We’ll return to a workplace different from 2020 – and 2019. And that’s a good thing.

Think of the last really valuable digital interaction that you had.

Most likely, it was something fully remote – the surprisingly effective video brainstorm where your colleagues shared great ideas from their kitchens, across multiple countries, for example.

Organisations have been trying to perfect these kinds of digital engagements for the last year, supporting colleagues, customers and citizens remotely while distance has been essential.

Now, we’re looking ahead to a pivotal stage: the reopening of workplaces.

But we’re not going to flip a switch back to the world of 2019. And in fact, that represents a big opportunity for companies.

Now is the time to plan for your hybrid future – a workplace that’s not simply as good as, but better than, the old working ways.

The best of both worlds

I’ve already seen many really exciting examples of hybrid interactions in the last year.

Picture a nurse registering patients in the emergency room. It’s a very personal interaction that requires the nurse to speak to the patient face to face, to assess and reassure them. But during a pandemic, this of course creates the risk of infection on both sides. 

Now, some hospitals have adopted high quality video conferencing tools – which allow healthcare administrators to register patients from behind a physical barrier or in a separate room. The interaction is still there, but both sides are kept safe.

In most settings, we were forced to introduce remote technology out of necessity, and it hasn’t always been easy. But the positive is that customers and colleagues have accepted the need to go digital to stay safe, and that is a great platform for future change.

The rise of digital technology over the last year means we have a great opportunity: combining the remote and the physical to create the best engagements.

Identifying what works and for who

In 2020, we didn’t have much time to analyse our remote tools with any level of sophistication. In the rush to remain operational, the question was usually “Can I use this?” rather than “What’s best for the future?”

But for the workplace of 2021, we need to return to the fundamental idea that just because we can do something digitally, doesn’t mean we should.

A hybrid organisation means that we can choose what works remotely and what works physically, for employees and customers. And in an office for example, that might change on a day-to-day basis depending on the task at hand.

For organisations, the challenge is creating better interactions irrespective of distance. Whether people are at home or in the office, face to face or in a remote environment, engagements must be meaningful and valuable for the participants involved.

On the customer side, it’s about considering how your stakeholders actually want to communicate with you – and making it as enriching as possible. Some might be desperate to return to the branch or the board room, while others might prefer an app or video calls.

Having the digital toolset to direct customers to the best channel and serve them in that setting will be crucial.

On the employee side, expect an office revolution. Once, we built workspaces solely for the people inside them; now, we need offices that are fully optimised for hybrid working – so that people working from home aren’t ever second-class citizens.

That means making offices more digital, with tools like rich video conferencing set ups and digital white boards throughout the building.

For organisations, this creates incredible opportunities around accessing talent. Workers that might have been excluded from the workplace by distance, time restrictions or physical considerations can now be brought into the business.

When we’re no longer bound by bricks and mortar – or restricted to remote tools – the possibilities for both employees and customers will be huge. It’s all about identifying what works and for who, to create experiences that are ten times better than before, no matter the setting.

A secure, private, manageable set up

To create a great hybrid workplace at the pace needed, we’ll need strong technology foundations in place.

Moving to cloud technology will provide the speed and scale required as businesses introduce new applications and platforms.

Organisations can also look to take greater advantage of artificial intelligence to support the employee experience. It might be transcribing Webex meeting notes automatically and recording actions, to improve productivity.

Or it might be supporting social distancing, by monitoring the number of people in each space and issuing alerts as needed.

Critically, all of these capabilities will need to be wrapped up in security and privacy. If customers and employees don’t trust the tools on offer, organisations won’t reach the outcomes desired.

Finding tools with security built in, rather than bolted on, will be vital for setting up the hybrid workplace in the right way.

From the technology perspective, now is the time to consider establishing the secure, private and manageable set up your organisation will need for the next stage of the workplace.

The workplace of 2021 and beyond

We’re all hoping that 2021 will be different from 2020 – and that includes the office. And while different regions will have different release dates, every organisation has the opportunity to consider what the new workplace could and should look like.

My advice would be to think carefully about the last twelve months: take the best and learn from the worst.

The return to the workplace of 2021 is a huge opportunity for organisations of every kind. But by focusing on what your people really need, you can make it work.

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