The Future of Hybrid Work

Twenty-eight percent of employees work a hybrid model, according to WFHResearch, splitting their time between home and in office. The same survey found that 12.7% of full-time employees worked from home as of 2023. While most workers are still in the office, hybrid and remote work models are here to stay. According to Upwork, the percentage of remote workers is expected to climb to 28% by 2025.

Companies looking to embrace the future of work must understand the value and importance of adapting their operations for a hybrid workforce to support their employees.

Before looking forward though, companies must look at the current state of their operations.

Technology lies at the heart of hybrid work. Companies and employees will remain disconnected in the workplace without the right tools.

IDC FutureScape recently released its Worldwide Future of Work 2023 Predictions. Here are our takeaways from the report:

No. 1: Without great communication, hybrid work can lead to disconnection.

A common hindrance to companies embracing hybrid work is communication. A separated workforce can lead to miscues and disconnection between teams.

Applications such as Microsoft Teams have made it easier to improve communication and collaboration among remote and hybrid employees. AR/VR and AI-powered technology gives that already powerful technology a hefty boost.

For example, Microsoft has been building an immersive platform for Teams and its Microsoft Mesh platform. Mesh elevates your team’s experience with avatars and spatial audio. The goal is to make virtual interactions feel more natural and engaging.

No. 2: The no-code/low-code movement will continue to grow.

Citizen developers will become par for the course, according to IDC’s report. By 2024, they expect most enterprises training and supporting users to build their own applications and automated processes using low-code tools.

Microsoft Power Platform combines low-code application development, workflow automation, AI bot development and data analytics, all designed to work with the secure trusted Microsoft cloud services of Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365. Power Platform includes Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents.

The goal: helping businesses enhance workflows and streamline operations.

No. 3: Security should always be a priority, but especially in a hybrid work world.

IDC forecasts that organizations that have created dedicated hybrid security policies by 2025 will be 3X less likely to suffer a security breach.

Unfortunately, the increase in remote and hybrid work has provided criminals with an unmistakable backdoor to company systems. Start by building a cybersecurity plan for your business that accounts for your current and expected realities. Adapt that plan to keep up with the fast-changing threat landscape, including emerging security controls that can protect your business as the work environment shifts.

No. 4: An AI-powered unified approach to analytics will drive better business outcomes.

IDC expects that a holistic and integrated approach to analytics—leveraging an “intelligent digital workspace ecosystem”—will drive a 70% increase in differentiated business outcomes by 2026.

New to the scene: Microsoft recently announced Microsoft Fabric (now in preview), a unified analytics platform that brings data sources and analytics services together. It brings together Microsoft Power BI, Azure Synapse, and Azure Data Factory into one platform.

No. 5: For most organizations, online presence will be viewed as the same as “in real life” by 2025.

Hybrid work environments are here to stay thanks to powerful emerging technologies and a strong push from the workforce. With the right tools and partners, your company can support its hybrid workforce securely and efficiently.

The Sikich Modern Workplace QuickStart gives teams an arsenal of tools to help them work together effectively, like instant messaging and easy sharing of video, documents, and screens. We also help you form a strategy that helps you achieve the best results from these and other technologies as your company grows and changes.

From initial consulting and assessments to project delivery and ongoing support, we’re focused on helping your organization create a productive, talent-driven workplace to enable your company to grow, no matter where your team works.

Contact us today to learn how Sikich can help your company prepare for the future of hybrid work.