Every organization has adopted its own set of IT Modernization and workplace automation goals for 2022 to keep pace with the modern digital transformation journeys. Let’s understand the modern hybrid workforce trends in 2022 that are impacting the overall enterprise digitization goals for an organization.
What is a Hybrid Workforce Model?
A hybrid workforce is a type of blended workforce that includes employees who work from home as well as those who work from an office or central location. Employees can work from wherever they want, whether it’s a central location like a warehouse, factory, or retail location, or a remote location like their home.
It is essentially a flexible workplace model designed to support a distributed workforce that works both in the office and from home. Hybrid workforce models can improve agility and resilience while also driving competitive differentiation and cost savings. The pace of digital transformation continues to pick up as organizations around the world rethink their business strategies in response to the COVID-19.
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However, many organizations are already struggling with a lack of digital skills, which could stymie their transformation efforts. The good news is that the pandemic has also influenced several new workforce trends and workplace norms, opening up a window of opportunity for HR and other business leaders to leverage new hybrid workforce models.
Hybrid workforce planning is a deliberate design that allows employees to move from remote solo locations and micro-sites of small populations to traditional concentrated facilities (offices, factories, retail, etc.). During the pandemic, many organizations were forced to manage a distributed workforce that was dispersed by location and disrupted by outside distractions.
HR and other business leaders, managers, and employees can use hybrid workforce planning to rethink organizational structures, roles, and work design in entirely new ways.
Employees must complete their work and meet their individual goals regardless of which option they select. A hybrid workplace, when done correctly, allows employees to be more productive and encourages employee engagement.
How Does a Hybrid Workforce Function?
Employees in a hybrid workforce, like those in a remote workforce, work from a location other than the office. The difference is that hybrid workforce approaches are not entirely improbable.
Different organizations may take a different approach to the hybrid workplace.
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Some employees, for example, may work from home while others remain in the office indefinitely. Others, on the other hand, may work in the office and then switch work locations regularly. Some employees could come into the office on occasion and then do the rest of their work from home.
Furthermore, a company may designate certain days for in-person collaboration and meetings while scheduling other days for remote work.
Why is a Hybrid Workforce Necessary?
A hybrid workforce means that a company can combine the benefits of remote work with the collaboration opportunities of on-site work.
A hybrid workforce boosts employee productivity while also allowing employees to achieve a better work-life balance. Furthermore, companies can save money on rental or property costs because some employees will be working remotely and will not require as much office space.
Hybrid models provide agility and resilience while also aiding in competitive differentiation and cost containment. Importantly, these advantages can be obtained in tandem, rather than at the expense of one another.
How to Ensure the Information Security of a Hybrid Workforce
As organizations transition to a hybrid workforce model, they must implement new strategies to secure remote employees, protect corporate data, and combat cyber threats.
Here are some strategies for securing a hybrid workforce:
- IT security policies should be updated – Many businesses have yet to update their corporate cybersecurity policies to reflect the fact that more employees are working remotely. Companies should develop new policies to ensure the security of corporate data regardless of where employees work. Implement and enforce a policy requiring two-factor authentication, for example, so that every employee must provide two pieces of information to sign in to the corporate network.
- Make security training available – Employees who work remotely do not have access to IT support staff to assist them with any issues that may arise. As a result, organizations should train employees on how to protect themselves while working from home or other off-site locations. They should provide remote employees with training and resources to help them understand how to reduce cyber threats and keep these resources up to date as new information becomes available.
- Create a separate network – Companies should create new virtual private networks (VPNs) to connect remote workers to the corporate network. This will strengthen an organization’s existing security protocols while also providing greater protection for remote employees, allowing them to work from any device and any location.
- Examine the corporate devices used by remote/hybrid workers – For all remote/hybrid employees, businesses should update the corporate devices on their network security systems. IT support personnel should audit those devices regularly to ensure that they are operating properly and that all of the latest patches have been installed.
- Employees’ access to corporate data should be restricted – If remote workers know the amount of data they can use is limited, they will be less likely to use their corporate devices for personal reasons. As a result, they may visit unsecured websites on corporate devices less frequently, reducing their exposure to cybersecurity threats.
- Carry out penetration testing – Companies should test their corporate devices to see how vulnerable they are to cyberattacks, then analyze the results and implement the necessary security updates.
Actions for HR
“Talent and labor market analytics provide the ammunition to drive hybrid workforce decisions about skills needs, locations, and costs,” says Gartner VP, Advisory Scott Engler. “These decisions will allow for a faster and more cost-effective pace of digital transformation.”
HR’s next steps include the following:
- Find emerging pools of low-cost digital talent – Organizations may have discounted certain talent pools under traditional models because they were outside the existing footprint. They can now look into emerging hubs, which are talent pools with a steady supply of relevant skills at a low to medium salary cost. According to Gartner TalentNeuronTM data, the fast-growing IT sectors in Hyderabad, India, and Metro Manila, Philippines, are now potentially productive hiring grounds.
- Recognize emerging abilities – Compare your internal skill set to that of competitors to identify the critical skills required to drive competitive advantage. Leading technology companies, for example, are looking for natural language understanding and neural networks skills, while all companies are looking for artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity skills. Determine what skills you require and how quickly you can acquire them.
- Hire for transferable skills rather than industry experience – Because certain skills are related to others in ways that may not appear obvious. Look for candidates who can easily expand their skills to include everything required for the role you’re trying to fill. Through “skills adjacencies,” you can increase the size of the talent pool.
- Concentrate on the total skills market – Organizations and recruiters rely heavily on trusted sources of talent, but those traditional paths are restrictive. Extend your sourcing strategy and adjust your criteria and processes to avoid excluding qualified candidates. For example, map internal skills to identify talent who may have acquired skills through a nontraditional credentialing route (e.g., self-teaching), and ensure interview processes are inclusive (e.g., do not disqualify neuro-diverse talent).
Hybrid workforce trends influenced by the leadership
If a company wants to succeed with its hybrid workforce, its leaders must:
- Adopt AI-based technology-centric tools to manage, monitor and supervise employees working at on-site or remotely.
- Advocate for employee development to ensure that employees have the skills they require to be productive.
- Lead in-office and virtual teams by communicating through multiple channels.
- Establish procedures to ensure that employees in the office and those working from home are on the same page.
- Discuss how to best collaborate with remote and in-office teams in a hybrid workforce environment.
- Create a team culture and rules for both in-office and remote teams.
- Require all-team meetings to be held online because hybrid meetings are unfair to those who are not physically present.
- Set weekly priorities and objectives to ensure that employees complete the most important tasks first.
- This hybrid workforce model, assist all employees in managing their stress levels.
The benefits and drawbacks of a hybrid workforce
A hybrid workplace values the employee and promotes a better work-life balance. It can also help to alleviate employee anxiety about returning to a public workspace or taking public transportation. This is especially important for those caring for or who are immuno-compromised themselves.
The following are some of the benefits of implementing a hybrid workforce model:
- Saving Money – Companies that use a hybrid workforce model can save money because they don’t need as much office space. Employees who work from home can save money on commuting expenses.
- Productivity has increased – Productivity rises because remote employees can be less distracted and more focused, depending on the individual. Employee absenteeism is also reduced because they work remotely, for example, they can likely still work if they have a cold. This also reduces the possibility of germs spreading.
- Access to a larger pool of talent – Organizations that use a hybrid workforce model can hire local workers as well as workers from all over the world.
- Reduced Attrition – Workers who can maintain a healthy work-life balance are generally happier, and as a result, they become more loyal and stay at their jobs for longer periods.
- A hybrid workplace can also aid in the development of a crisis-resilient culture by preparing organizations for potential future lockdowns. With many employees already working from home, your company can easily transition back to a completely remote environment if necessary.
A hybrid workplace can help to reduce the spread of contagious viruses by allowing employees to work from home if they are sick. A hybrid workplace may also provide a solution for organizations with employees who aren’t vaccinated, or who are unable or unwilling to become vaccinated.
The disadvantages of implementing a hybrid workforce model are as follows:
- Teamwork/collaboration may be jeopardized – Tasks that require a lot of teamwork and collaboration are easier to complete in the office because employees can interact and share ideas more easily. Collaboration tools can help mitigate this, but it may still be inconvenient for some employees.
- Security is introduced by hybrid employees – When employees work remotely, the risk of cybersecurity breaches increases because they may expose sensitive corporate data by using unsecured public Wi-Fi, downloading unsafe applications, or downloading malware by clicking on unsafe emails or websites.
- Distinctions exist between employees who work in the office and those who work remotely – Because there is no in-person oversight, in-office employees may believe their remote colleagues aren’t working as hard as they should. Furthermore, remote employees may believe that advancement opportunities in the company are greater for in-office colleagues because their managers see them every day.
Conclusion
If there has been a silver lining in the last two years, it is that the pandemic has enabled us to reimagine the workplace and the opportunities for optimization. To be successful, the hybrid workplace must be well planned and executed, rather than being treated as a novel experiment.
While the hybrid workplace may appear to be a short-term solution to a short-term problem, it is a long-term solution to the future of work. It is about balancing work, safety, communication, and mental health. The pandemic will eventually be over. When this occurs, the workplace will be a happier, healthier, and more productive environment than it was previously.