Hybrid work: on the tightrope between face-to-face and virtual

Remote working has reached its peak of popularity in recent years, due to the pandemic and successive periods of mandatory confinement, but it is likely to continue to be a trend in the future. A Gallup study reveals that 53% of employees expect to continue working in hybrid work arrangements and 24% expect to work exclusively remotely, for example.

These new 100% remote or hybrid working models will require new approaches to leadership , talent management, communication and collaboration between teams to ensure that everyone remains productive and involved with the organization's culture.

After passing through the office and our own home, the workplace has migrated to internet cafés, libraries, and other coworking spaces. Working 'from anywhere' is the new normal that gives force to concepts such as corporate nomad or digital nomad . Thanks to the advancement of technology and increased work flexibility in organizations worldwide, traveling and carrying the office on your shoulders is now a lifestyle adopted by employees, freelancers, entrepreneurs, or investors in various areas.

Screen-proof connection, communication and trust

Email replies that arrive late, videoconferences with technical problems, multiple "can you hear me?", and text messages that are ambiguous and arrive in floods through various channels and formats. These are all current challenges that put our ability to work and collaborate in hybrid environments to the test daily.

In the book "Digital Body Language", Erica Dhawan highlights how humans rely on body language to connect and build trust – and how communication via screens challenges us to find new clues to decode these non-verbal signals. Face-to-face body language tells us that smiling, waving, and maintaining eye contact are all signs we are listening to. In the digital world, reading carefully is the new way of listening, writing clearly (and with emojis) is the new empathy, and the phone call is worth a thousand emails for building clarity and avoiding misunderstandings.

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Cybersecurity best practices in remote work, according to Centro Nacional de Ciberseguran?a :?

1.????? Devices: Use only devices authorized by the organization and trusted USB sticks. Enable automatic locking of devices and use PIN or password. Use a laptop screen filter.

2.????? Systems and data: Ensure that the devices have antivirus and firewall enabled. Make regular backups to an external device.

3.????? Navigation: Avoid using Wi-Fi in public spaces and always use the organization's VPN. Always browse HTTPS websites. Regularly change the password of the home Wi-Fi and ensure that it has a strong, and secret password. Ensure that the organization's network is segmented to protect the internal network.

4.????? Communication: Do not open emails or SMS, or click on unknown links or attachments. Encrypt sensitive communications. Do not share professional information on social networks.

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How software contributes to better work management in a hybrid context:

- Managing time effectively: Physical and electronic time clocking systems allow you to record, from any device, employee attendance, as well as breaks, vacations, leaves of absence, overtime, etc. On the other hand, they also allow you to monitor the time allocated to different tasks to optimize concentration and productivity.

- Controlling the information flow: The software allows you to manage information on the entire life cycle of the employee with different user levels (employees, services, and top management), as well as the creation of reports automatically, ensuring simplification and agility to professionals and HR managers in the hybrid context. It also makes it possible to ensure the authenticity and inviolability of the information using digital certificates and access control.

- Increased integration capacity: Intelligent systems offer flexibility and can be integrated with other software already running in the organization or with solutions from other areas or departments (Financial Management, Accounting, Document Management, Procurement, etc.).

- Efficient and integrated projects: It is possible to access the tasks of each team member and track the progress of projects by category, priority level, or deadline – using management systems that include notifications and alerts. Other advantages include process standardization, dematerialization, flexibility, greater cost control, and centralization of project information.

* As part of this article, learn more about Quidgest’s solutions for the transversal and effective management of your organization’s Human Resources here.

* Article originally published in Quidgest Blog