Research by Mckinsey suggests that expectations around in-office working have changed. While 99 percent of executives expected employees to spend more than 80 percent of their time in the physical office before COVID-19, that perspective is now shared by a mere 10 per cent.
What is Hybrid Working?
"Hybrid working is a type of flexible working where an employee splits their time between the workspace and remote working. Working from home is the most common way of working remotely. An employee might work from home all the time, or as part of a hybrid working arrangement." – according to ACAS
And an estimated 48% of workers will continue to work remotely going forward. With even more wanting to work from home…
How does Hybrid Working Accelerate the Transformation to A Digital Workspace?
Even though the Future of Work is continuing to emerge and evolve, hybrid working is here now, and the workspace needs to adapt from a physical desk with dedicated desktop software to a digital workspace. Because work is no longer a place, and your employees will need to access their workspace across multiple locations and devices, creating new challenges for CIOs. These include security, managing access and software updates and facilitating improved collaboration between office and home locations, and “on the move”.
In this article, we present 3 ways for CIO’s to prepare for the future of work and create a Digital Workspace in your business.
1. Implement Cloud-Based Solutions To Improve Productivity
Cloud-based solutions allow employees to access company data and applications from anywhere in the world. Centrally stored knowledge can enable users to access the right company information, at the right time. And onboarding of new users can be accomplished in minutes, rather than hours or days. Cloud-based solutions are essential for businesses that want to remain agile, adaptable and profitable in the face of change. By moving to the cloud now, CIOs can ensure that they are embracing the opportunities of hybrid working.
2. Invest in Collaboration Tools to Encourage Team Problem Solving.
Successful hybrid working requires managers to adopt a team problem-solving as a mindset. To tackle hard problems, they engage personally, mobilize resources, and link teams up. Involving people in finding a solution creates buy-in and encourages ownership of outcomes.
And this means more demand for collaboration tools that allow employees to work together effectively no matter where they are located. CIOs need to enable seamless communication, collaboration, and management of documents. Training and support for employees will ensure that they are utilising the tools effectively.
3. Foster a Culture of Innovation To Take Advantage of the Benefits of Hybrid Working
Finally, CIOs need to foster a culture of innovation within their organisations if they want to succeed in the digital workplace. This means encouraging employees to experiment with new ideas and technologies and giving them the freedom to fail. By creating a culture of innovation, CIOs can ensure that their businesses are always at the forefront of change.
Embrace the Future Now
One very powerful suite of tools that allows businesses to embrace hybrid working is Google Workspace.
Google Workspace drives transformation through rich communication, mobility change, positive culture, productivity increments, innovation fostering and happy users with their IT teams.
We can help you assess the suitability of transitioning your business to Google Workspace. Once ready, our Google experts can assist in the migration and management of your Google Workspace solution to ensure a smooth transition for your business. This will increase the efficiency and adaptability of your organisation, but it will also reduce your operating cost, improve your productivity, business growth and profitability.
Message back or email today to learn about how we can help your business stay ahead in the future of work with Google Workspace.