6 Tech Essentials to Power Up Your Hybrid Workplace Strategy

With at least 70% of businesses across the US and EU announcing their switch to a hybrid work model, the demand for a modernized digital space covering vital workflows is expected to grow. However, a more sophisticated approach requires a more nuanced look.

A company can benefit from a massive digital transformation only when it knows what it's doing. After all, a digital overhaul is costly and complex, and it usually compensates for all the expenses with increased ROI and optimized productivity.

Having previously discussed the human factors and employee expectations that affect a modern hybrid workplace strategy, today let’s discuss tech essentials that allow meeting those expectations and enabling all-time productivity.

1. Communication

Regardless of the hybrid workplace model (remote-first, in-office, or office-occasional), the quality of communication defines employee engagement levels. On-premise employees need to stay in touch with remote employees. C-level executives need to distribute reports and updates and organize employee recognition facetime. Managers need to monitor the team's performance. And that's just the tip of the workplace communication iceberg.

As companies adapt to maintain high employee engagement and keep all employees in the feedback loop, they start looking for a more effective way of helping employees connect and interact with each other.

Keeping communication prompt and dynamic takes adapting a more hybrid-friendly mentality and building a platform that covers key communication objectives in one place.

2. Accounting

Out of all directions and areas, accounting is the one that gains the most from a digital workplace. Since neary 73% of accounting processes are fully viable for automation, there is a solid opportunity for optimizing repetitive workflows and liberating talents for higher-value tasks and business objectives.

Additionally, replacing paperwork with digital ledgers and eliminating endless copies and duplicates in favor of immutable and comprehensive data chains facilitates audit preparation. Therefore, business leaders that rely on in-house accounting teams can reap competitive advantages by incorporating a digital accounting system into their workflow and workplace strategy.

3. Security

No matter which department gets a digital makeover—security will follow suit to remove dangerous loopholes and improve defenses and safety guidelines.

While 82% of institutions that use a consequence model believe their employees are well educated about handling cyber threats while working remotely, the need for a responsive and effective security system hasn't gone anywhere. Aside from establishing a safe network and data transfer, companies that shift to a remote working model must consider multiple factors that can and will be exploited by phishers and hackers.

To reduce risks and keep both employee and customer data safe, company leaders must implement a multi-layer system that oversees all the weak points and keeps up with evolving security threats.

4. Workflow management

It's impossible to control workflow and build a proper hybrid workplace strategy with communication alone. Senior executives need assistance with planning, editing, and adjusting their schedules. Team managers must perform and monitor administrative tasks, keep track of productivity and delivery times, and oversee other employees' schedules. The larger the company gets, the less convenient and flexible traditional workflow management tools become.

With the increase in employees, processes, and tickets, a custom-made system becomes a go-to workflow management solution—keeping only essential features and tools at your fingertips.

5. Learning

From employee onboarding to upskilling—learning and development programs saw a 51% increase in investment. However, merely selecting a program for employee training isn't enough. With 85% of employees expecting synergy with their training plans and working schedule and nearly a third believing formal employee training to be outdated, there’s an apparent need for a more flexible, employee-friendly learning system.

That's where a customized digital workplace focused on employee training, each individual progress, and tailored learning experiences becomes a game changer. Instead of a one-for-all plan, a digital workplace system takes note of specific pain points and goals, helping workers truly advance and improve their skills.

6. Analytics

Data visualization and advanced analytics solutions can dive even deeper into data pools and enrich the company's business forecasting and planning. Using such tools for a hybrid work model allows for 360-degree visibility across both internal and external work processes including tracking employee effectiveness, changing market conditions, and customer behaviors.

While there are plenty of analytical solutions available on the market, not all of them may fit the objectives of a particular company or provide features tailored to its niche pain points. For that reason, a company interested in gaining more insights into its performance or advancing its analytical capabilities can gain leverage by adopting a digital workplace. This highly integrated system encompasses all relevant tools and insights to inject more value and flexibility into companies’ decision making.

What are the most important parts of a hybrid workplace strategy?

Overall, there is no such thing as a must-have technology for the perfect digital workplace. There are only tasks to cover, the goals to complete and the employee needs to meet — and the technology that works for them. So, when it comes to determining tech essentials, a deep understanding of the company, domain specifics, current workflows, and target audience needs play a crucial role.

While tech essentials for your digital workplace may differ depending on specific needs and pain points, strategic elements are fundamental for a successful workplace model.

• Flexibility is key
  A successfully designed digital workplace does not depend on its environment. That means it should deliver high connectivity for on-premise and remote employees and provide seamless integration with other platforms.
  
  
• Less is more
  Contrary to the initial impression, a digital workplace doesn’t mean that every department must be instantly transferred to the digital format — it would be a waste of resources and cause infinite frustration from employees not ready for the change.
  
  
• Customized systems are the future
  Generic tools and solutions available in the market offer generic options that do not always meet the company's needs (pain points, scalability, user preferences), resulting in slower task completion and lower employee engagement. Ultimately, cookie-cutter platforms result in overpaying for unnecessary or inefficient features —and modern hybrid workplace strategy is all about optimizing expenses. While custom-made solutions save business leaders' time and money in the long run.
  
  

Building a customized digital workplace isn't an easy task. However, with the right mentality, team, and strategy, a company is expected to enjoy the leverage delivered by a productive and functional digital system — empowering one of its crucial workflows.

If you’re ready to discuss the most insightful cases in workplace technology and pave your path to a future-ready hybrid workplace strategy, let's chat.