Hybrid working. You would like to, but how to start?

Hybrid working—we’re all doing it now. Can you still remember the impact remote working had on your business at the start? It took some getting used to, but it’s now the new norm. Employees appreciate the freedom to combine their personal and professional lives as they see fit. They’re able to concentrate better, use their time more efficiently—and you save energy in your office building. Long commutes are also a thing of the past. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But there’s a lot to consider. So how do you implement a hybrid working policy effectively? Here are five tips.

Tip 1 – Introduce Activity Based Working

Activity Based Working (ABW) is a working style that enables employees to collaborate effectively from various locations—in other words, hybrid working.

Create a workspace that’s available ‘on demand’. Let employees reserve their workstations in advance via a streamlined cloud-based desk management system, so you always have a clear view of office occupancy. Make sure your system offers the same flexibility you expect from your employees. This not only improves ease of working and job satisfaction, but also boosts productivity.

Want to learn more about Activity Based Working? Download our hybrid working e-book now.

Tip 2 – Safeguard your workflow

Hybrid working also means changes to how you ensure business continuity.

Employees often struggle to log in to business applications like SAP and CRM systems from home, which disrupts workflow. Take a closer look at how your IT department operates to ensure it can adapt to the new situation. This helps prevent escalations. Don’t have the necessary expertise in-house? You might consider bringing in an external IT partner to help ensure your employees’ work continues smoothly.

Tip 3 – Provide quality hardware

When employees are working from home, you want to avoid them using potentially unsecured personal laptops.

Make sure they’re equipped with secure company laptops featuring the right screen size (15, 16 or 17.3 inches). Also consider offering legacy ports, depending on your organisation’s needs. Want the full package? You could also invest in additional hardware like extra monitors and/or keyboards for home use. That way, you’ll be fully supporting hybrid working for your employees.

Tip 4 – Secure your data and devices

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting business data. With robust security, you can stop them in their tracks. But how do you secure your data and devices more effectively?

Implement two-factor authentication, requiring dual passwords to access files or devices. It’s also wise to use biometric passwords, tokens, NFC badges or virtual certificates. If you opt for Mobile Device Management (MDM), you’ll be able to control devices remotely—for example, by wiping or locking data.

Tip 5 – Choose the right digital collaboration tool

Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack—you name it. Over the past few years, we’ve all become more familiar with these online tools.

Having the right collaboration tool—and knowing how to use it—is more important than ever. Perhaps you made a rushed decision at the time. That’s why it’s worth (re)considering the following—how secure is it? Does everyone need an account to join? What’s the quality of the audio and video? The goal is to find a user-friendly, reliable solution that supports employee workflow and enhances partner and customer satisfaction.