The Coronavirus halted normal business operations. Most business setups were forced to work remotely, compromising team collaboration. While some already practice a work-from-home arrangement, others still lag in information technology to produce practical collaboration tools.
The work-from-home (WFH) phenomenon already started in Silicon Valley a few years, even before the onset of the pandemic. The primary purpose of this setup was for employees to avoid dreadful traffic conditions. Moreover, Gitlab, a digitally native company that develops software, began its operations with a WFH structure.
With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing a WFH setup, this has little to no impact on digital-native businesses’ employee productivity since they are equipped with infrastructure, tools, and culture for this change. In contrast, traditional organizations whose employees grew accustomed to office setup struggle to provide remote work tools.
“As organizations navigate long-term remote work, leveraging cloud-based tools to foster employee independence is no longer just an option; it’s a necessity.”
Andrew Hoag, CEO, and founder of Teampay
More than just being a trend, scattered workforce, balanced decision-making, and digitalization are already crucial parts of the new normal. Empowering employees means more than merely providing them with laptops and WiFi connection.
“That’s why managed cloud computing has become the ‘go-to’ solution in this environment; it’s what enables employees to work from any location, giving them access via a virtual network to the same information they’d have access to in the office.”
Eddie Blankenship, Interim Vice President of Cox Business
Working from home amid the pandemic appears to be useful as workforce productivity increases upon settling. A survey cited in a news report showed that 63% of employees consider themselves more productive in remote work than in an office setup. Unfortunately, this may lead to a higher probability of employee burnout since employees canceled vacation trips because of travel restrictions.
With the WFH setup, employers are more concerned with getting the work done than where the work is accomplished. Hence, IT plays a crucial role in providing useful collaboration tools to fuel the hybrid workforce. They need to provide support for every employee to maintain their productivity, with the threat of being burned out.
Since employees can only rely on self-service portals or helpdesks, IT needs to improve self-service strategies and provide smooth support to them anytime and anywhere. The present is indeed a challenging time, and a hybrid workforce is inevitable.
“To ensure its success, the right technology solutions must be in place to fuel social, collaborative, and business interactions no matter where employees are located.”
Pat Calhoun, CEO and Founder of Expressive
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