Offering a hybrid working policy to your employees can help them to gain a greater work-life balance. Before doing so, you should ensure they have all the correct software to undertake their role outside of the office.
Alongside software packages, you should also consider remote IT support. This way should something go wrong with their machine, a qualified technician can help them to get back up and running as quickly as possible, without the need for an on-site visit.
We have carefully curated a 21-point checklist to help ensure your hybrid workers and their machines are fully equipped to manage the challenges of the working day.
Download our free checklist to ensure your business is fully operational even when your team aren’t working directly in the office.
Being able to keep in touch with different members of your team is vital when you don’t work in a singular location. Microsoft Teams can allow you to both instant message members of the team and host voice and video calls. Within this, Teams supports screen sharing, helping you to show specific pieces of work, figures, or even train different people on new or improved working protocols.
Another key aspect of Microsoft Teams is the ability to record meetings. This could prove to be fundamental to ensure nothing has been lost or forgotten along the way. Likewise, this can also be used to cover employee reviews, allowing yourself and your team to keep track of goals and other comments about an employee’s experiences within your team.
Microsoft Teams is included within Microsoft 365 packages for business. Alongside this, you may also want to consider ensuring that each employee who will work from elsewhere has a computer with a camera, microphone, and headset to enable them to be able to fully take part in calls.
This app is also available on mobile devices so, if this equipment isn’t available, your hybrid workers can still join in with a video call using their smartphone.
Being able to access business emails is another crucial aspect of hybrid working. It isn’t enough to only view and respond to communications when in the office. This could result in customers feeling aggravated by slow response times, or individuals missing deadlines for both ordering supplies and meeting other business needs.
Microsoft Outlook could become a great boon to your employees to rectify both issues, and much more. The mail features enable them to receive, and be notified of, incoming emails either on their personal computer or phone. Desktop and smartphone apps are available to make this easier on hybrid workers.
The calendar function in Microsoft Outlook can help to revolutionise the working day. Here, your employees can create both singular and recurring tasks and reminders, allowing them to get notifications and keep on top of things. Team members can also assign tasks and meetings to each other, helping them to see when a colleague or manager is free.
In addition to this, they may also be able to utilise widgets on their smartphone to ensure that nothing in the calendar is missed.
Keeping each device safe from hackers and threats should be something that you put at the forefront of IT within your business. The different types of malware could infiltrate your business via an employee’s personal device should it be used for work purposes.
You should already have secure anti-virus software installed on business devices, but you might want to consider opting for an anti-virus solution that can also be used on personal computers for your hybrid workers. While your employee may gain benefit from this for usage outside of work, you need to consider how one wrong click or installation could seriously impact your business network and files.
Alongside anti-virus software, it is a good idea to ensure that each member of your team is trained in the best working practices, including cyber safety and awareness of potential threats.
Another piece of software that can help to add more structure to the day, no matter where you work from, is Trello. This is a project management tool that allows hybrid workers to create boards and lists to plan their workflow. Individuals can be assigned tasks on a main employee board, as well as create their own bespoke board to note any other things that need to be completed.
This software gives you quite a lot of creative control, enabling you to colour-code your boards and tasks. You can set coloured labels as well, allowing you to easily mark urgent items.
Trello can be used via your web browser. As of 2023, it is currently accessible on the latest updates of:
Should you wish, desktop apps are available from both:
Those hybrid workers who wish to plan their tasks for the day, and coming weeks or months, on the go may also be relieved to know that the Trello app is also featured on both Apple and Android devices.
While we have already discussed some of the software offered by Microsoft, you might want to give thought to the catalogue of apps available as part of Microsoft Office.
These include:
As with the other Microsoft products detailed above, these are available both within your browser, via desktop apps, and mobile applications. While there may be free alternatives available online, it is vital to consider the level of security that is included within the Microsoft brand. Although you may need to use a business licence to be able to download the desktop apps, you will also receive wraparound security, including updates, to help keep the files you create, edit, and receive secure from infiltration or malice.
It isn’t just your IT that needs to be accessible from outside of the office. You should also think about how your team can make and receive calls as hybrid workers.
3CX is a fantastic VoIP software that allows you to make and receive calls via your computer or smartphone, using an app. If your hybrid workers log onto 3CX with their business credentials, they can still be reached via their usual business number. This means that employees don’t need to use their personal number during the working day.
Opting for wraparound business telecoms using VoIP software can help to cut your costs and improve communications for hybrid workers.
Allowing for hybrid workers within your business allows your team to have the freedom to work from home, or somewhere of their choosing.
This can benefit employees by allowing greater flexibility and reducing the need for both fuel and childcare costs.
Likewise, businesses can also benefit from reducing their overhead costs through needing less office space and increasing employee retention.
Whether your employees are remote or hybrid workers, or come into the office each day, you may want to consider some of the best practices that can boost productivity and uptime.
Utilising both business telecoms via VoIP and remote IT support to rectify any errors without on-site access required could help to keep things running smoothly.
You can also use our checklist for hybrid workers to identify and eliminate any risk that home-working may bring to your systems or data. This is broken down into the three core sections of People, Software, and Hardware, enabling you to extensively secure both your business and its employees against cyber crime or risk.
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Anne-Marie Blazdell is a Marketing & Communications Manager with expertise in digital marketing, content creation, and IT solutions. With a strong foundation in graphic design, she trained at Farnborough College of Technology and Southampton Solent University before advancing into marketing and business IT support.
Since joining Syn-Star in 2022, Anne-Marie has specialised in crafting SEO-optimised website content, managing social media, and helping businesses navigate the complexities of IT. Her work bridges the gap between technology and business, making IT more accessible and effective.
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You and your team are able to see where they are using their time and how productive they are actually being. Also they are able to clock in and out, so really good for flexi-working.
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If you would like to know what your team is doing and how productive they are being, we are able to monitor them and create screenshots of what they are working on. This can be run in normal or stealth mode.
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From sponsoring local community football teams, to engaging with charity fundraiser days, we believe it’s important to continually strive to do good for the better of others.
We have members who volunteer with youth organisations, are engaged with the Round Table, run marathons and volunteer at events where we may be needed. Every charity receives a discounted IT and Telecoms service too.
Protecting your digital data is crucial for every business and this can start with the industry-leading security we offer. The Syn-Star specialists can help with identifying any vulnerabilities within your IT systems and act accordingly to ensure cyber-attacks and data breaches are mitigated.
Your business will never fall behind with its technology when you work with Syn-Star.
We understand IT and Telecoms for your business is an investment, but it’s important to use the best resources available to enable the growth of your business. Our IT Consultancy and Virtual IT Director Services are available to support you with how you use your business technology for years to come.
Syn-Star can conduct quick and easy phishing exercises to identify people within your team who need to improve on their knowledge around fraudulent emails and how they can be alerted to these threats.
At Syn-Star, our experts can proactively work to understand exactly what software you need to support with the business operations. Whether you need a listening ear on what software to choose, or would like to seek some specialist knowledge, we’re here to help where we can.
At Syn-Star, we keep Telecoms simple. There’s so much available to help UK companies with their communications. VoIP systems, fixed landline, cloud phone systems, SIP trunking and more. Contact us for further details.
Desk phones, cordless phones or conference phones, Syn-Star can provide you with whatever you need.
From conference calling facilities to the headsets which work best for your team, we’re able to provide all the equipment you need and complete any telecoms job from start to finish.
There is no need to be in the office to make and receive phone calls from your company’s number. Our market-leading Telecoms platform gives you the flexibility of desk phones, soft phones and mobile apps as standard.
Whether your team works remotely, or perhaps staff are on a business trip anywhere in the world, calls can still be made, and people are reachable via phone wherever they go.
With a range of products, our team can support you by installing exactly what you need for internet connectivity. We work with the very best products to provide speedy bandwidths which play a part in the increased productivity of your team.
