The Future of Work Is Hybrid

Foundry last week released its 2022 Future of Work study, providing insight into the way IT operations and organizations in general will likely be working in the years to come.

It was no surprise that the study found that 94% of organizations have shifted to hybrid work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What was interesting is the finding was that 72% of IT decision-makers said their mindset about remote and hybrid work has shifted to be more positive. Despite such a high number, only 62% of respondents agreed with the statement that the work-from-home shift has forced the creation of new, more efficient workflows and processes.

Looking to the future, only 29% of respondents said they expect their workforce to be in the office only, while 30% said their workforce would be remote only. That leaves hybrid work: 41% of respondents believe hybrid work will be the future.

Challenges and Concerns About the Future of Hybrid Work

There are multiple challenges that organizations continue to face in the new normal of hybrid work.

The 2022 Future of Work report found that organizations are still struggling with talent and hiring. Only 42% of IT decision-makers agreed that the work-from-home shift has made it easier to recruit for open positions and find necessary talent. However, this shifts by workplace environment — 64% of those IT decision-makers who say their workplace environment will be remote only say the work-from-home shift has made it easier to find talent, compared with only 20% for office only and 39% for hybrid work.

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"This shows that IT professionals are seeking remote office jobs, and those organizations are seeing the benefits of recruiting appropriate talent," Stacey Raap, marketing and research manager at Foundry, told ITPro Today.

The report also identified multiple concerns about how hybrid work is impacting the workplace overall. Among the concerns cited by respondents were challenges with efficient collaboration, morale, and burnout, as well as security maintenance.

How Hybrid Work Is Changing IT Operations

There are a number of ways that hybrid work has changed IT operations as organizations have had to support both on-premises and remote staff.

The study found that 73% of IT decision-makers have changed how they manage their IT teams as a result of hybrid work. The primary way that IT has responded is with the increased use of project management and collaboration tools.

Twenty-one percent of respondents have also implemented daily check-in calls, while 14% have adjusted IT help desk hours to support users across different time zones.

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