It’s not fresh news that the way business is conducted changed after COVID hit in March of 2020. Some things have changed back, but some aspects of business will never again be the way they were. With a remote workforce that many employers are trying to pull back into the physical office, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. Technology is at the forefront of the ‘new normal’ in the office environment.

Quite a few workers will never go back. At this point, only 28% of American workers have returned to the brick-and-mortar office. A May 2021 survey showed that 39% of workers would consider seeking employment elsewhere if their employers demanded a full-time return to the office.

That number, according to a report by ADP in April 2022, has shot up considerably – to 64% of the global workforce, and the number is still growing. Most of the remote crowd have found they can be as productive as ever while juggling family/home duties has become easier than ever. They don’t want a new invitation to rush-hour traffic.

The Wall Street Journal wrote: “Here are two things we can be sure of as people start to return to offices.

First, remote work is here to stay.

And second, it shouldn’t look anything like the improvised approach that was hastily thrown together in the face of a global pandemic.”

The dust on this issue is far from settled, and it would be a miracle if it settled in favor of the employers’ wishes. So, how does global enterprise make this work on a permanent basis? The development of the new hybrid workplace is an ongoing process. Many companies have still not put out a policy on returning or staying remote.

Once peripheral technologies like Zoom have come to the forefront, enabling companies to conduct business. Zoom and other methods of videoconferencing are the most noticeable technologies that keep the world working, but there is a collage of hybrid work technologies that are key to this new operational modus operandi.

What is hybrid work technology?

The technologies that empower the new hybrid office are still in a state of flux. From the Managed IT Services point of view, most of this is not ‘new.’ Every large city conducts global business using these tools and Charlotte is no different. Reputable members the Charlotte IT Support Community have supported remote connections all over the world for decades. In fact, we at ITFirm.com are often called in to assist in-house IT services departments to set up such connections.

Major technologies:

The Cloud
The best foundation for solid, dependable, and secure remote working is the cloud. Over the last year, IT support and services teams have encouraged and seen a massive migration to cloud platforms. Once, not too long ago, the cloud was primarily relegated to hosting emails and data backups, but it finally becomes evident that the best tool for supporting remote workers is to put the entire network in the cloud.

VoIP
VoIP phone systems (Voice over Internet Protocol) have been gaining ground for years, but now they have taken on a new light. When they originally replaced the old analog lines, they were viewed as just a new phone. Having installed quite a few of the systems, ITFirm.com has held trainings on VoIP features and benefits, but often to people who just wanted the phone. Now it’s a different story, with features like multiple end-points (desktop, laptop, smartphone, tablet), WebFax, texting, email, chat groups, instant messaging and more, VoIP is now a necessity in aiding the ease with which workers collaborate remotely.

Zoom
Zoom has never had more prominence than in the last two and a half years, and many workers do not see the need for face-to-face meetings or travel anymore. What reinforces that opinion is the fact that business proceeded as usual. While there are other platforms with similar features, Zoom is clearly the hands-down industry leader.

Google Workspace - Microsoft 365
The ‘rebranding’ of Google G Suite to Google Workspace was a great leap forward for any workforce, but particularly for hybrid or remote employees. Cloud-based, it offers a world of secure options. What sets this platform apart is the User Interface (UI) which allows easy access to most Workspace apps within the other apps, rather than opening and closing apps all day.

Microsoft 365 offers many similar features, including Office 365, in the same type of cloud-based platform as Google Workspace and offers a financially backed guarantee of 99.9% uptime that Workspace does not offer. The subscription allows for installation on “up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets, and five mobile devices” per user. Coupled with their cloud PC Windows 365 and you have a seamless winner.

Project Management Software
There are a number of Project Management programs available, such as TeamGantt, Smartsheet, Trello, and Asana. These are excellent tools for keeping remote employees on task and on target when you can’t see them working.

Human Resources/Payroll Software
There are plenty of tools available to your HR department to ensure that employee hours, pay and benefits are effortlessly kept on track. Remote workers should all be on an internet time clock and have their paychecks direct deposited. Monitoring tools for performance should be in place.

Instant Messaging/Chat
Another application with many vendors to choose from: Microsoft Teams (included in Office), Slack, Skype, Google Hangouts, Workplace by Facebook, and Chanty lead the pack, but there are many out there. See which one best fits your collaborative needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Hybrid Working?

A: A true Hybrid model simply allows flexibility for the worker to perform their duties successfully from home or office. Hybrid Working indicates some days in-office and some remote.

Q: Is remote work good or bad for employee engagement?

A: It depends on the employer, the employee and how it is implemented and managed. Success or failure depends on the business leadership. Forbes has a great breakdown of the pluses and minuses HERE.

Q: Why do hybrids work?

A: They work primarily because of the easy interaction with colleagues while remote. Many strictly remote workers live in a lonely bubble at home, whereas a true hybrid model reinforces collaboration and closer contact and sociability with co-workers.

Q: What is the one thing you need to make hybrid working more successful?

A: A firm set of Policies & Procedures (P&P). When COVID and the exodus from the office began, the remote working model was often hastily constructed, but the most successful businesses went about establishing solid policies, processes and communications within a reliable network that kept the workers involved with each other to the greatest extent possible.

Company Culture cannot be overlooked. In many ways it is the heart of your enterprise.

How secure is your network?

As a longstanding, reputable member of the Charlotte IT Support community, ITFirm.com offers a FREE, no-risk network and Cybersecurity assessment. We perform a non-intrusive scan that allows us to deliver a comprehensive report of the state of your system and its vulnerabilities that is yours to keep. There are no strings attached, and you are under no obligation to ever use our Managed IT Services.

The two best defenses are next-generation Cybersecurity to protect your data from theft, and a top-notch Managed Services Provider to ensure continued reliability and defenses against newly emerging threats.

We put our 100% Money Back Guarantee in writing, so there is no risk in trying us out. Because we do not require a ‘hard’ contract, our clients can fire us at any time with 30 days’ notice. We have to be good.

Among the Managed IT Services we provide:

IT HelpDesk Service
Onsite IT Support
Cybersecurity
Cloud migration and management
Email migration services
Backup and disaster recovery
VoIP phone systems
IT disposition and recycling
Office moves
White label services (IT to IT)

For more information, or to receive your FREE no-risk network and security assessment, just fill out the form on this page or call us at:
704-565-9705