Poly: Hybrid working is how we'll work from now on
Navigating work practices, spaces and culture the right way will help respond to crises, and reinvent the future of work says Plantronics, (Poly–formerly Plantronics and Polycom), a global communications company that powers meaningful human connection and collaboration. Poly issued a new report that highlights a granular shift in focus from “place” to “purpose” of work as businesses respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
As organisations respond, redesign and reinvent their business models, technology will play a fundamental role in enabling the shift to hybrid working. Out-of-city co-working spaces, ergonomic at-home work setups and virtual water cooler moments, all effects of the current pandemic, will epitomise a new age of hybrid working said the company.
Drawing on experts in the future of work, workspace design and psychology, Hybrid Working: Creating the “next normal” in work practices, spaces and culture report from Poly sets out the path to the “next normal,” where employees enjoy flexibility and choice, and businesses thrive through motivated, collaborative and productive teams.
“The ongoing pandemic has upended the way businesses operate in the region, with organisations forced to either adapt, or risk being left behind. Looking beyond the first phase of workplace transition to adopt remote working, we are now witnessing a shift towards a new way of work - hybrid working.
"Businesses that stand to thrive in this ‘next normal’ will be those who prioritise human connections and collaborations as they look to reinvent current work practices, spaces and culture for their employees,” said Pierre-Jean Châlon, Senior VP, Asia Pacific, Poly.
Businesses now have the opportunity to challenge convention and redefine what ‘work’ really means. Post-lockdown work practices will incorporate hybrid working:
• New working patterns–new working policies that bring employees flexibility on when and where they work
• Outcome-based working–taking the onus off the hours and location, to being productive and delivering results
• Optimised investment–looking beyond the company office to create collaborative, technology-enabled personal workspaces anywhere
Tom Cheesewright, applied futurist and contributor to the Poly report said: “Even before the pandemic, the nature of work was changing because the nature of business is changing. Today, few can claim that the technology is a barrier to changing practices, but the lockdown has highlighted the need for investment into the cultural and behavioural components of flexible work.
"The future is a flexible working environment that caters to the needs of all employees, giving them the most fulfilling work experience and in return allowing them to maximise the value they return to the organisation.”
Poly’s report identifies the following key global trends for hybrid working spaces that will emerge in 2020 and beyond:
- Home offices will be given as much attention as the kitchen – ergonomically organised and crafted into places that inspire.
- Co-working will dominate – organisations will invest in co-working spaces outside of cities to attract talent. Group collaboration and social connections with colleagues and others will lead to the cross-fertilisation of ideas and innovation.
- Cityscapes will change – there may be no more high-rise office buildings. While the city as a structure will stay, apartment living means the city is integrated into people’s lives; restaurants are an extension of their kitchen and gyms their workout space.
Megan Reitz, Professor of leadership and dialogue at the UK-based Hult Ashridge Business School in CITY, said that businesses need to hardwire fundamental habits into their teams' culture to bring hybrid working teams together and ensure employees can speak up.
For teams to be agile, innovative, ethical and compassionate, Poly’s report says that work cultures need to be:
• Inclusive–diverse teams do better, but you must be able to harness and appreciate difference.
• Enquiring–‘one-size’ management doesn’t fit all. Employees will respond differently to hybrid working and managers must learn the skills to inquire, be curious and ask questions.
• Purpose driven–we are seeing a well-overdue widening of purpose and this focus on impact will serve as a compass in times of change and make for a more meaningful workplace.
As organisations respond, redesign and reinvent their business models, technology will play a fundamental role in enabling the shift to hybrid working.
“As teams become more disconnected physically and connected virtually, technology becomes the key that bridges communication between and across teams to optimise work efficiency and productivity,” says Châlon.
“To stay ahead of the curve, businesses will need to respond, redesign and reinvent their practices and meet their challenges head on, adapting to whatever changes they face.”
Explore:
Read the Poly report: Hybrid Working: Creating the “next normal” in work practices, spaces and culture.
Another report from Poly also highlights the evolving trends of today’s modern workplace (and work spaces): The Future of Work in the New Normal: Re-thinking your Digital Priorities
The study from Ecosystm 360 commissioned by Poly discusses key priorities of business and IT leaders in Asia Pacific as the next normal emerges, and provides guidance to enterprises on how to negotiate the changes in their business and employee engagement models. The study revealed that hybrid working will become the norm for many organisations, with continued investments in cybersecurity, education, and technology as key digital priorities to focus on. Some highlights from the study include:
Working from home will become the norm for many organisations. Four in 10 organisations surveyed expect to continue using virtual meetings, even after COVID-19, irrespective of location. In the Philippines, for example, business process outsourcing (BPO) providers are piloting different models by having some employees work from home and some in the office.
The nature of the workplace will change; workplaces will be fitted out based on the need to meet and collaborate on projects; 55% of respondents expect increased use of digital technologies for employee experience; 47% of respondents expect increased use of collaborative tools and platforms even after the COVID-19 crisis is over.
While just 15% of business leaders in Asia Pacific state they will reduce investments, business leaders in Malaysia bucked the trend, with 33% indicating they expect to reduce the use of commercial office space post-COVID-19.
Organisations will focus on making remote working better
· Implementing virtual private network (VPN) access – 44% of organisations surveyed implemented or boosted their VPN infrastructure in order to let more employees securely access internal tools and confidential data, in order to make remote working possible for a larger portion of their workforce.
· Investments in laptops and collaborative software – Many organisations had to invest in laptops for employees using desktops (36%) and collaborative software (41%) during this crisis. Across several countries in Asia Pacific - and mainly in the emerging economies - employees were simply not equipped to work effectively from home prior to COVID-19's arrival. Laptops, monitors, and headsets had to be purchased for the home environment.
Proactive changes to data protection and HR policies – Organisations took the opportunity to revamp data protection and compliance policies (43%), re-evaluate HR policies (34%), and implement measures to monitor the emotional wellbeing of their employees (31%).
Videoconferencing is the new voice – 63% of organisations in Asia Pacific significantly increased their investments in conferencing devices and headsets to address the collaboration challenges during the COVID-19 crisis, with 41% increasing investments in videoconferencing devices significantly.
Cloud video adoption to continue growing – 33% of organisations increased their investments in cloud video and collaboration solutions due to an increasingly remote workforce, a consequence of the pandemic. Demand is expected to continue over the next 12 months.
 |
| A slide from a Poly presentation to media, sharing what to expect in the next normal. |
As organisations respond, redesign and reinvent their business models, technology will play a fundamental role in enabling the shift to hybrid working. Out-of-city co-working spaces, ergonomic at-home work setups and virtual water cooler moments, all effects of the current pandemic, will epitomise a new age of hybrid working said the company.
Drawing on experts in the future of work, workspace design and psychology, Hybrid Working: Creating the “next normal” in work practices, spaces and culture report from Poly sets out the path to the “next normal,” where employees enjoy flexibility and choice, and businesses thrive through motivated, collaborative and productive teams.
“The ongoing pandemic has upended the way businesses operate in the region, with organisations forced to either adapt, or risk being left behind. Looking beyond the first phase of workplace transition to adopt remote working, we are now witnessing a shift towards a new way of work - hybrid working.
"Businesses that stand to thrive in this ‘next normal’ will be those who prioritise human connections and collaborations as they look to reinvent current work practices, spaces and culture for their employees,” said Pierre-Jean Châlon, Senior VP, Asia Pacific, Poly.
Businesses now have the opportunity to challenge convention and redefine what ‘work’ really means. Post-lockdown work practices will incorporate hybrid working:
• New working patterns–new working policies that bring employees flexibility on when and where they work
• Outcome-based working–taking the onus off the hours and location, to being productive and delivering results
• Optimised investment–looking beyond the company office to create collaborative, technology-enabled personal workspaces anywhere
Tom Cheesewright, applied futurist and contributor to the Poly report said: “Even before the pandemic, the nature of work was changing because the nature of business is changing. Today, few can claim that the technology is a barrier to changing practices, but the lockdown has highlighted the need for investment into the cultural and behavioural components of flexible work.
"The future is a flexible working environment that caters to the needs of all employees, giving them the most fulfilling work experience and in return allowing them to maximise the value they return to the organisation.”
Poly’s report identifies the following key global trends for hybrid working spaces that will emerge in 2020 and beyond:
- Home offices will be given as much attention as the kitchen – ergonomically organised and crafted into places that inspire.
- Co-working will dominate – organisations will invest in co-working spaces outside of cities to attract talent. Group collaboration and social connections with colleagues and others will lead to the cross-fertilisation of ideas and innovation.
- Cityscapes will change – there may be no more high-rise office buildings. While the city as a structure will stay, apartment living means the city is integrated into people’s lives; restaurants are an extension of their kitchen and gyms their workout space.
Megan Reitz, Professor of leadership and dialogue at the UK-based Hult Ashridge Business School in CITY, said that businesses need to hardwire fundamental habits into their teams' culture to bring hybrid working teams together and ensure employees can speak up.
For teams to be agile, innovative, ethical and compassionate, Poly’s report says that work cultures need to be:
• Inclusive–diverse teams do better, but you must be able to harness and appreciate difference.
• Enquiring–‘one-size’ management doesn’t fit all. Employees will respond differently to hybrid working and managers must learn the skills to inquire, be curious and ask questions.
• Purpose driven–we are seeing a well-overdue widening of purpose and this focus on impact will serve as a compass in times of change and make for a more meaningful workplace.
As organisations respond, redesign and reinvent their business models, technology will play a fundamental role in enabling the shift to hybrid working.
“As teams become more disconnected physically and connected virtually, technology becomes the key that bridges communication between and across teams to optimise work efficiency and productivity,” says Châlon.
“To stay ahead of the curve, businesses will need to respond, redesign and reinvent their practices and meet their challenges head on, adapting to whatever changes they face.”
Explore:
Read the Poly report: Hybrid Working: Creating the “next normal” in work practices, spaces and culture.
Another report from Poly also highlights the evolving trends of today’s modern workplace (and work spaces): The Future of Work in the New Normal: Re-thinking your Digital Priorities
The study from Ecosystm 360 commissioned by Poly discusses key priorities of business and IT leaders in Asia Pacific as the next normal emerges, and provides guidance to enterprises on how to negotiate the changes in their business and employee engagement models. The study revealed that hybrid working will become the norm for many organisations, with continued investments in cybersecurity, education, and technology as key digital priorities to focus on. Some highlights from the study include:
Working from home will become the norm for many organisations. Four in 10 organisations surveyed expect to continue using virtual meetings, even after COVID-19, irrespective of location. In the Philippines, for example, business process outsourcing (BPO) providers are piloting different models by having some employees work from home and some in the office.
The nature of the workplace will change; workplaces will be fitted out based on the need to meet and collaborate on projects; 55% of respondents expect increased use of digital technologies for employee experience; 47% of respondents expect increased use of collaborative tools and platforms even after the COVID-19 crisis is over.
While just 15% of business leaders in Asia Pacific state they will reduce investments, business leaders in Malaysia bucked the trend, with 33% indicating they expect to reduce the use of commercial office space post-COVID-19.
Organisations will focus on making remote working better
· Implementing virtual private network (VPN) access – 44% of organisations surveyed implemented or boosted their VPN infrastructure in order to let more employees securely access internal tools and confidential data, in order to make remote working possible for a larger portion of their workforce.
· Investments in laptops and collaborative software – Many organisations had to invest in laptops for employees using desktops (36%) and collaborative software (41%) during this crisis. Across several countries in Asia Pacific - and mainly in the emerging economies - employees were simply not equipped to work effectively from home prior to COVID-19's arrival. Laptops, monitors, and headsets had to be purchased for the home environment.
Proactive changes to data protection and HR policies – Organisations took the opportunity to revamp data protection and compliance policies (43%), re-evaluate HR policies (34%), and implement measures to monitor the emotional wellbeing of their employees (31%).
Videoconferencing is the new voice – 63% of organisations in Asia Pacific significantly increased their investments in conferencing devices and headsets to address the collaboration challenges during the COVID-19 crisis, with 41% increasing investments in videoconferencing devices significantly.
Cloud video adoption to continue growing – 33% of organisations increased their investments in cloud video and collaboration solutions due to an increasingly remote workforce, a consequence of the pandemic. Demand is expected to continue over the next 12 months.
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