Using technology to improve hybrid work

The ability to work while travelling, from a variety of locations, is essential for most organizations.  It seems like a relatively simple ask, with many already using the various tools and apps that make hybrid work possible. In reality, it can be quite a challenge to offer employees these kinds of work environments. 

To start, the right technologies need to be sourced, deployed and managed to allow colleagues to easily and securely connect and collaborate from various locations. Additionally, all decisions need to be carefully assessed to ensure that organizational culture will not suffer when employees work remotely.  Fortunately, there are some principles and strategies available to help employers find the right balance and deliver the best experiences in today’s hybrid workplace. 
 

Allow for rich and flexible collaboration

Interactions with others are key to building trust, exchanging ideas and instilling a sense of community. This creates a stronger workplace culture. Factors like these can have a big impact on employee recruitment and retention, which are especially important given the skills gap many businesses are facing. 

That’s why employers should encourage their teams to choose live, video-based communication when possible.  That being said, if it’s not a simple, one-click process available on any device, the interaction is bound to cause frustration and leave employees feeling more disconnected than ever. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, desktop, laptop or a conference room - the connection needs to be simple and immediate.  

Of course, voice calling is still required, especially in situations where video calls aren’t practical.  These calls also need to be high quality, with each employee having the same number at their desk, on their laptop, or on their mobile device. 

For simplicity, you need a unified communications solution that enables employees to switch seamlessly between devices as the situation demands. For example, a sales rep might start a client call on a mobile device connected to her car audio, and when she arrives at her destination, she can easily pick up the conversation on her workstation or laptop.  
 

The right network for hybrid work

The performance of a voice and collaboration platform is only as good as the network that supports it. As well as offering solid connectivity and security, the right network architecture has the benefit of supporting network-driven optimization across your operations. 

This network should be: 

• Built for the cloud and capable of automatically optimizing traffic patterns 
• Able to support the demands of live collaboration, sharing, voice and video tools 
• Reliable, managed and engineered for the highest availability 
• Designed with security as the cornerstone that protects data and end users 

Businesses today face considerable protection and compliance challenges brought on by an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape, in addition to increasingly complex and dynamic regulations and standards. The large numbers of devices and endpoints that come with hybrid work opens up more opportunities for attacks, deepening the challenge of staying secure and compliant. 

Endpoint security and SASE (secure access service edge) technologies are part of the solution, along with effective network architecture and management models. It’s important to integrate a security strategy from the outset rather than as an afterthought. 

Establishing the best employee experience requires deep insight into networking and security, cloud deployment and management, and voice and collaboration. The right partner can help ensure success, from design to deployment to ongoing support. 
 

Get some help from a friend

With Bell, you can transform your employee experience with tailored solutions that meet your specific needs.  Our experts pull from our extensive portfolio of products and services across voice and collaboration, cloud, network, IoT and security to ensure a flexible and dynamic workplace culture that supports everyone.  Bell’s professional and managed services teams have worked with Canada’s largest businesses to assess, design, deploy and support the solutions required to realize their customer experience ambitions.  Let us help you today!