The
global pandemic has made clear that remote work can increase
productivity, boost engagement and lower costs. And employees want to
continue to do it - at least some of the time - going forward. Research from Citrix Systems, Inc.,
shows that more than 90 percent of employees prefer flexible work, and
82 percent of companies plan to embrace hybrid models to accommodate it
and capitalize on the benefits it can drive. But the transition is not
without risk.
While
appealing on the surface, hybrid work models have the potential to
create a new digital divide that, if left unchecked, will quickly
establish two classes of workers and infuse the workplace with inequity
and bias. To successfully make the leap, companies will need to
implement technologies and new work policies that create an equitable
environment, empowering both remote and in-office employees to equally
engage and collaborate in a transparent and efficient way and make
meaningful contributions that fuel innovation and business growth.
Keeping the Field Level...
"The
fully remote work model forced by the pandemic has in many ways leveled
the playing field," said Tim Minahan, Executive Vice President of
Business Strategy, Citrix. "In a remote work world, everyone appears in
equal boxes on the screen and has the same access to information and
opportunities to contribute to a project. As companies move toward
hybrid models, they must maintain this consistent, inclusive and equal
experience to ensure that no employee is at a disadvantage because of
their work location and reap the improvements in effectiveness and
productivity that more flexible work models can drive."
...Through a Shared Digital Workspace
To
effectively narrow the digital divide that hybrid work threatens to
open, companies must establish a shared digital workspace that provides a
common and transparent environment in which teams have consistent
access to applications and information and can efficiently collaborate
on projects to get work done, wherever it needs to get done. Supported
by policies that encourage collaborative and equitable working methods,
such workspaces can foster efficient work execution from anywhere
through:
- Reliable
access to the work resources employees require to collaborate and get
work done anywhere - in the office, at home, or on the go
- Contextual security to ensure corporate and personal information remains safe across any device or location
- A
shared environment to streamline execution, enhance collaboration, and
ensure equitable access and sharing of information for all teammates,
regardless of where they are working
Building Equity
Leveraging tools within Citrix Workspace,
companies can build and maintain effective hybrid work environments and
establish norms so employees can succeed in them. And with the
collaborative work management capabilities of Wrike,
now part of Citrix, they can ensure that whether employees are in an
office sitting next to a co-worker or working with teams across multiple
geographies, they have the same access to information and project
status and equal ability to contribute and execute work.
"The
future of work lies in digital workspaces that empower employees and
teams to perform at their best, regardless of the physical place they
sit," Minahan said. "Savvy companies recognize this and are acting to
deliver them today."
Companies like Dish Network that used Wrike to
set up a fully functioning Enterprise PPM organization and collaborate
with several cross-functional teams to stay on deadline and deliver the
first virtual 5G network in record time.
Citrix
Workspace also incorporates low-code workflow tools that companies can
use to automate work and build solutions that meet the evolving needs of
their employees and business. Citrix, for instance, built an app using Citrix Podio,
its workflow automation tool, that allows teams to create agreements as
to how they will operate in distributed environments considering things
like:
- Whether meetings will be held in single or multiple locations
- If team members will join meetings using individual or conference room cameras
- Collaborative work management tools can be used to allow employees from other geographies to participate
Another
app within Citrix Workspace enables employees to access the space they
need, when and where they need it, to be their most effective and
productive. From their laptops, tablets or mobile devices, they can:
- View who will be in an office so they can decide when - and where - to go to maximize their time
- Book a conference room if they need a place to collaborate with their teams or connect with customers
- Reserve an office if they want a quiet space where they can focus and get individual work done
"Hybrid
work is the way of the future, and companies that understand the risks
inherent in the model and carefully plan their transitions can avoid the
pitfalls and foster inclusive environments where their employees have
equal opportunities to innovate and create from any location and help
themselves and their companies succeed," Minahan said.
To learn more about Citrix solutions and how they can help your organization successfully enable hybrid work, click here.