Companies are on different schedules for opening up their workplaces to welcome back employees. But don’t think of this as a “return to work.” Instead, the reconfigured traditional office will be the next piece shaping the hybrid workplace in 2021.
Another point worth noting: The hybrid workplace doesn’t mean every worker must shift between working from home and working at the office. Your talented staff can work full time from either location. The point of the hybrid workplace is the flexibility it affords. Because when team members can choose where they want to be productive, the emphasis is on the work itself, not where it’s done.
The shift to a hybrid workplace will continue in 2021
Because of COVID-19, this shift to a combination of remote and on-site work isn’t new to you. You’ve had to move to a fully remote or at least a hybrid model. This way of working has helped your employees work from home, while allowing those who go into the office to spread out and maintain social distancing. Perhaps most importantly, it allows them all to connect with each other. If yours is a global company, you know what it means to be flexible as people have to collaborate across time zones and locations. Some of those locations may include traditional offices and the home.
Unified communications and collaboration (UCC) solutions need to be standardized
As you plan for improving collaboration across your enterprise, remember that consistency of experience is key to technology adoption.
This is true for companies with regional offices. It’s also true for companies with worldwide locations. Global deployments can be unmanageable without a standardization strategy. Standardizing on technology solutions will ensure that systems are easy to use. It also helps with the support, management, and monitoring of those solutions.
Find a partner with a track record of global deployment
Your digital workplace services partner must be able to deliver globally with a programmatic approach. But they also need the flexibility to adapt to the unique needs of regional locations. Service providers with teams local to your offices know how people collaborate in different areas. You need a partner that:
- Understands the local nuances of your offices and can apply that knowledge to your benefit. This can include cultural, political, and economic differences.
- Owns the end-to-end process of any project.
- Gives you the expert advice needed when it’s time to expand or pivot.
- Centralizes the support process and services for consistency of experience.
- Deploys in multiple countries at once while making sure each location sticks to your global playbook.
In addition to these capabilities, you want a partner that understands the big picture and has a global vision and the process to realize it for you. Ideally, you’ll know the teams working for you at each office on a personal level. And you’ll trust your project to a collaborative team that can coordinate with manufacturers on a global scale to handle pricing, deal registration, discounts, and more issues that affect the process of improving your collaboration efforts.
Talk to AVI-SPL about your workplace collaboration challenges
Your company needs to have confidence in its workplace services partner. Quick turnaround times come with having a dedicated team for your local offices. An experienced partner will also keep track of all your concurrent projects and will care about making sure they all develop as planned.
Next week, we’ll share a guide that will show you how to build your organization’s hybrid workplace.
We think that 2021 – and beyond – will be defined by flexible work. What are the issues affecting your office? Reach out to AVI-SPL and let us know the areas where you need our expert guidance.
