EconomyTechnology and hybrid work: the steps to follow

Technology and hybrid work: the steps to follow

(Expansion) – The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely become the largest pilot test of remote work worldwide, demonstrating that it is possible to make the members of a company more effective or happier by working from home.

For this reason, the importance of the workspace in the office and the characteristics that it should have should not be neglected, since an ideal workspace helps a lot with productivity, just like the workspace at home.

It is clear to me that today we live in a very different world from the one that existed at the beginning of 2020, since many companies have already had the experience of having all their people working from home, something that for many of them was unthinkable due to the idea of that they were not going to be able to have the usual results, but many of them were surprised that their workers were even more efficient and their goals were achieved in less time.

Now I am also convinced that there is nothing like face-to-face collaboration and face-to-face interaction with the people we work with, but it is a fact that you must have open work spaces and give employees factors that encourage creativity in favor of their well-being and productivity because, otherwise, there are not enough arguments to create a hybrid work environment and no longer 100% remote.

Many workers believe that there are more negatives than positives in going back to the office, so I ask myself: isn’t there a way for companies to make their offices a place where people feel free and confident? want to work? I refuse to think that the only answer is no. I have discovered that there is no single approach that should be applied to all collaborators in the way they work.

It is time for companies to evolve and take into account what their collaborators need so that going to the office is not exhausting and, on the contrary, becomes a space in which people achieve a healthy coexistence and find a much more active collaboration with peers and colleagues. Technology may be the one to help solve the problem.

I know that it might sound contradictory to think of implementing technology within offices to make them attractive, since it is that same tool that has helped us work from home, but that is what makes it fascinating, taking into account that First of all, smart meeting rooms allow people who are in the same city to collaborate face to face, while they are connected with people who are in other cities or countries who, in turn, are together face-to-face, in addition to work on documents that are in the cloud and, therefore, are edited in real time. Yes: the future caught up with us.

In my office we have these types of meetings every three months – face-to-face combined with virtual – with all the teams in the Americas and, to be very honest, they are one of my favorite meetings of the year because this close collaboration is achieved that anyone needs to connect with their colleagues, without neglecting the fact that we are geographically far away.

Have you had to take a video call with someone who is wearing a mask? Me. I believe that a key factor is common sense, so I recommend that companies be flexible, always following all the guidelines of public health and of the company itself, but not falling into measures that only make visiting the offices uncomfortable for their collaborators.

A healthy hybrid model can help workers create closer bonds with their colleagues, but also have a favorable lifestyle, since the stress that factors such as traffic, less sleep, expenses of transportation etc. can generate in people, but a fair balance is what can lead companies to obtain better results and a much healthier work environment.

The organizational culture is formed from the moment we are in the elevator, in the cafeteria, preparing a coffee, filling our water bottle from the jug, etc., since it is those small talks with our people around us that generate links with the people who, They even work in other departments that are independent from ours, but that help nurture our collaborative spirit.

Let’s make technology our ally also for face-to-face work and let’s not go back to being the same as we were before the pandemic because in every crisis there is an opportunity to do things better: let’s take advantage!

Editor’s note: Ana Peña is Communications Director for Intel Americas. Follow her on . The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.

Go from a traditional CV to a digital and comprehensive one

The reality is that a person's CV on paper does not accurately reflect whether that person is suitable for a job, says Guillermo Elizondo.

Inequality as a pending subject

The latent inequalities around the world are presented as one of the debts that we have as a human species, if we aspire to create a future of justice and authentic peace.

ESG and the FOMO effect. The challenge of communicating to the new generations

When thinking about ESG as one of the central pillars in the communication strategy, it becomes essential to carry out a deeper analysis of what it implies, points out Luis Ruiz.

#LaEstampa | Blows to democracy in Mexico and the US

It is evident that there is much to improve in Mexican democracy. But the solution is not the sinister dismantling of the INE.

Prime Day does not save Amazon and reports only 15% growth

The big tech companies are disappointing shareholders and Wall Street's response is to stop betting on them.

More