Enabling HR leaders to seize the promise of hybrid work for a competitive edge
The hybrid world sets up new challenges and opportunities
We’ve heard a great deal about how the global pandemic has accelerated technology trends and work models. The most obvious change has been the transformation of where and how people work. Today, people are working in the office, at home, and everywhere in between, and it’s clear that the hybrid workplace is here to stay.
Recent data suggests, most executives expect that employees will be on-site between 21 and 80 percent of the time, or one to four days per week, for roles that aren’t essential to perform on-site.
In this new world, it’s more important than ever for workforce leaders to understand employee needs and provide a work experience that’s aligned to them, while optimizing performance. Employee expectations are changing, and work experiences are as varied and personal as individuals. HR leaders face unprecedented challenges in:
Helping employees stay fully engaged in a hybrid world- Improving employee safety and well-being
- Enhancing development and career opportunities for employees
- Expanding the talent pool in a competitive job market
A hybrid work model, powered by Cisco solutions, enables workforce leaders to transform today’s challenges into a real competitive edge, while helping employees meet or exceed performance expectations.
A recent study shows that a hybrid environment can boost performance by 28%.
With the right solutions and strategy, HR leaders can build a more flexible, collaborative workplace, for stronger employee connections between one another—and to their organization’s mission.
Helping employees stay fully engaged in a hybrid world
Engagement is key for attracting and retaining the best talent. Work styles are changing, and people expect to stay productive wherever they are. It's up to HR to offer a satisfying work experience with maximum flexibility.
Hear how Cisco successfully has used hybrid work to maintain and increase well-being. (2:06)
64% said that the ability to work from anywhere directly affected whether they stayed or left a job (Cisco Hybrid Work Index)
Employees who report that culture has improved since starting to work remotely are 2.4 times more likely to report high employee engagement. (Gartner)
Connecting employees to each other, and the organization
A hybrid work model helps foster a culture of collaboration and engagement where everyone matters.
With Webex Collaboration Suite, you can empower every employee with a secure, manageable collaboration experience that can be as inclusive and engaging as face-to-face meetings. Interactive tools enable everyone to participate, regardless of location, language, or work style, while AI-powered features help workers be more productive.
Collaboration solutions can also provide something that traditional workplaces can't: analytics that provide a better understanding of how people are working together. Collaboration insights from Webex help track collaboration patterns and interactions that provides leaders with insights they need to help their people stay better engaged and reduce burnout.
Watch how Cisco uses hybrid work to unleash productivity with secure collaboration. (2:04)
Improving employee safety and well-being
The pandemic has elevated the importance of safety and well-being in the workplace. HR leaders must work closely with their facilities teams and other organizations to maximize employee safety, and reassure the workforce.
97% of employees want their employers to make changes to increase safety as they return to the office (Cisco Global Workforce Survey: Rise of the Hybrid Workplace)
51% of women who weren’t working remotely before, but have been since the pandemic, say their level of safety has increased (Gartner Future of Work)
Ensuring a safer, healthier workplace
Hybrid solutions can help organizations provide healthy workspaces that prioritize the health and safety of workers on-site.
Cisco Spaces can provide people-density and monitoring insights help enforce social distancing. Cisco Spaces helps organization leaders support a safe, intelligent workspace by monitoring and sharing occupancy levels with staff and visitors, in real time.
Cloud-managed Meraki Smart Cameras provide visibility for smarter occupancy and space usage.
Enhancing development and career opportunities for employees
Employees will be fully invested and engaged at an organization where they have a clear path for career advancement. HR leaders know that training and development programs are critical to retaining the best people—and keeping their organizations fully prepared with the latest knowledge.
53% of execs said half to all of their workforce would need to reskill by 2023 to meet new demands (Deloitte 2020 Global Human Capital Trends)
70% of employees say they haven’t yet mastered the skills they need for their jobs today (Gartner)
Extending skills and learning to people anywhere
A hybrid work environment gives HR the flexibility needed to extend training and online events to workers anywhere, so they can stay in sync with company priorities and keep their skills and knowledge up to date.
Webex Webinars deliver engaging, interactive learning and development experiences that can scale to support tens of thousands of participants.
With Webex Collaboration Endpoints for conferences and meetings, organizations can transform meeting and common spaces to safely connect people and teams in new ways.
Watch how Cisco uses hybrid work to deliver engaging learning and development experiences. (1:32)
Expanding the talent pool in a competitive job market
In today’s highly competitive job market, the organizations that succeed will be those that can draw from a global workforce. Making work independent of job location can provide a distinct competitive edge for HR leaders looking to recruit diverse, world-class talent.
88% of knowledge workers say that when searching for a new position, they look for complete flexibility in hours and location (HBR: What Your Future Employees Want Most)
85.2 million workers
Predicted global talent deficit of 85.2 million workers by 2030 (Korn Ferry Analysis)
Engaging talent worldwide
A hybrid work model gives HR a unique ability to attract top talent, regardless of where candidates are located.
Home office solutions offer ultimate flexibility for employees and organizations, enabling employees to work securely from their home or most any office space, with all the tools they need to stay productive. A variety of Webex Desk devices provide all-in-one collaboration for knowledge workers, protected by Cisco Umbrella’s flexible, cloud-delivered security.
For people that need access to specialized tools and applications, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions offer a full desktop and application experience to users anywhere, on any device.
Watch how Cisco uses hybrid work to engage and expand its talent pool. (1:50)
