About a third of hybrid workers are fully remote, enjoying the benefits of a work-from-anywhere lifestyle. The remainder are pioneering the hybrid model, balancing their time between home and the office. This modern approach to work is gaining traction, with almost 22 million employees working in hybrid or remote positions.
Work-from-home environments are paying off. Accenture reports that 63% of high-revenue growth companies support hybrid work options.
The Role of Hybrid Work in Safeguarding Team Well-Being
Hybrid work schedules relieve some common work stress, including commute times and trying to get personal matters done while maintaining work schedules. A study by IWG, covered here, revealed that among over the 2,000 hybrid workers surveyed, 66% had noticed an improvement in their mental health following the transition to a hybrid work model. This positive change is largely due to the 81% of respondents who report gaining more personal time than they had before.
Concerns over the productivity of remote workers have generally faded. Gallup reports that 31% of leaders and managers, along with 52% of hybrid workers, mention increased productivity as a benefit of hybrid work at their organization.
Employees also indicate a more favorable impression of their company, especially those adopting more sustainable technology.
Yorktel’s expert IT Consulting team draws from nearly 4 decades of experience helping our customers achieve their strategic business objectives. From hardware to software, from the customer premise to the cloud, Yorktel has earned a reputation as a top IT Consulting firm with intimate knowledge of how to roadmap innovative IT solutions and the expertise to bring those solutions to life.
Reducing Carbon Emissions in IT Through a Hybrid Work Environment
A hybrid work environment helps reduce carbon emissions. Reducing the number of daily commutes makes a difference as about 28% of all greenhouse gas emissions result from transportation, according to the EPA.
Reduced time in the office uses fewer resources and some companies have been able to reduce their tech stack by consolidating servers that now have smaller workloads. With employees splitting time between home and office, tech must be optimized, reducing energy consumption and the carbon footprint from IT operations.
How big a deal is all this? One study showed that hybrid work arrangements can reduce U.S. carbon emissions by up to 87%.
Enterprise Collaboration Solutions: Supporting Hybrid Work and Sustainability
The success of a fully remote or hybrid work model relies on enterprise collaboration solutions that support work-from-anywhere strategies and sustainability. With video collaboration, project management tools, data sharing, and cloud systems, team members can collaborate effectively and reduce the need for in-person work.
A cloud-based model also uses systems that are designed with energy efficiency in mind, aggregating resources for multiple enterprise users and deploying the latest technology in cooling and energy management. This outsources some of the in-house environmental impact from IT to cloud service providers, who have an even greater incentive to build sustainability in IT.
Yorktel is taking significant steps to align with global environmental sustainability efforts. Recognizing the urgency of supporting “green” initiatives, Yorktel has implemented an Environmental Sustainability policy aimed at measuring and minimizing our carbon footprint, particularly in technology-related emissions.
This policy is part of Yorktel’s broader commitment to advancing towards a sustainable future in harmony with our planet, demonstrating a proactive approach to reducing the environmental impact of our technological solutions.
Implementing a Hybrid Work Model for Team Well-being and Sustainability
A successful IT transition requires careful planning to produce digital workplace transformation. Here are some of the key steps to creating a productive workflow while improving sustainability for all of your workers:
- Assess the current IT landscape: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing IT infrastructure, processes, and policies.
- Establish clear guidelines and policies: Develop clear guidelines and policies that outline expectations for remote work, communication protocols, and security measures.
- Invest in enterprise collaboration solutions: Evaluate and implement robust enterprise collaboration solutions that facilitate seamless voice solutions, communication, file sharing, and project management between remote and on-site employees.
- Provide training and support: Offer comprehensive training and support to ensure all employees are proficient in using the chosen collaboration solutions and understand best practices for hybrid work and sustainable IT operations.
- Foster a culture of trust and accountability: Cultivate a culture of trust and accountability by empowering employees to manage their work schedules and environments while holding them accountable for their productivity and contributions.
- Monitor and adjust: Continuously monitor the implementation of the hybrid work model, gathering feedback from employees and analyzing key performance indicators. This feedback can help refine your tech solutions and report on your sustainability efforts.
Sustainability in IT requires rethinking your systems and technology, but employees generally strongly support the practice. A Deloitte study shows that 69% of employees want their companies to invest in sustainability efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.
Propel Your Team Towards Sustainability in IT with Hybrid Work
Every company needs to achieve the right balance between productivity, employee well-being, and sustainability in IT. A hybrid work environment creates a significant opportunity to create the right mix to address these critical issues. Evaluating and optimizing your IT technology, investing in efficient systems and tech solutions, and leveraging managed services can meet your sustainability goals while balancing all of these needs.
Yorktel is a leader in creating enterprise collaboration solutions to enhance workflow and productivity. Contact the IT experts at Yorktel to see how you can safeguard team well-being and create a hybrid work model that reduces carbon emissions and helps build a more sustainable future.