Tag: hybrid working

Flexible work is likely to remain the standard for South African organisations beyond the pandemic as they seek to remain agile in the face of a range of business continuity challenges in the years to come. Getting the right workplace solutions in place will be essential for businesses of all sizes as they continue to navigate the complexities of a hybrid work world.

For millions around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense workplace disruption and compelled many companies to reassess how they do business. By this time last year, about 50% of the South African workforce was working from home, while globally, this number was up to 76%.

One of the phrases that emerged in the last two years as more companies adopted remote working was 'the new normal.' At the time, most of us took that to mean that – along with having to wear masks and sanitise our hands at every opportunity – businesses that found they could continue operations on a remote working basis would continue to do so in perpetuity.

Two years since the world shut down and companies and employees scrambled to set up work-from-home, we are once again in a transition period as the world opens up a little and organisations grapple with how they will organise their workforce.

New research by International Workplace Group (IWG) reveals that hybrid working is the most sought-after benefit for job seekers and as important as financial benefits. The term 'Great Resignation', coined in May 2021 by Anthony Klotz, a professor of management at Mays Business School, describes a swell of voluntary resignations amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Widespread burnout and lack of flexible work continues to hinder progress in supporting working women, according to the our latest report, Women @ Work 2022: A Global Outlook released this month. The research reveals that 53% of women globally say their stress levels are higher than they were a year ago, and almost half feel burned out.

Traditional payment fraud has been rife for some time, where the cybercriminal impersonates the CEO, or other senior member of staff, to convince the finance department to make an urgent payment to either a new supplier or update their bank details.

The hybrid working model will likely become the new standard operating model for many organisations in various industries. However, there are still significant concerns to address before it is successful. Whether it is employee connectivity, access to back-end systems, and cybersecurity to name a few, companies must rethink how they approach this digitally-driven environment.

Conventional wisdom suggests that leaders need to be constantly front and centre, on the field and in the thick of the action. That notion of course has changed in the past two years because of the physical constraints brought on by the pandemic.

In the mostly uncharted pandemic-induced hybrid home and office work paradigm, keeping employees happy, healthy, and motivated is among the single biggest collective priorities for senior executives. Are we in the C-suite paying enough attention to the issue?