Hybrid Workplace (2)

1. How the Hybrid Workplace Will Change the Workplace in 2022 When was the last time you heard "cordless phone?" It's probably been a while; technology has advanced to the point where nearly every phone is cordless, effectively rendering the term "cordless" obsolete. Likewise, today's "hybrid workplace" will soon be referred to simply as "the workplace." The physical location where you sit at work will be far less important than cloud access and online tools that connect you to your coworkers. Work will no longer be a place you go, but rather something you do. Organizations of all sizes are now attempting to create hybrid workplaces to accommodate this new way of working. Salesforce has made significant changes to address the transition from a physical headquarters to a digital headquarters, recognizing the importance of hybrid work. This article addresses the following frequently asked questions about hybrid workplaces: ● What exactly is a hybrid workplace? ● What do hybrid workplace models entail? ● How does the hybrid workplace affect company culture? ● How does technology facilitate hybrid work? ● What is the significance of cybersecurity in a hybrid workplace? What exactly is a hybrid workplace? A hybrid workplace, by definition, combines in-office and remote work, and if done correctly, employees can be just as productive working remotely as they are in the office. Employees should also be able to switch between the two seamlessly, spending a few days at home and coming into the office when needed, with no drop in productivity.

2. To adapt to the digital age, companies must reinvent the processes and tools they previously relied on, such as in-person meetings, company-wide emails, and strategy offsites, in a business climate where nine out of ten companies plan to adopt a hybrid workplace model. What do hybrid workplace models entail? A hybrid workplace model is any combination of work from home and in-person, office-based work. Companies and teams all over the world use a variety of different schedules, infrastructure, and policies to provide employees with in-person collaboration, in-person quiet workspaces, and remote work options. How does the hybrid workplace affect company culture? Humans yearn for connection. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to find new ways to connect — and something strange happened to company culture and communication as a result. According to a survey of knowledge workers in the United States, 75% of employees prefer to interact with colleagues as they would with a friend. COVID, in some ways, pushed company cultures away from rigid communication formats and toward more fluid communication. Adapting to less formal modes of communication was critical in the early days of the pandemic, from Zoom calls in the kitchen to chat messages while on a walk, with a remote workforce. According to the same study, 76 percent of employees believe that a company's collaboration style is important. How does technology facilitate hybrid work? If hybrid work is more about how you connect than where you work, then technology is more important than ever. Employers used to advertise snack stations and ping pong tables to attract employees just a few years ago. Moving forward, more emphasis will be placed on a flexible work environment — as well as tools and technology that facilitate collaboration among distributed teams. Slack and Salesforce, for example, place a premium on integration. Keeping employees, teams, and customers in the same application saves time, allowing them to focus on deeper, more focused work. The following example shows how employees from different teams can collaborate on a social media request while managing workflows from a single app.

3. What does the future of hybrid work look like? Conversations about hybrid work may have peaked in 2020, but they are far from over. The rise of hybrid workplaces corresponds with an increase in demand for digital skills; one study predicts that emerging technologies will increase the demand for digital skills by up to 50% in the United States and Europe over the next decade. We've only scratched the surface of hybrid workplace possibilities, from working in an autonomous vehicle to leveraging augmented and virtual reality technology. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for every company to reinvent itself and make work more flexible, inclusive, and productive," said Slack CEO and Co-Founder Stewart Butterfield.