Tech Dictionary
Today we talk about HYBRID WORK.
03
Aug
Aug
Whether you call it “remote work“, “hybrid work” or more commonly “smartworking“, we live in a present where, like it or not, it represents a new normal, regardless of the health emergency we have faced in recent years.
From a working point of view, we think that the most pronounced word in recent years has been “smartworking”. What it is we all know more or less, how to apply it correctly and functionally is a different matter!
But our blog has a section that acts as a dictionary, so it’s right to start from the beginning: what issmartworking? Has it always been so widespread outside our country?
Well, let’s start with its meaning: smart working, literally “agile work” and it is simply a professional mode not bound by defined workplaces and hours.
Over time it has also taken on other names such as “hybrid work“, “work from home“, “remote work“, “mobile work” and “home working“. The meaning is more or less the same: the temporary or permanent transfer of one’s work to the home or to another place outside the office.
Pandemic 0: World of work 1
In Italy (but not only) it has become the main solution to the damage that the pandemic has caused to the world of work. Many companies, in order to continue with the canonical production flow, have chosen to applywork from home to their employees, in most cases offering all the necessary tools to face a classic working day.
During the most acute phase of the health emergency, the smartworking at Italy involved 97% of large enterprises, 94% of Italian public administrations, and 58% of SMEs, for a total of 6.58 million agile workers, about one-third of Italian employees, more than ten times more than the 570,000 census in 2019! (You can find all the data collected here)
Remote work has literally saved many companies, but it has also taught a new way of employment, which abroad, and for certain professions, had already been slowly taking hold for some time, almost completely replacing the classic face-to-face work. Obviously there isdigitalization to be thankful, without which we would not be here talking about the possibility of offering and obtaining the possibility of a work from home.
According to polls, before the pandemic began in March 2020, only a small minority of people worked permanently from home in many European countries. The figures range from 3.6% in Italy to 14% in theNetherlands. In the spring of 2020, about 30% – 40% of jobs in Germany turned, overnight, into remote work (previously, the home office stood at around 4%). A serious tenfold increase! (Find all the data collected here andhere)
Hybrid work:
the “middle way” of the future!
The remote work is becoming a normality not only out of necessity, but out of a real preference: there are plenty of surveys showing that employees (and young people) expect a future with a Professional model in hybrid and flexible type, abandoning traditional systems of face-to-face work. Many of the respondents said they were in favor of a mixed model, with two days a week working from home and three days a week at the office.
Furthermore, a recent survey by the American business consulting firm Korn Ferry even concludes that the thought of returning to mandatory attendance at work causes stress among 70% of study participants. (Find the cited datahere).
The advantages, but also the disadvantages of remote working are perceived very clearly and a mixed form of working in the office and from elsewhere is the most viable model for the future.
The advantages of remote work:
work from a beach? Why not?
Let’s be honest, when we feel the possibility of getting ahybrid job, the first thing that comes to mind is the opportunityto be able to do our homework anywhere and not just from the desk at home.A beach, maybe? A bar with a breathtaking view of the city? Why not? Almost any place now has WIFI and all we need is a computer with a working connection. The important thing is to do your job, but no one could hinder us in choosing where.
Obviously, this is not the only advantage, on the contrary, let’s see how it can make a difference within our company.
Hybrid work is:
Cost and time savings:
An employee can start working immediately and once finished be already “at home”.
Basically there is the possibility of obtaining a substantial saving of time without the commute from home to work, favoring more free time available. It would also involve lower costs for fuel or public transport, implying areduction in polluting emissions and a lower environmental impact caused by car traffic.
More responsibility
The automatic trustthat an employer offers to the employee by giving him the opportunity to operate remotely, generally has a positive effect on the latter’s mood, increasing his motivation and the aim of achieving good results.
Flexible distribution of working hours
In case of commitments related to the private / home sphere, the work can be managed flexibly and without stress.
Work according to your own biorhythm
The employee will be able to autonomously establish his moments of greatest productive yield and distribute his working hours accordingly. This dynamic also increases operational efficiency and individual satisfaction.
Greater ability to concentrate
If the employee was surrounded by a “protected” operating environment in mode home office, it will enable him to work more dedicatedly on projects that require concentration. In contrast, distractions brought by colleagues, meetings, or coffee breaks, as well as a higher noise level in large usual work spaces, have a negative impact on the ability to concentrate.
Easier recruitment of staff
The most skilled workers can be hired regardless of their location.
The other side of the coin: the disadvantages of hybrid work.
Is there a solution to counter them?
Rightly, as we have addressed the advantagesof remote working, it is right and proper to warn companies about the negative sides of this modality. But we have a nice surprise for you: there is always a remedy for every problem!
Unfortunately,
hybrid work is also:
Lack of defined boundaries
One of the greatest advantages of hybrid work is at the same time its main disadvantage, because by eliminating the journey to work, theseparation between profession and private life is lost, destabilizing the balance. Furthermore, many employees do not have, in terms of space, the possibility of creating an office area in their home.
Finally, this situation could also cause you tolose control of the time limits: to answer a last email, make a last phone call, take a quick look at a project. The ease of access to all information even from home reduces the possibility of disconnecting from work and therefore regenerating.
Decreased team spirit
Employees risk no longer feeling well integrated in a work teamcontext, losing opportunities for discussion and the creation of more innovative ideas (it takes more minds to make a project soar!). Daily work is carried out as effectively as before (even more), but new ideas, such as those relating to product development, operational processes or services, seem to flow more into the context offace-to-face work.
Loss of information in virtual meetings
Virtual meetings withconference solutions are often considered more profitable than physical ones, but, on the other hand, the transmission of important non-verbal signals such as body language is not as effective as inface-to-face meetings. In addition, not all employees feel comfortable in front of the camera, which often creates a very large gap between those who speak most often and those who remain silent. A further problem arises when participants turn off the camera: as social beings, we depend on both verbal and non-verbal communication signals. In their absence, misunderstandings and the loss of information are on the agenda.
Technical Problems
Technical problems often inhibit the quality of the conference. Instead of focusing on the content, participants are faced with problems such aspoor audio quality, camera blocking and continuous switching between audio activation and deactivation. All of this significantly reduces the ability to concentrate and makes meetings much less effective than real ones.
Work climate penalized
While chatting between colleagues creates deconcentration, at the same time they are a golden opportunity to establish mutual connections and friendships, and it is in this context that the climate ofinteraction and collaboration between employees takes shape. If this exchange fails, a deficit is created which is difficult to compensate for.
Safety issues
According to numerous studies, many of the companies that offer the option of working from home suffer more cyber attacks in their remote work environment. In fact, you must take advantage of all the tools necessary to defend yourself from hackers and viruses. Come and find out how to recognize them on our dedicated blog article!
7 rules to embrace the future!
Advantages and disadvantages have been discovered on the table: now there is only one thing to do, find out how to combat the dark sides of remote work, to increase its positives and create the rightwork balance.
Don’t save on technique!
The excellent technical equipment of the mobile workstations is one of the fundamental prerequisites for it to work. In the first place, digital tools are required that provide all the functionalities necessary for effective collaboration and without media interruptions. It starts with a reliable conference solution connected to a document sharing tool, and then arrives at face-to-face applications, telephony, chat, CRM, integrations and much more. In this sense, it is essential to have a unified user interface available that allows access to all applications.
Furthermore, it is essential to ask: is the workstation ergonomically designed? Is the basic hardware present (for example a PC, a second monitor, a printer, a set of earphones, etc?)
Finally, good VPN connectivity of the mobile workstation is essential, both in terms of availability and security.
Invest in safety !!
Among the most critical issues in the mass transfer of jobs to thehome office figure the issue of the safety. Cyber attacks have increased significantly and in this sense the work at home is an easy target due to the suboptimal protection of access to internal company data.
Employees should only be able to access the corporate network from their mobile locations via a secure connection. More secure passwords, regular software updates and staff training to increase awareness are key elements of a hybrid security concept.
Fixed working hours in person!
A significant disadvantage of hybrid work is the loss of team spirit in a professional setting. Assuming the mixed model, what it provides two days working from home and three days in the office, a smart allocation might involve scheduling large meetings on office days and allocating the larger, concentration-intensive tasks to remote work days.
Creating physical meeting rooms!
Whether it is meetings between two people, larger team meetings or gatherings of all staff such as team building or corporate parties, it is important that the building be available adequate rooms, which may also be prenotate con breve preavviso tramite uno appropriate digital tool. The corresponding technological tools, including whiteboard, flipcharts, and video conferencing system for inclusion of external participants should already be in place and ready to use, so that meetings can take place even at the last minute without the need for major preparations.
Introduction of organizational tools
Applications that make work progress visible simplify and structure operational processes and allow you to collaborate on complex projects. When staff are not physically located in one place, these tools can ensure that multiple parties work efficiently on a single project.
Workstation available everywhere!
Regardless of where they work, if the worker immediately finds himself in his usual work environment, from which he can access all applications through a unified platform , he can invest the time saved in another way.
Periodic interviews with the staff !!
When physical proximity is lacking, personal conversations with employees are vital. Regularly scheduled feedback interviews are a good opportunity to establish trust and strengthen individual motivation. Such face-to-face conversations are indispensable for good cohesion within the company. However, employee interviews should be able to be conducted whenever the need arises, preferably in person at the office.
Theoretical study on smartworking: done!
But on the practical side: how to continue?
Staying or deciding to embrace a well-balanced hybrid work idea can be a lot easier than you think.
LF Impianti puts itself at your complete disposal: by filling out a very simple questionnaire, here we will provide you with a FREE VADEMECUM that will act as a guide for the process of “transformation” from work in presence to remote work.
You can decide to keep the document as a compass, you can choose to contact us to investigate the matter or you can forget the documentation received and follow another path: no obligation and no bond with LF Impianti.
LF Impianti remains at your complete disposal for a free consultation, to build together a personalized package that will be able to extinguish any doubts and worries, to begin a new path towards the business of the future!
See you in videoconference on a tropical beach or in the comments section, open to any discussion or need or, again, on our dedicated page!
A curious middle way:
pets vs hybrid work
During the pandemic period we were many to carry out the work from home and, in some cases, in addition to having the sounds of their family in the background, someone will also have had the curious company of their pets.
We spent more time with them and very often they supported us like classic assistants during work tasks, appearing during video conferences , wondering why we were talking to a computer and even hearing it answer from the other side!
But the question arises: in a hybrid work environment, are our pets a positive presence or a constant distraction?
Some cutting-edge activities, even during normal office work, allow pets to enter by their collaborators, making them almost an integral part of the team or small mascots.
But it is not just about companies, some universities and even hospitals also allow access, on the one hand for an increase in productivity and on the other as regular visits for their patients.
If the presence of pets improves mood and productivity in the office , from home the situation does not change, and indeed, it improves!
Having our four-legged friends next to us increases our work performance, making the atmosphere more relaxed, reducing stress and significantly increasing concentration and creativity.
Working from home, their warm presence makes the hours of work in front of the computer smoother, allowing us those little distractions that allow us to rest our mind as necessary and then resume work with even more energy!
Meows, caresses, play moments, short walks and all those little attentions that may require us, are extremely positive in a work (and psychological) context.
Furthermore, the dog’s need to take walks in the open air also favors physical activity which converges in favor of psycho-physical well-being and, consequently, also professional and, indirectly, corporate well-being: a real victory over all. the fronts.
Not just smart working:
working by objectives
In the first weeks of June, multiple news outlets reported on this new labor phenomenon introduced by a company in Treviso that has literally abolished fixed hours for a strictly goal-oriented approach.
This is neither smart working nor hybrid working, but true self-management of one’s time, with the elimination of the fixed canonical eight hours regulated by clocking in and out; or the concept of “clocking out.“
The concept applied is that of free time: no matter if the employee takes only a couple of hours to achieve the set goal, his compensation will not be calculated on the time spent, but on his productivity.
In this sense, autonomy is also given related to the times at which to report to the office: if you prefer to perform your duties at the evening, the company will leave the opportunity to access the offices; as well as the opportunity to be able to show up for even one hour during the day, if you feel it is enough for your purpose.
Obviously this is amarketing agency, which can enable certain departments (especially those related to the web and social) to be able to carry out their activities anywhere, anytime, since their only need is to own a computer and an Internet connection.
All this nurtures the relationship of trust between employer and subordinate, as well as better management of one’s private and professional life, increasing serenity and awareness.
The logic applied relates to the thought that the better the private life of one’s employees, the better their work performance will be.
That flexible work is a good alternative for the future and the perfect middle ground between in-person and remote work?
It will only be time and the mindset of large companies that will determine the response.