On Taking a Step Back to Review—and Overhaul—Your Hybrid Work Tech Stack

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Companies are still sifting through the aftermath of 2020’s sudden, discombobulated transition to remote work. As the future becomes clearer, 28 percent of  CIOs are left worrying about not having the right technology tools to support the hybrid workplace. Now is the moment to step back, evaluate, customize, and optimize.

We know that during the pandemic, companies had to adapt to remote work literally overnight — so where does that leave us now in this new, rocky transition from fully remote to indefinite hybrid? Now, as we settle into a world of permanent flex work, with 79% of the C-suite permitting staff to go hybrid, I spend a lot of time lately talking to tech leadership about taking a step back, reviewing what they’ve built on the fly, and picking out the exact right hybrid workplace tech not just for the right now, but for the long haul.

Three big questions emerge as the through lines for each of these conversations:

  1. We suddenly have employees distributed not just around the city, but around the world, every day: How can we ensure we’re maintaining our security standards?
  2. This is a relatively new and certainly fast-growing arena for workplace tech: How can we pull together the most cutting edge solutions out there from all corners, and ensure that they somehow operate seamlessly together in one cohesive workflow?
  3. Our teams have never had to deal with this issue before, and now they’re juggling multiple tools, multiple logins — it’s complicated. How can we achieve a user-friendly suite of tools that makes it lightweight and easy to be at work, to collaborate with team members, to still feel like part of a bigger picture?

For MyTechDecisions, I wrote up a few pointers on how to build the best hybrid tech stack for your organization. Check it out for concrete steps in in putting together tech for future. Some of the biggest takeaways:

You have time for trial and error. Take it now so you aren’t untangling yourself from a cumbersome system no one likes to use, later.

Ask for feedback. Don’t aim to give your teams tools they need to do their work — aim to give them tools they want. As I wrote for mytechdecisions.com: Listen and observe to determine the best way to bridge company needs, budgets and staff preferences.

And when it comes to getting things off the ground, I included some actionable thoughts there too — namely, keep in mind that when it comes to hybrid work, there’s no “one size fits all.” Start with your staff, surface their needs and preferences, and shop tools that fit the bill. Don’t forget: the best thing about hybrid work is flexibility — whatever solution you design should keep that at its core.

Need a little more guidance? Catch up with a member of my team one-on-one to talk about your company’s needs, and what your hybrid work tech stack could look like.