Hybrid work is the buzz these days and companies are designing their own strategies to adapt to this new setup driven by lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Electronics company Poly has been studying workstyle evolution for nearly a decade, and has identified six distinct workstyles, often referred to as personas, which make up 97% of a typical enterprise.

Each persona has different character traits. By identifying the attributes, pain points, and communication preferences associated with each persona, businesses are better equipped to match workstyles and employee behaviors to devices and technologies, and increasing organizational productivity.

“For organizations to succeed in this new world of work, they first have to understand how their people do their best work, how to configure workspaces to enable their workers to get the most out of their working hours, and by extension, where to best invest their money in technologies that enable a seamless, flexible, and more equitable working experience,” said Samir Sayed, managing director, ASEAN and Korea, Poly.

Poly unveils new pro-grade devices designed for hybrid workforce
Poly sees a collaborative hybrid work setup in 2022

Poly believes that properly defining the needs and work styles of employees leads to the ability to discern the right technology solutions that can enable both effective and efficient work across different spaces, regardless of where that might be.

“And by understanding the workstyles most prevalent among employees, the organization can then better design experiences across spaces that increase both engagement and innovation by eliminating friction to create seamless transitions from the home office to spaces across the office, or anywhere in between,” the company said.

Remote-centric

In its study, Poly saw that there is an ongoing and dramatic shift to remote-centric workstyles: From before the pandemic to 2022, there has been a 25% increase in workers adopting remote-centric working styles and preferences.

While there are numerous barriers hindering the return to the office, the ability to connect to one another remains a key element in driving people to return to the office.

Pre-pandemic, up to 70% of office space was geared toward individual desks and support spaces. Post-pandemic, the shift to more remote-centric roles is driving a shift from individual space, toward space that supports activities that connect employees for collaboration.

Organizations are getting serious about implementing their long-term hybrid strategies, which also include plans to refit their office spaces to better fit the new purpose of the office as a center of the corporate culture,” said Low Hee Bun, senior solution architect, Poly. “Planning for the return to office is about designing experiences for this new hybrid world of work that will drive people to the office to build connections, and at the same time maximizing the experiences for those in the office and those who are remote.”