After a couple of years working from home, many employees are craving to continue remote work, which may have you wondering if you should offer a remote or hybrid environment for your employees. Last month, ColoradoBiz posted this advice column on three things employers should consider before converting to a hybrid business model:
- Prioritizing security
Even if your employees are only going to be working remotely a few hours per week, one of the first and most important issues you’re going to need to address is cybersecurity. Protecting your data and your systems can be quite different in a hybrid working model than in a more traditional setup.
At the very least, you should consider setting up firewalls and a secure VPN that all employees will be required to use anytime they are working, whether they’re working on campus or remotely…
2. Defining the role of the remote worker
For example, if your hourly employees are working on a hybrid schedule, will their pay rates be the same when working remotely as when working on campus?…
3. Mental health
For many employees, the hybrid working model is the best of both worlds because it combines the convenience of working from home with the benefits of on-campus engagement with coworkers and supervisors. That does not mean, however, that all employees will thrive in such an environment…
The Takeaway
Now, more than ever, employees want and expect to have the opportunity to work from home at least part of the time. And that means that the hybrid working model may well be the future of work. However, there are important considerations that employers should address before making the transition.
The first and most significant is the prioritization of cybersecurity in the hybrid environment, from establishing secure platforms to training employees in security best practices. In addition, employers must clearly define the status of hybrid workers, including establishing fair pay rates for remote work.
Finally, the mental health of hybrid workers must be nurtured, including through the creation of a healthy home office environment. Though there’s much to consider, with such care and planning, the transition to a hybrid model can be seamless and imminently successful.
This article and photo were originally posted on COBizMag.com January 3, 2022 – read the full article here.