COVID-19 has changed the way we work.
Even before the pandemic, the U.S. workforce increasingly relied onremote collaboration technologieslike videoconferencing and Slack.
The global crisis accelerated the adoption of these work tools and practices in an unprecedented way.
As early as 1987, groundbreaking researchidentified some of the challengesfacing women working from home using technology.
That included the difficulties of child care, work-home separation and employee growth opportunities.
Since that time,we have learned much moreabout virtual collaboration.
As anassociate professor of information systems, Im interested inwhat we can expectas we eagerly anticipate a post-pandemic future.
Many have already begun.
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Some workers might be in the office a couple days a week or every other day.
Other businesses may require only occasional face-to-face time, perhaps meeting in a centralized location once each quarter.
Either way,research does showmany companies fail in their implementation of a virtual workforce.
Developing an organizational culture happens naturally.
Remote work also saves money.
There is a significant cost savings for office space, one of the largestbudget line items for organizations.
Hybrid arrangements attempt to combine the best of both worlds.
Its not perfect
Its true that hybrid work faces many of the same obstacles of face-to-face work.
Perhaps the largest issue when working at home:technology and security concerns.
Home networks, an easier target for cyberthreats, are typically more vulnerable than office networks.
Remote workers are also more likely to share computers with someone else outside of their organization.
Hybrid organizations must invest upfront to work through these complicated and often expensive issues.
With hybrid work, managers cannot see the work taking place.
These two groups may start to divide, potentially leading totension and conflicts between them an us-versus-them scenario.
Establishing a hybrid environment
Numerous recommendations exist on the best wayto develop a hybrid model.
Here are a few of the best ideas.
Andmeeting-free dayscan help with productivity and allow employees a block of uninterrupted time to focus on complex projects.
Finally: Both managers and employees must be transparent in their communication and understanding of hybrid plans.
All employees must receive the same information at the same time, and in a timely manner.
