So how are things at the office? Or rather, how are things going between the office and remote work these days?
Chances are pretty high that you’re still in the process of determining the right way to construct a hybrid working arrangement that actually works for the company as well as for your employees.
Helpfully, Gallup has studied the experiences, needs and plans of more than 14,000 employees since the start of the pandemic, and learned some useful insights from which we can also take inspiration. Chief among them is that many employees with the ability to work remotely may be anticipating the option of hybrid work going forward – meaning flexibility will continue to be a must-have.
That being said, while many employees initially cheered when their WFH arrangements were extended longer than employers first anticipated, hybrid work can become emotionally exhausting over time, especially if both managers and employees don’t set boundaries along with expectations. In fact, studies during these last two pandemic years have shown that people who WFH are actually putting in more hours working each week than they did at the office. So despite the flexibility, balancing work with family and a personal life can be more difficult in a hybrid work environment.
According to the BBC, a part-time, part-office arrangement can get tricky, whereas a predictable and consistent routine can help workers avoid feelings of stress and uncertainty. This can mean developing schedules that make sense for each employee, based on where they live, their family or other living situation, and whether they have children. In some cases, employees still prefer to come into the office each day, or work from home only when they or a child is home and not feeling well. And many employers – possibly your business, too – feel that collaboration and creativity are highest when people can be together in person to brainstorm and work together to solve problems. Setting clear parameters and expectations then is going to be key for success, regardless of the set-up you choose for your business.
What else helps? Robust remote-working setups, which can streamline the psychological shift from home to office. The more seamlessly people can move from WFH to the office with the right software and tools – not only to make accessing the information they need, but also to connect with their manager and teams – the more productive they can be.
These remote-working requirements generally involve six categories of technology:
They also require talent in IT, for which The Great Resignation has only exacerbated the shortage.
According to the IDC/Cisco Small Business Digitalization and COVID-19 2020 Survey, the top challenge for SMBs to accelerate their digital transformation is the lack of internal digital skills and resources. But with a comprehensive portfolio of services, you can make WFH, hybrid work and working in the office work for everyone in your business with the expertise you need.
At Konica Minolta, we fully endorse the ability to work anywhere, anytime via the Intelligent Connected Workplace. We define this workplace as a dynamic and digitally transformed work model that involves connecting disparate data points and enabling smarter, more efficient ways to work. These lead to better insights for employers and companies so that they can adapt and grow for the future. At Konica Minolta, our complete portfolio of services for the Intelligent Connected Workplace includes:
Managed Print Services – From print devices to print services in the cloud, these services involve more than just printing capabilities. They’re about saving time, output and improved productivity. The benefits from the convenience, flexibility, accessibility, efficient sharing of information, security and compliance, customized control and even sustainability, contribute to better workflows and outcomes.
Security Services – So important in these times, with the huge rise in data breaches and ransomware affecting companies of all sizes over the last few years of the pandemic. Ensuring information and asset security while being prepared for future threats is crucial. We provide total security solutions, ranging from physical security to cybersecurity, across all your valuable assets and environments. Our industry-leading measures cover defensive as well as offensive strategies. And with our cloud backup and disaster recovery, you can feel confident that any threat of data loss is reduced.
Infrastructure Management Services – Maintaining an IT ecosystem can be expensive and time-consuming. We look after complex, critical or extensive tasks for ongoing IT support and provide a complete IT engagement experience. We also provide a holistic approach to the management of systems and networks that allows for stability and performance, minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity so you and your employees can focus on your core business.
Cloud Services – The cloud gives people the freedom and flexibility to work from any location without the need to run and maintain on-premise devices and infrastructure. We move workloads to a secure and compliant cloud environment to give your business the ability to scale as needed, providing control of your data and devices.
Workflow and Automation Services – Simplified and automated workflow processes allow your employees to optimize the flow of tasks, documents and information, while customizable features and mobile capabilities provide flexibility and a user-friendly experience. By monitoring and tracking workflows, you can ensure that your processes stay in place and run at high performance.
Managed Application Services – Our Managed Application Services provide companies with easy, streamlined access to a range of different software and applications. This includes convenient packages focused around key areas such as document management, application/ web development and collaboration that are not only flexible, but also tailored to the requirements of your organization.
Intelligent Information Management – Designed to increase workflow efficiency, storage, security and compliance, by leveraging AI technologies and even robotic process automation, Intelligent Information Management services focus on digitizing content so that your employees can access relevant documents with the ease of a keyword search.
Providing employees with the information and technologies they need for a consistent, unified experience – no matter if they’re working at the office, at home, or across the world – allows them to collaborate, learn and work more productively each day. Whether it’s on-premise, hybrid or WFH, the services we provide for an Intelligent Connected Workplace can make working from anywhere feel intuitive and seamless.
For more information about services and solutions for your Intelligent Connected Workplace, contact us today.
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