Introduction: Hybrid work takes centre stage
If CIOs adopt the right digital tools and strategic approach, they will not only boost employee productivity and wellbeing, but also enhance workflows, data security, collaboration and innovation across the business.
The following checklist identifies six key steps that should be central to any effort to embrace the transformational power of hybrid work. Successful organisations will be able to:
Unify teams using technology and workflow automation, enabling individuals to connect and collaborate effectively and efficiently, no matter where they’re based on any given day.
Maintain people-first productivity. Organisations need to be flexible and considerate to their individual employees’ needs. Only when they gain a deep understanding of how their teams work, can they identify the right tech solutions to maximise on-site and off-site productivity.
Ensure security. Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly frequent and sophisticated, so protection must be focused on every endpoint and every device using zero-trust hardened measures right across the IT ecosystem.
Stay flexible. Simplifying and improving user device management and delivering a better employee experience is critical. Cloud computing is particularly powerful here, enabling firms to deliver simple, connected experiences, unblocking the power of data and automation.
Increase sustainability. The pivot towards tech-enabled hybrid work provides a prime opportunity to re-evaluate the environmental impact of technology across an organisation’s value chain.1
Monitor employee wellbeing. Hybrid work offers many benefits, but there is also the risk of isolation and digital overload, especially when the barriers between office and home break down. Some 39% of hybrid workers say it is harder to focus on a task2, so employers must make it clear that “always on” is not always best.
This challenge is often further complicated by budgetary pressures says Trevor Gordon, senior product manager device as a service, at HP.
“Our customers are increasingly expected to do more with less, while increasing employee productivity at the same time”, says Gordon. “They need to track and trace what individuals are doing, ensure they are having a great digital experience and keep networks secure.”
Gordon adds, “It’s a huge challenge, but HP’s suite of hybrid tools, which deliver excellent employee experiences and out-of-the box productivity and security, is uniquely positioned to do all of this and more’.”
CIOs and their teams have much work to do to fully embed optimised hybrid working models, but Gallup’s research is emphatic when it says, “the greatest advantages of hybrid work substantially outweigh the biggest challenges.”3
This eBook is a reference guide for CIOs in six sectors: healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, transport, and business services. Each chapter includes an overview of the key opportunities and challenges facing CIOs in these sectors, as well as actionable guidance and recommendations for successfully embedding hybrid work models from HP.
1 Source: An Essential Guide: The New Era of Work, HP2 Source: An Essential Guide: The New Era of Work, HP3 Gallup, “The Advantages and Challenges of Hybrid Work, September 2022 https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398135/advantages-challenges-hybrid-work.aspx4 Qualtrics XM Blog, “New Microsoft + Qualtrics study reveals the impact of breakthrough technology experiences on employee engagement,” December 2019 https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/technology-experience-employee-engagement/5 An Essential Guide: The New Era of Work, HP
