How Collaborative Apps Make Hybrid Work Easier

Companies have been transitioning in and out of remote work setups for more than a year. Consequently, the current global workforce is best described as a hybrid. This has forced developers around the world to create software solutions that address hybrid work challenges.

Collaboration is one of the most challenging steps to overcome, so how can apps make a difference?

What Is Hybrid Work?

After the global health crisis of 2020 and 2021, many people believed remote work would be the future of the global economy. However, people who previously idolized the idea of working from home realized they didn’t like it nearly as much. Similarly, companies found that they worked better together in an office, at least sometimes. This led to the development of a hybrid work model.

On a global scale, hybrid work refers to the fact that some people work from the office, from their homes, from the road or all of these. From a company perspective, it could refer to instances where some people work from home, some people work in the office, and some do both. On an individual level, it relates to work arrangements where persons may need to spend some days working in the office and some days working from home.

What Are the Challenges of Hybrid Work?

From the outside, the hybrid work model sounds ideal, and in many ways it is. However, it is not without its challenges.

Management

Managers often have a difficult time ensuring employees are working on company time. Because of this, some companies are trying to find better ways to supervise remotely. Sometimes, this leads to privacy concerns. Even Microsoft received heavy backlash when it launched its Microsoft Productivity Score.

Collaboration

Remote teamwork is challenging for many reasons. It can be challenging to facilitate typical teamwork activities, such as brainstorming and ongoing communication. Hybrid work can also make it difficult to track who is doing what and when. Finally, hybrid work models risk the creation of dysfunctional two-tiered systems between the people in the office and those at home.

Security

When people work from multiple locations, they rely on internet connections from various sources to access the same network. This can create vulnerabilities from a security standpoint. Consequently, apps need to be safe and help promote safe internet usage. Cybersecurity breaches cost too much time, money and good PR to risk.

How Can Collaborative Apps Make Hybrid Work Easier?

Apps make collaborative work easier for hybrid workers by addressing the concerns highlighted above. In addition, they make it easier to work together, allow management to keep an eye on things and contribute to good cybersecurity habits. Here are some additional ways collaborative apps can make hybrid work easier.

Track Employee Activity

Being able to see who did what and when solves two of the issues identified above. It makes it easier for management to track productivity, and it makes it easier for teammates to know when one person has completed a task so that they can take over the next leg of the project.

Real-Time Communication

Emails are not always sufficient when working on team projects from multiple locations. Secure, real-time messaging apps make it easier for people to keep in touch and receive immediate responses to pressing questions that would otherwise draw projects to a halt.

Cross-Platform Ease

Hybrid work might also involve hybrid platforms. For example, some companies might use in-house proprietary apps or have other operating systems in use. The best collaborative apps are the ones that can either integrate with other apps or remain versatile and functional across operating systems.

What Are the Top Features Microsoft Is Looking For?

Since announcing Windows 11, Microsoft has published information regarding its expectations as developers prepare to create apps for a new operating system. It has also included information about the resources developers have access to. These are its top requests, so far:

• Prioritizing group productivity over individual productivity
• Ensuring multi-platform compatibilities, such as Android, macOS and Web
• Providing message extensions that are compatible with Teams
• Creating custom backdrops to bring remote meetings to life
• Contributing to people-centric user experiences
• Facilitating more Microsoft Graph integrations

How Can Cloudficient Help Organizations?

At Cloudficient, we help customers migrate to the Microsoft cloud, so they have access to these platforms. As migration vendors, we are focused on embracing new technology and helping our clients do the same.

With unmatched next generation migration technology, Cloudficient is revolutionizing the way businesses retire legacy systems and transform their organization into the cloud. Our business constantly remains focused on client needs and creating product offerings that match them. We provide affordable services that are scalable, fast, and seamless.

If you would like to learn more about how to bring Cloudficiency to your migration project, visit our website, or contact us.