The way we work is changing. Not just in the sense of digitisation, but also the remote locations it enables. Don’t worry – the office isn’t being consigned to the history books just yet. Instead, hybrid working has been put forward as a best of both worlds solution which could be the sweet spot for modern businesses.
In this post, we’ll look at what hybrid working is, why it’s become so popular and how to prepare your organisation.
The coronavirus pandemic left no stone unturned in changing how we live our lives from the start of 2020. Healthcare aside, one of the biggest impacts came from the advent of remote working. While it was gradually rising in the years preceding the pandemic, working from home went from a minority method to something relied upon for businesses across the UK – and much further afield.
As the vaccine was rolled out and staff were allowed to return to offices, it became clear that not all staff were as keen as others. Remote working had enabled a better work-life balance with no need to commute, offering up an average of an hour extra each day to spend with the family, getting some exercise or just relaxing and unwinding instead of stuck in transit.
The result? Higher morale, better health, lower costs and in many cases improved productivity. That said, there are clear benefits of working together in an office. Collaboration, team building and a heightened sense of company culture are amongst the most cited.
That’s where hybrid working comes into play. It refers to a working model which combines remote and office work – allowing staff to have either set days at home or simply come into the office when they choose.
In our previous blog post on remote working software, we highlighted several areas where businesses can improve productivity when working from home. They included collaboration software, time tracking tools, video conferencing and electronic signing systems – and finally digital asset management.
But with hybrid working allowing staff to visit the office for meetings, collaborative work and document handling, arguably the most important facility for the new way of working is asset management.
Whether staff are at home or in the office, they need access to the right files, folders and assets to do their job effectively. A cloud-based digital asset management system can provide exactly that. It enables them to upload, download, search, edit and share from a home office or conventional office, with no compromise on functionality.
The ability to access and retrieve files is going to be critical to the new hybrid way of working. At iBase, we offer feature-rich digital asset management software that can empower your staff at home or in the office.
Want to find out more? Arrange a free one-to-one demo with our team to see how our software works.
