The best tech for return to office success

Following the onset of COVID-19, many businesses embraced a work-from-home model, enabling many office workers to complete their work from the comfort of their own homes. The result? In some cases, more productive, happier employees and reduced costs for the business. Many businesses have found that a hybrid work model —  a combination of work-from-home and office work — is the way forward. But, this hybrid model requires a refresh in technology to enable and facilitate the change. No longer do businesses ONLY  need to consider the Google calendar and booking the meeting room for the Monday morning team meeting…it got a lot more complex, and workplace experience is under threat! Thankfully, there is smart technology available to make the return to the office easy. Let’s take a look.

The importance of technology for a successful return to the office

Contrary to popular belief, most employees do not want to work from home (or in the office) 100% of the time. In fact, 68% of workers think that the ability to work both from home and on-site is the perfect work model.

To do this, businesses need to have a robust technological infrastructure that helps enable hybrid working to ….well work.

Here’s a few of the topline benefits this type of approach could bring to your workplace:

1. Increased employee productivity and satisfaction

When you give employees the tools and technologies they need to work in the way that works best for them, they work faster and are more engaged with the process, increasing workplace satisfaction.

Not only is there an increase in the amount of work being done, there is also an increase in the overall quality. This helps increase revenue and boost profit margins.

Plus, happy employees are more likely to stick around long-term, further decreasing recruitment costs for your business.

2. Access to a wider pool of talent to build your teams

With flexible and hybrid working innplace – your teams are no longer tied to the office. This widens the recruitment net.

Remote working policies enable businesses to break down location barriers and bring in talent from across the world. In the past, accessing non-local talent would mean relocation fees, and increased hiring costs. Now, businesses can access the best of the best for their business with decreased cost, expanding their talent pool and increasing their prospects.

3. Increased collaboration equity

Collaboration equity is a term used to describe the effective communication between team members and the quality of their contributions. Through technology, hybrid teams are able to effectively communicate their ideas and be a part of your workspace regardless of whether they are in the office or working remote.

In addition, features like meeting recording functions allows those in other time zones to still be a part of any project, allowing them to catch up on what they missed in their own time.

The technology hit list for return to office success

Technology is the best way to help you and your employees to return to the office and create a workplace that delivers a great experience in providing what your people need, is effective and welcoming (for those that want to return, that is!).

There are a number of tools to ease the transition and allow both those returning to the office, and those working from home, to work efficiently and productively.

Desk reservation software

Gone are the days of having your own desk – but that shouldn’t mean employees need to forego a desk. With desk reservation software, employees can come into the office confident that they’ll have somewhere to call home for the day. This can enable not only flexibility and better use of space, but will ensure businesses are always compliant with regulations.

Smartway2 offers a flexible office desk booking system to enable a collaborative, agile workplace.

Video call and conferencing software

How many Zoom calls have you taken in the last two years? It goes without saying, the new normal in the modern workplace has video conferencing at the heart. And with good reason. Video call software enables teams to be more efficient, more cost-effective, and more communicative with team members who aren’t in the room.

Workplace messaging system

From Slack, to Microsoft Teams or Google Workspace — businesses need a way to communicate fast, and in an effective way. Modern workplace messaging system enables real-time conversations with any teammate or team, and we don’t mean just email. While the features will differ from platform to platform, the gist is the same, quick communication about a project in one easy to navigate place.

Interactive whiteboards

We all know the benefit of a good old whiteboard for team collaboration. But what if the team aren’t in the same room? Enter, interactive whiteboards. Hybrid whiteboards are now available to extend these capabilities to the hybrid workflow, providing additional coverage to ensure that those working remotely can still contribute to the conversation.

Cloud-based storage

The ability to access, manage and easily work on projects is critical for all employees no matter where they are located. Whether WFH, at your regular desk or on the move, implementing cloud storage allows co-located, remote and hybrid workers to quickly find and share files, implement reliable version control, and in general, get their work done with a minimal amount of time wasted.

Building a resilient and productive hybrid work environment that can successfully accommodate the return to the office requires the right technology. Smartway2 is a platform that provides all these features and more for your hybrid workspace. From desk and conference room reservation to virtual, interactive whiteboards, they’re a one-stop shop for all your virtual workplace and return-to-office needs.

Looking to make your return to the office a success?

If you’re struggling with the return to the office and want a platform that offers everything you need to make working a breeze, then Smartway2 is the one for you.

Want to know more? Book a demo and find out today how they can transform your hybrid workspace to be more efficient, collaborative and streamlined.