But did you know that companies are adapting to the hybrid work model ?
As time went on and workplaces began to restructure and adapt to biosafety protocols, companies realized in 2021 that the workforce would not give up remote work, but with the appropriate measures and adjustments, they could begin to return to their workplaces in person; this is hybrid work.
Technology played a crucial role during the pandemic, as hybrid work necessitates secure and seamless technology. According to Cisco, in the future, most jobs and employees will perform their responsibilities in a hybrid manner and have the same experience regardless of their work location; approximately one in four employees prefers to work two to three times a week when offices reopen. And this is definitely already happening !
Strategies for implementing the hybrid work model :
- Create a plan to encourage different collaborators and employees to have greater flexibility when going to their workplaces and internet connections.
- Make a greater investment in different spaces and technologies to unite both the digital and virtual worlds.
- Combat digital burnout, which has increased due to the number of hours people spend on screens.
- Prioritize the reconstruction of the company’s cultural and social capital.
In the current landscape, and after two years of the pandemic, hybrid work has become the norm , making it more important than ever to optimize virtual, in-person, and hybrid interactions. This applies to all companies, regardless of size, and presents challenges in delivering an outstanding work experience whether an employee is in the office or working remotely.
Taking into account the above, according to the measurement of the first hybrid work index, the main conclusions reveal that hybrid work is driven by mobile devices and AI (Artificial Intelligence), and that talent is everywhere.
Some important figures:
- Cisco’s new Index, based on millions of aggregated and anonymized customer data points, provides global insights into preferences, habits, and technology usage in the hybrid work era.
- The more than 200% growth in the use of AI capabilities shows people’s desire to improve interactivity in meetings
- Mobile meetings on the go increased by 300% during the pandemic
- Security remains paramount: The hybrid workforce was targeted by more than 100 million email cyber threats daily in September 2021 alone.
With this information, we can conclude that today it is necessary to have tools that allow me to combine this work modality and that guarantee this way of working by reimagining spaces (office, home, or any place with connectivity), making workspaces more flexible, and ensuring memorable and always secure connections. All of this must be accompanied by several
Solutions to support hybrid work:
- Secure Connectivity
- Collaboration
Secure connectivity is essential and depends on where I connect to the network, whether it’s my corporate network or a home network, whether from my home or my work location. There are several solutions that provide this connectivity. Ultimately, the important thing is being able to connect to the internet and my business applications securely without compromising the corporate information I use daily. Then there’s how I interact with other colleagues on a daily basis. Cisco Webex is a secure cloud-based collaboration platform that works with different devices and applications to improve teamwork for each employee. For all these solutions , ITS has teams that can help you achieve this hybrid work model.
Written by: Sandra Liliana Báez, Senior Pre-Sales Engineer
