As COVID-19 restrictions lift, nearly all companies are facing a complicated and evolving challenge: if, how and when to return to the office (RTO). These RTO plans must be flexible, of course, because if the pandemic has taught companies (and employees) anything, it’s that success takes agility and being prepared to pivot when change happens (and it will). Here are some tips on how IT can move forward.
A recent survey found that 70% of employees want to return to the office at least some of the time and 73% of employees want to continue remote work at least some of the time. Together, that spells hybrid. Hybrid work blends remote work (or working from home/WFH) and in-office work, and is the most likely future of work, offering employees maximum flexibility via a “best of both worlds” work model.
Hybrid work, by definition, isn’t “either WFH/or RTO” but is “both/and.” It represents a fluid, changing continuum that offers employees maximum flexibility. Where work will happen won’t be set in stone, and whatever schedules employees might make (e.g., at home Monday to Wednesday, at the office Thursday and Friday) will be endlessly “subject to change.” Needless to say, supporting hybrid work will be a complex and fluid endeavor for organizations too.
Forrester finds that 50% of organizations have a formalized flexible work program in place, while 41% plan to adopt one. That’s 91% of companies making the commitment to flexible work. The key goals for companies in the context of flexible, hybrid work is the same as for all-remote work and traditional, 9-to-5 office-centric work: (1) supporting employee productivity that drives business growth, and (2) enabling an employee experience that retains and attracts top talent.
To achieve this, no matter where people happen to work, IT needs to develop a flexible, agile IT infrastructure that can support employees remotely, in-office, or both. The formula for success is straightforward (but complicated to implement): hybrid work + remote-first IT infrastructure and tools = hybrid IT support.
Remote work during the pandemic has proven beneficial for employees and companies alike. Chris Savio, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Rescue, explains, “Employees [working remotely] are more engaged and productive, which boosts retention rates. And remote work decreases real estate costs [for companies].”
To provide location-agnostic, flexible support in a world of hybrid work, IT teams must have the capacity to support anyone, anywhere, on any device or network. Achieving this necessary flexibility will require IT to have a flexible infrastructure and flexible support tools to support hybrid work.
The future of flexible work has arrived, and it’s never too late to start refining your flexible work plans. Learn more about how Rescue can help.
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