Before the pandemic, the drive towards remote working was mostly motivated by two factors: employees’ desire for greater flexibility, and organisations’ need to maintain continuity in an emergency. Few business leaders considered remote or hybrid working as a long-term solution or predicted that it would become the default option for office workers.

Over the past year however, that has all changed. According to a recent survey by the HR software company Personio, only one in three UK workers want to return to the office at least part-time, and one in four would actually resign if their employer insisted that they go back into the office.

There’s no question that UK businesses on the whole have done an amazing job of implementing remote working solutions – and many were initially surprised to see an increase in productivity. But the rapid move to remote working has not been without challenges. While most studies agree that productivity has increased, this has, to some extent, been at the expense of employees’ well-being. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) shows that employees are working longer hours and experiencing a blurring of work/life boundaries. This may be acceptable for the short-term – but in the long-term it will inevitably lead to employee burnout – and a drop in productivity.

If businesses wish to continue to support remote and hybrid working, they will need to move from a remote working strategy that has been dictated by circumstances, to one that is led by design. But what would that journey look like?

You can find out by listening to the latest episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast series: The next step in remote working. You’ll hear a panel of digital experts, including 8x8’s Global cloud sales executive Scott Sampson, discuss both the current state and the future of remote work. Topics covered include: where most organisations are on their digital journey today, how businesses can take the basics to the next level and what the future of remote and hybrid working will look like.

The discussion raises some interesting questions about how remote working has affected the dynamics of collaboration – particularly as we move to a more asynchronous communication model. It also looks at some measures that organisations can adopt to maintain their unique culture – taking some tips from Swedish businesses. There are also some tips on how to streamline communication and improve productivity. And, of course, the panellists discuss how technology can help businesses transition to a new way of working. Look out for the big reveal of “the best kept secret in Microsoft’s power platform.” Oh – and as a bonus, you’ll find out the one thing Scott Sampson would like to be really good at – but isn’t.

Don’t forget – as it’s a podcast, you don’t need to be glued to your desk looking at a screen to enjoy it. Take a tip from our experts and listen in while you go for a lunchtime walk.

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