September 22, 2023

Canadian Workers Are Losing Three Hours a Week Under Hybrid Environment

Covid presented companies with many challenges however Canadian workers are losing three hours a week under hybrid environment due to IT issues.

Proper managed IT Services Can Increase Productivity

Those Canadian hybrid workers experiencing IT issues report losing an average of three hours per week to IT support. The lack of optimized hardware and software for hybrid work results in a massive loss of productivity, however employers can increase productivity by investing in appropriate IT.

Network connectivity and VPN connectivity were cited as key IT issues by most hybrid workers. In addition, IT technical support was lacking, sharing documents with team members was difficult, video calls were interrupted, and additional monitors were not available.

With the right hardware and software solutions in place, hybrid workers will be able to concentrate on their work rather than waste valuable time troubleshooting IT issues.

The implementation of tailored IT solutions by managed IT services providers in Toronto can bridge the gap between day-to-day operations and holistic IT infrastructure.

Proactively Investing Can Benefit Hybrid Employees

It can be challenging to invest in the right IT for hybrid work when facing financial constraints, but not investing can exacerbate cybersecurity risks. In the event of a security incident, investing in technology without considering security can lead to greater financial and reputational consequences. In a hybrid work environment, employees are likely to face financial barriers, which is most prevalent with small businesses. Approximately one third of the respondents reported choosing and paying for their own IT equipment. Compared to this, one in ten employees at large companies must do the same.

Personal device usage and security posture are affected by a lack of IT investment. Most small business respondents stated that they accessed work-related files or performed work-related tasks on a personal device more than once a day.

Mobile devices, laptops, and tablets used by employees can negatively impact sensitive data security by increasing the attack surface on unsecured networks. The right devices must be used to safeguard sensitive information for small businesses without dedicated in-house IT support.

Increasing cybersecurity awareness and understanding of the risks when working in hybrid models impacts the ability of IT decision-makers to work from home.

Compared to only 3% of non-IT decision-makers, nearly one-in-five IT decision-makers reported concerns about data security and privacy when working from home.

Security concerns for IT decision-makers are echoed in a recent study of 553 IT security, risk, and compliance professionals by managed IT services providers. According to the study, two-in-five respondents who store their organization’s data in the cloud – a tool that is essential for hybrid work – reported a cloud security incident in the past year. Moreover, only one third of respondents reported that their organizations had a policy for monitoring and detecting threats within their data, assets, applications, and services.

How to Fix Hybrid Work Environments

Hybrid environments are successful due to technology and the following factors.

Hybrid Work Communication

Communication challenges are evident when technology is used extensively. In March 2020, many of us transitioned to fully remote work, but the transition to hybrid work can also be rocky. I recently heard from an executive who revealed that when their employees returned to work, they realized their video conferencing system wasn’t fully compatible with hybrid working – if they remembered how to operate it at all. Hybrid work also presents other practical challenges. If some of the office members are remote, should everyone log in from separate computers? Are there more problems created by that than they are solved?

Apart from the technological difficulties, remote and hybrid teams can face additional communication challenges due to the fact that some people are more comfortable speaking over screens than others — and this is in addition to the power, status, and language differences that already hinder communication in the workplace.

Hybrid Work Coordination

Coordination is an important component of collaborative work, but working in hybrid teams presents significantly greater coordination challenges than working face-to-face. When people work together in person and remotely, researchers have noted the risk of “fault lines” emerging. Remote teammates are left out of small exchanges and minor decisions made by those who are working together in the office due to the extra effort it takes to coordinate. Getting accustomed to who’s included in conversations and who’s not over time can result in people being left out of bigger conversations and more significant decisions.

Hybrid Work Connection

Technology-based communication and logistical coordination are not the only challenges of connection. In addition, working remotely can undermine or even destroy social connections. Building and sustaining professional networks and mentoring relationships is particularly challenging for women and minorities, who have a harder time advancing in the workplace. In addition, researchers have found that our psychological well-being is enhanced by personal connections. A hybrid working environment may result in a “dominant class” of those who feel connected to the organization and strongly committed to it as well as an “underclass” of those who feel marginalized and disconnected not only from their work but also from their social lives which create meaning and bind employees together. A reduction in job satisfaction and commitment can result in less committed employees seeking other jobs.

Hybrid Work Creativity

Hybrid work threatens two types of creativity. One obvious example is collective creativity: people can brainstorm with zoom, but they may not generate as many ideas as we can when we talk fluidly, have sidebars, or work intensively to solve a problem together. Programmed times and formats may not be as effective as spontaneous conversations, sidebars, and unexpected things can happen.

It is also possible to endanger individual creativity. The ability to generate novel ideas and insights can be enhanced by quiet time alone. Even so, it is not clear that employees who need to be constantly creative or innovative will find it beneficial to work alone over many days or weeks. The opposite may be true: there may be benefits to seeing random artifacts in a colleague’s cubicle and even going from home to work to change the scenery that can enhance creativity.

Hybrid Work Culture

With the pandemic dragging on and the prospect of everyone returning to work dimming, senior leaders are increasingly concerned about this challenge as well. Initially, companies were relieved to find that their remote workers were still productive and engaged.

These employees certainly knew how to work together effectively before the pandemic, plus they understood the company’s norms, values, and expectations, and had worked closely together before the pandemic. Whether they’re interns, entry-level hires, or seasoned executives, integrating these newcomers into the company’s culture has become an increasingly pressing challenge as existing employees leave, and new ones join.

A company’s culture can also assist in signaling its distinctiveness to potential new recruits, particularly in industries with a high level of competition for talent, such as tech, consulting, and banking. In the war for talent, how can companies differentiate themselves from each other if employees rarely or never come to work or spend time together?

Our Complimentary Network and Security Assessment can put your IT to the test against other Toronto managed IT services providers.