Creating A Successful Hybrid Culture

Today, traditional office no longer fits the demands of a more flexible workforce. Over the past couple of years, the rules of work have completely changed. We have entered a new era of work where the lines between office- and home-based work have now become blurred.

Hybrid work is one of the greatest shifts the workforce has ever experienced. It provides employees the opportunity to better balance their careers with that of their personal life. Studies say that remote employees frequently produce more than their onsite counterparts. Hence, productivity growth is one of the primary advantages of the hybrid work model. Recent studies have revealed that hybrid working practices in UAE companies have improved several areas of employee performance. Hybrid working is here to stay.

According to the 2022 Microsoft Work Trend Index report, 98% of UAE businesses revealed they would invest in hybrid workplace technology by 2024, compared to 89% globally.

Businesses can get the desired results with the right technology vendors, technologies required for Hybrid Work, and the right tools. Technology vendors expand their line-up of collaboration devices and introduce new updates designed to empower hybrid working at regular intervals.

Mohammed Hilili, General Manager, Intelligent Devices Group Gulf, Lenovo

Flexibility is at the core of successful collaboration and communication in a hybrid working environment. “Keeping this in mind, Lenovo’s range of solutions is ideal for collaboration and communication in multiple use-case scenarios. Our range of ThinkSmart products, such as the ThinkSmart View, Hub, Edition Tiny and accessories, each of which enables better collaboration, efficiency, convenience and security. Additionally, the ThinkSmart Manager further enables proactive monitoring, remote access and better protection, all at different choices for plans,” says Mohammed Hilili, General Manager, Intelligent Devices Group Gulf, Lenovo.

Hybrid working practices in UAE companies have improved several areas of employee performance.

Microsoft Copilot is an everyday AI assistant that automates tedious and repetitive processes, streamlines workflows and liberates valuable time and resources to pave the way for enhanced productivity and creativity. The Copilot has mobile applications for both Android and iOS and contributes to maintaining or improving employee productivity in a hybrid work model in several ways, such as productivity gains, time savings and enhanced employee experience.

Innovative hybrid work solutions
HP has a comprehensive portfolio of products and services designed to deliver hybrid experiences and workplace equity across all working styles, setups, and locations.

HP’s solution prioritises device flexibility for today’s hybrid work environment, addressing concerns highlighted in HP’s Work Relationship Index. With a range of versatile devices and services, including lightweight laptops, 2-in-1 devices and the recent Envy Move, we focus on seamless transitions between office and remote work.

Narayanan Venkataraman, Head of Omni Channel of MEA at HP

“We prioritise connectivity and collaboration tools, ensuring compatibility with critical communication platforms such as Teams and Zoom. Cloud services enable remote access, while robust security measures safeguard data from any location,” says Narayanan Venkataraman, Head of Omni Channel of MEA at HP. “HP’s range of devices, including EliteBook, ProBook, and ZBook laptops, coupled with Poly collaboration tools, emphasises enhanced video conferencing experiences, making HP a leader in hybrid work solutions.”

In today’s hybrid world, organizations must provide employees with flexibility. HP’s comprehensive hybrid work solutions prioritise cloud services, ensuring access to work-related information and tools from anywhere.

“HP Thin Clients ensure secure, centralised data access, promoting flexibility and sustainability. The HP Anyware software gives IT the flexibility and security they need while creating a high-performance seamless experience for teams to interact with their digital workplaces,” says Venkataraman.  He adds, “Additionally, the HP Smart App, featuring Print Anywhere, enables employees to remotely manage print jobs and check printer status, enhancing productivity for both office and remote workers on wireless networks.”

Organizations have started to realize that Hybrid working can be inconsistent and unequal, leading to a divided work culture. “This is where Logitech’s New Logic of Work comes into play, that puts people and their needs first and right at the centre of it,” says Loubna Imenchal, Head of Enterprise Business for AMECA at Logitech. “From personal to team workspace solutions, New Logic of Work ensures our personal and team workspace products are ergonomically designed to cultivate a better approach to meetings by focusing on employee experience, meeting equity and inclusivity, which are essential elements needed to bridge the gap between remote and in-person participants.”

Hybrid work is one of the greatest shifts the workforce has ever experienced, but it’s also one of the biggest business challenges of this decade. CIOs are under extraordinary pressure to digitally transform their businesses and overhaul their processes while ensuring their employees are productive and motivated.

Loubna Imenchal, Head of Enterprise Business for AMECA at Logitech

According to research by Logitech conducted with 3,000 home-based workers, 89% struggle with video issues, and 85% face audio problems. Since employee experience is crucial for the success of a hybrid working model, the resolution here is simple: when comfort increases, both physical and mental well-being have a chance to improve, as the mind and body directly affect one another. “We understand this and strive to design “stress-free” and intuitive technology solutions that prioritize employee satisfaction, regardless of their geographical location. Our products, such as the Logi Dock, Rally Bar Huddle, Sight AI camera, and Ergo K860 split keyboard, to name a few, are built to create healthier work solutions that improve comfort,” says Loubna Imenchal of Logitech.

HP is constantly aiming to boost productivity and job satisfaction in the new hybrid way of working. “Our Poly device offerings integrate top-notch audio and video solutions into our PCs, facilitating seamless communication for both in-office and remote employees, “ says Narayanan Venkataraman of HP.

Lenovo offers powerful solutions to maintain employee productivity and collaboration in a hybrid workplace. “Our solutions help employees raise their efficiency and productivity at work, both in the office or remotely. For example, the ThinkSmart View keeps a separate display that can manage meetings, while the main device used by employees can continue to be used for work. Our accessories, such as the ThinkSmart Cam and ThinkSmart Bar, also offer high-quality video and audio, which further improves efficiency and effectiveness during meetings from home or office,” says Mohammed Hilili of Lenovo

Optimizing Hybrid Work Performance
HP offers a comprehensive suite of analytics and reporting features to measure and enhance hybrid work performance. With HP Adaptive Endpoint Management, organisations benefit from streamlined PC deployment and management, leveraging Microsoft Autopilot and cloud-based security policies. HP Device as a Service provides AI-driven analytics for device lifecycle management, ensuring optimal performance and efficient repair services. HP Proactive Insights utilises analytics to predict and address hardware and application issues, while HP Intelligent Workflows automates processes to boost workforce productivity. “With the introduction of powerful new AI technology into our enhanced Proactive Insights tool, CIOs can now access insights on how to improve productivity and engagement for hybrid working,” says Narayanan Venkataraman.

The Microsoft Copilot Dashboard, powered by Viva, helps Copilot customers across every stage of the transformation journey: readiness, adoption, and measurement. The dashboard shows how many employees are eligible and ready to benefit from Copilot based on Microsoft 365 app usage, breaks down Copilot usage across apps, and delivers early signals on Copilot’s impact on productivity based on meetings, chat, email, and documents.

Zubin Chagpar, Business Group Leader, Modern Work and Surface, Central and Southeast Europe, Middle East and Microsoft

“In early 2024, the dashboard will add more advanced capabilities for customers with a Viva Insights license. These include Copilot adoption and usage metrics combined with collaboration data, out-of-the-box reports for organizational leaders, before and after behavioural data, and even insights from employee surveys,” says Zubin Chagpar, Business Group Leader, Modern Work and Surface, Central and Southeast Europe, Middle East and Microsoft.

“This new experience enables leaders and their delegates to use natural language prompts to easily query data from Viva Insights and generate personalized, dynamic reports that answer questions about their teams and organization.”

Lenovo offers a range of solutions geared towards helping organizations measure and optimize hybrid work performance through analytics and reporting features. These solutions encompass endpoint analytics to track device performance, integration with collaboration tools for monitoring collaboration trends, and security analytics to identify and address potential threats in a remote work environment.

“Customization and integration are also available to align with the unique needs of different organizations. Lenovo’s solutions also include user experience monitoring to ensure optimal access to resources for remote and hybrid workers,” says Lenovo’s Mohammed Hilili.

“Training and support services are also provided to our customers to assist organizations in effectively leveraging the analytics and reporting capabilities for enhanced hybrid work performance,” adds Mohammed Hilili.