How CIOs Can Facilitate a Hybrid Workplace

Hybrid work is becoming increasingly common in 2021, but how do you implement it successfully? In this article, you'll learn how CIOs can facilitate a hybrid work environment.

If 2020 was synonymous with a brutal transition to remote work, 2021 is becoming the year of adaptation. Indeed, the context of the global pandemic forced many professionals to switch completely to remote work overnight, without companies having time to prepare. It was this element of surprise that made this transition difficult. Because while during the first few weeks many were delighted to work from home, after several months the euphoria subsided and the return to reality became a little more complicated.

In this article, we explain how a CIO can facilitate the transition to a hybrid working model, but also why opt for a hybrid working model.

Why choose a hybrid working method?

Remote working has spread rapidly in just a few months, convincing many professionals that this way of working suits them much better than in-person work. On the other hand, it has made others realize that human contact and the office environment are essential to them. And finally, there are those who find a happy medium between the two and appreciate a hybrid work style.

In any case, you probably have all of these scenarios within your company, which is why it's important to properly implement a hybrid workspace. This allows employees to choose whether they want to work remotely or in person, or a combination of both.

What are the challenges of a hybrid working method?

Beyond the challenge of accommodating the needs of your employees, there are also security and organizational issues.

In terms of cybersecurity, remote working can be an aggravating factor for both the user's and the company's security if concrete actions are not implemented. Indeed, the internet connection at home is often less secure than that at the workplace. Updates are not always made on time. Employees may also tend to let their guard down in the comfort of their homes, etc. Many other factors can also come into play. This is why it is essential to implement measures to limit risks, which is where the CIO comes in.

At the organizational level, remote work completely disrupts the company's routines and operations: meetings, team dynamics, communication. So many factors that, if not addressed, will deteriorate the work environment. This is once again where the CIO steps in.

How does the CIO facilitate a hybrid work mode?

The CIO, Chief Information Officer , is responsible for the management, implementation, and operation of the company's technologies. This includes all technologies necessary for remote working.

The CIO will therefore have to, for example, review the way communication is designed within the company so that it adapts to both remote and in-person workflows. Communication via the internet is becoming all the more important as humans are social beings and need to maintain social connections even at a distance. It is therefore important to implement processes to maintain high-quality and secure communication within the company.

Cybersecurity is therefore the other major challenge of the hybrid work model. It is the CIO who, through analysis, monitoring, and data collection, can adapt and strengthen security where necessary. They can also take the initiative to raise employee awareness regarding cybersecurity while working remotely.

In summary

As you can see, in various aspects of the hybrid work environment, the CIO is becoming the almost indispensable player who will enable a healthy and safe work environment to emerge. Because the CIO is the link between technology and people, their responsibility is growing with the arrival of remote work and, therefore, the hybrid work environment.

But for small and medium-sized businesses, hiring someone for this type of position isn't always feasible. Hiring an external CIO, also known as a vCIO (virtual CIO), can be the simplest and most cost-effective solution in terms of time and money! If you're interested in this service, don't hesitate to contact us at 514-548-3466 or via our contact form .

About Nexxo

Nexxo Computer Solutions specializes in providing IT and technology services to Quebec businesses. Its mission is to offer Quebec companies IT services tailored to their needs. Acting as an external IT department, it handles all of a company's IT tasks, allowing it to focus on its business activities. It achieves this by collaborating closely with its clients and putting their interests at the center of its concerns.