The past several years has seen an exponential acceleration to hybrid work for organizations of all sizes.
This trend has been driven not only by a global pandemic, but years of increasing pressure from employee demands, scarcity of talent and rapid technology advancements that support remote work, aka “work from anywhere” environments.
Organizations have needed to adapt to these trends and adopt new technologies at scale, which has created both opportunities as well as risks.
Flexibility – Where and when employees prefer to work has shifted. Based on a 2022 Microsoft Work Trends Index report, 57% of current remote employees are considering shifting to a hybrid work model. In the same report, 51% of employees who are currently working in a hybrid fashion are considering a shift to remote-only. In fact, “The Great Resignation” highlights this exact shift in prioritization and desire for more flexibility in the workplace.
Tight Talent Market – Through this shift to a hybrid work model, it has become easier for employees to find new work that may not be in their immediate geographic area. This is certainly one factor driving the “Great Reshuffle” over the past few years. In a labor market where talent is scarce and opportunities can be found nationwide instead of just in your backyard, responding to these statistics is paramount for employers that want to be competitive with top talent.
Having the infrastructure to ensure your business can be competitive within an expanded national—and global—talent market is critical. This also translates to your recruiting and retention of employees. How they do their work on a day-to-day basis and stay connected as a team are important considerations both from an employee and an employer perspective.
Generational Shift – Demands from younger generations entering the workforce and established Millennials now working their way to middle and upper management roles has created a significant shift in expectations when it comes to technology and work environment.
Employee perks such as game rooms, free food and social spaces that were prolific before the pandemic have given way to digital chat rooms and a preference for remote or hybrid work policies. Not adjusting to these expectations will significantly impact your organization’s ability to attract and retain the talent you need to succeed as more Baby Boomers exit the workforce in the coming years and Gen Z starts entering it.
While there are many factors that create and nurture great employee experiences, here are a few key aspects to consider when looking at opportunities to build a modern workplace:
Staying connected to the team and the work is top a priority in a hybrid work model. Having a consistent employee experience and the right access to data and applications to stay effective is an organizational imperative.
Achieving this can take many forms, but based on our team’s experience, the biggest opportunities for organizations include:
The move to hybrid work has also created significant cybersecurity challenges for organizations. This has been compounded by the rise in malware, ransomware and other criminal cyber activity which can impact any organization regardless of industry or size.
As such, we would be remiss if we did not also discuss the key security considerations that organizations undergoing hybrid work models need to address to develop a culture of security.
Want to see how your organization’s security practices measure up? Take this 12-question assessment to determine your current IT health and level of risk.
While this is not a complete list of the complexity surrounding the move to more modern or hybrid work models, it’s a good starting point to consider for your organization as you move toward a more digitally-mature future. Eide Bailly can help you align your business needs to the right software tools and technology as well as advisory services.
Is your organization set up for a successful hybrid model workplace?
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