The balance between in office and remote work rely on technologies and applications that are suited for both
We have seen a dramatic change in the “normal working environment” for employees across most industries. Many companies have transitioned their employees from daily commutes, cubicle life, and in-person meetings to remote work teleconferencing, and virtual workplace trends as part of a more flexible work model.
Businesses are prioritizing creating a secure and efficient work environment wherever employees prefer to be. Investing in the right digital remote work tools helps seamlessly integrate business between virtual and in-person workspaces. Often these tools rely on consistent network connectivity.
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Hybrid work from home model
The most impactful virtual workplace trend is the hybrid work model. It gives employees the choice and flexibility to switch between a virtual and in-person location as they choose.
Determining what is the best way to utilize office space and how often employees should come into the office for optimum productivity are challenges businesses will face moving forward. According to PWC’s US Remote Work Survey, more than half of employees prefer to work remotely three days of the week or more. Workers believe that an offices’ main purpose is a space to meet with clients and that productivity is possible anywhere.
Another way businesses can benefit from this type of location flexibility is the wider range of employee candidates to pick from on a global scale. Video meetings have made it easier to hire widely distributed employees —who provide greater diversity of skills and knowledge.
Small office home office (SOHO) routers
When employees work from home, often their Internet speeds are diminished by bandwidth competition with a spouse and/or children who also are using laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other devices on the residential local-area network (LAN). The result? Dropped video calls, slow download and upload speeds, and more.
A dedicated at home cellular network via a SOHO router can cut the lag so business is uninterrupted when employees engage in remote work.
A separate network removes the obstacle of an unpredictable connection but also ensures the corporate IT team can monitor and manage when problems arise. They can utilize cloud-based network management to centrally troubleshoot connectivity issues outside the office. This solution expands beyond just fixing problems, giving IT teams the ability to send out security updates, adjust cellular connections, control devices access and traffic usage, and deploy application updates.
If there is no separation between personal and work devices on consumer broadband networks at home, the risk of a security breach. Using company devices on a secure LTE or 5G network is a great way for businesses to protect valuable information.
Investing in the right tools
There are complexities to the hybrid work model, including how to develop an overarching work culture when employees are not always in the office. Businesses will have to adjust by expanding the implementation of IoT devices and online HR tools.
Executives are getting creative about how to use their office space, and that innovation is ongoing. Tactics could include adopting technologies such as projectors, electronic whiteboards, and even VR to better include remote workers. Much of advanced technology that will be adopted undoubtedly will require reliable connectivity as a foundation to provide a seamless union between employees in office and at home.
Online HR tools for employees increased during the global pandemic with on-boarding, hiring, and employee learning done virtually through applications. Investing in the right resources can help employees understand company culture and the outward brand. This and other virtual workplace trends will continue to evolve in step with companies’ constantly changing needs.
Adjustments that were made for the virtual model during the COVID-19 pandemic benefitted productivity and permanently changed how companies think about workspaces. Secure and reliable connectivity creates the foundation that allows employees the flexibility to work how and from where they prefer.
