7 Hybrid Workforce Challenges and How to Resolve

If your company currently experiences hybrid workforce challenges, we share some ideas and thoughts that can resolve the challenges.  As the workplace begins to return back to normal, businesses weighs the option between a hybrid workforce or bring employees back to the office like before the pandemic.

Two years ago, businesses explored the idea of work from home and started to adopt a more digital modern workplace which is required for a hybrid workplace.  The COVID-19 pandemic sped up this transformation process.  Some advantages to a hybrid environment include:

• Employee Morale – Hybrid environment boosts employee morale due to the flexible options for collaboration with colleagues in or out of the office.
• Increase Productivity – Because of flexibility, employees become more productive with a flexible environment.  In a survey by Microsoft, 82% of business leaders reported good productivity when flexible work schedules were adopted.(1)
• Reduced Costs – Office spaces can be reduced due to no longer needing dedicated offices.
• Pandemic Proof – Hybrid environment allows for the ability to quickly social distance in the event what we experienced in 2020 happens again.  Let’s hope not but we all are well aware of the risk.

The other side of the coin reveals heightened cyber risks which poses a challenge for IT departments for small businesses.

Seven Hybrid Workforce Challenges and Solutions

More than ever, we live in a world where employees will work from anywhere and potentially at any time.  You need to devise a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that involves and empowers your hybrid workforce.  Let’s review these (7) hybrid workforce challenges and solutions that will reduce your risk of a cyber attack.

Tracking Business Assets

Your small business net worth depends on the assets created and maintained within your business.  As a reminder, an asset can be people, devices, products, software, or cash.

The Challenge:

In a hybrid workplace, employees use business devices from any location.  The risk includes a stolen, compromised, or unattended device with access to your corporate information through the lens of that device.

The Solution:

Create a risk mitigation plan through an operational risk assessment.  An annual, semi-annual or quarterly risk assessment will help you with the following and creates ways to secure your environment:

• Internal and external vulnerabilities in your business
• Threats to your business’ data, systems, software, cloud and networks
• Consequences/impact if the threats exploit vulnerabilities

Employee Risk

In the workplace, the employee really is considered the front line for all cyber attacks.  Most attacks begin with a phishing attack targeting an employee or mistake can evolve into a compromise.

The Challenge:

In a hybrid workforce, employees work from anywhere at anytime which potentially will increase mistakes.  For sure employees work from an environment out of your control.  Consider the devices around them living on the network where they work from.

The Solution:

Build a cyber security awareness training on a consistent basis in order to create a security minded culture.  An important part of this training, includes information about your policies and procedures that are in place to protect your business.  Here are three things to think about:

• Expectations when at home or other remote locations
• How to access and utilize sensitive data when remote
• Expectations when using personal devices

Hybrid Workforce Productivity

From a productivity perspective, work from home overall is considered positive.  The flexible work environment will boost morale.

The Challenge:

In a hybrid workforce, I believe the challenge might be bouncing back and forth between home and office could reduce focus on tasks.

The Solution:

I believe a good balance and a set schedule will help set employee expectations and keep them in their flow.  Some things to watch and think about:

• Fatigue for those who work from home to much and participate on video calls
• Know what reasonable output of work flow numbers should be
• Watch for signs where coaching and encouragement are needed

Perimeter-Less Environment

Since employees and their devices are located any where at any time, the environment does not contain a perimeter.

The Challenge:

In a hybrid workforce, devices will be accessing the internet from less secure locations.

The Solution:

Implement tools that will monitor and protect your investment in cloud-based SaaS applications.  A few thoughts for small business companies to think about investing in:

• Secure VPNs
• Identity and access management tools
• Patch management applications
• Unified endpoint management systems
• Backup and recovery systems

Policy and Procedure Changes

Policy and procedures definitely changed once everyone started working from home.

The Challenge:

Now that things are getting back to normal.  Revisit the policies and procedures and make sure they align with employee hybrid workforce challenges.

The Solution:

Policies and procedures should be reviewed once per year.  With some solution, polices can be automated based on the location of an user.  Make sure you take the time to look at these policies in particular:

• Acceptable Use Policy
• Work From Home (WFH) Policy
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy

System Changes – Friction-Free Systems and Strategies

Hybrid workforce challenges don’t need to slow down or hinder the business flow.

The Challenge:

Although security is critical, new security systems need to consider user and customer experience.  If a new antivirus solution slows down an employee workstation, the result will be reduced output and work.  Causing employees to grow weary and abandon security best practices is not the out come you are striving to achieve.

The Solution:

Prior to implementing security solutions, make sure you evaluate the system and understand how it integrates into your business environment.  Pro Tip:  Work with a trusted partner.

Company Data

In today’s world, data is king.  Cyber attackers think so too.

The Challenge:

Understand what data needs to be protected and why.  Ask these questions:

• What would happen if I lost that data?
• How long could I stay in business without access to that data?
• What personal data do we handle or save for business transactions?

The Solution:

The most important is to know the value of your data.  Really to overcome the hybrid workplace challenges for data lose, you need to implement all the solutions mentioned above.  Starting with a risk assessment with a trusted partner.

Next Steps

If you really want to overcome the hybrid workforce challenges, spend the time to implement the above mentioned solutions.  Two recommendations from this article as next steps:

• As we’ve already mentioned, build in an annual risk assessment of your business at a minimum.
• At a minimum create annual security awareness training for your employees.

 

 

Article curated and used by permission.

Sources:

1. Building resilience & maintaining innovation in a hybrid world, Microsoft.