How to Resolve Unexpected Pitfalls of Hybrid Working Arrangements

As a result of the epidemic, most of us have had to combine working from home with working from the office. Some prefer hybrid work since it allows working from home, while others feel it blurs the line between work and personal life. Regardless of our feelings about it, hybrid working is here to stay and will be the way of the future.

The hybrid work arrangement may appear to be the ideal compromise and the best of both worlds, but it does not come without its pitfalls. Besides the challenges with team management and office dynamics, there are serious data security issues that business leaders need to consider when transitioning to the new hybrid working model.

Team Management

There is the issue of maintaining the effectiveness of teams and projects even if we are not working side by side with them. It’s crucial to be aware of the drawbacks of a hybrid work arrangement, and leaders must be deliberate in their communication and interactions.

• There should be a focus on increasing awareness by managers where they exercise extreme caution when it comes to treating employees fairly.
• Visibility and accessibility can be improved so there is peer assistance for emotional and task-based issues. And managers should make it a priority to stay informed about what their employees are doing and that they have easy access to the resources needed.
• Communicate and connect by showing empathy to staff who are working remotely. It is crucial to have candid conversations to reduce the ambiguity and complexity that might arise when teams are dispersed.
• Build accountability to overcome the perception that remote employees are slacking or being less productive when they work from home. To avoid miscommunications, managers should follow the Tripartite Advisory on Flexible Working Arrangements, which urges supervisors to explain their expectations in advance. To guarantee that employees’ performance is fairly evaluated, include work deliverables, performance targets, and work arrangements.

Data Security

There is a weight of concerns relating to security, privacy, and corporate protection issues with a hybrid working model. This is especially true with fraudsters launching a large number of ransomware, malware, and phishing operations. Due to increased exposure to internal and external dangers, the concept of a company’s perimeter has broadened, and security measures have naturally split. With a mixed workforce in place, organizations cannot secure network and endpoint security. This gives hostile actors access, resulting in data exposures and even financial and reputational losses that are increasing year after year.

As data breaches become more common, businesses must deploy the most critical security measures to safeguard sensitive data. The need of identity management is highlighted by unprotected devices with unconfirmed users. Inadequate security rules and the limits of on-site traditional perimeter equipment can’t guarantee the quality of a corporate hybrid workforce’s performance, making governance more difficult.

Minimizing security threats, enhancing efficiency throughout the whole firm infrastructure, and adopting a conscious approach to protecting sensitive data are required to improve security within corporate networks. The following solutions can assist companies in securing hybrid workplaces.

#1 Transition to Cloud

Expensive hardware and on-site maintenance constrain physical infrastructure, which is the opposite of an agile, easy to deploy, and update configuration. As a result, moving to cloud-based solutions is a viable option for efficiency,  long-term sustainability, and security. Everything is stored, maintained, and updated in the cloud and not on employees’ devices, making it easy to manage and extend on demand.

#2 Implement Zero Trust Network Access

When people are not in the office, alternative methods for validating their identity and authenticating access to a company network are required. ‘Trust none and verify all’ is a zero-trust philosophy that is achieved through identity authentication to access work devices and resources, network segmentation, and improve control management.

#3 Corporate VPN Network

Hybrid work entails leaving a designated company network and accessing resources through public and home-based networks, both of which pose serious security risks. Using a corporate VPN to connect allows you to construct a secure and restricted network for each employee.

#4 Automated Monitoring

Hybrid work environments generate a large number of requests, endpoints, and incidents, which are difficult to manage and need additional time and effort from IT administrators. Because increased pressure provides greater room for human mistakes, automating the monitoring processes to detect any deviations in real time is one of the most important factors.

#5 Educate, Educate, Educate

Employee knowledge on the necessity of security is as important as any instrument or software that aids in the creation of a hard-to-breach security grid. Employees may be unaware of potential security risks lurking behind closed doors. As a result, every firm must invest in training and knowledge of personal responsibility that include how to spot unsafe links, what websites to avoid, how to identify scams, and security measures when working in a public space (if permitted). All these elements should be documented in a comprehensive security policy while ensuring there is explicit data access permissions to company resources.

The Hybrid Model Works With The Right Tools

To keep everyone on the same page, you can utilize platforms like KRIS Document Management System (DMS) to keep the whole team connected and productive. Depending on whether the person is in or out of the office, resource access does not have to fluctuate and sensitive company data is secured. Employees have immediate access in a robust infrastructure to help them complete their tasks, while ensuring all available information is current and comprehensive, giving everyone an advantage in today’s fast-changing environment.