Three quarters of UK IT decision-makers believe their organisation could have made the transition to a hybrid model sooner if they were aware of the pros and cons before the pandemic.
Research from eFax found that with most employees now accustomed to the flexibility of being able to work remotely, and many employers now offering this in the long term, organisations that do not offer such flexibility risk deterring their workforce and being unfavourable to future talent.
Half of all UK IT decision-makers believe the inability to attract and retain talent and over a third believe being unable to accommodate family life, are big risks if businesses do not enable a hybrid workforce. A further third believe it would risk a disengaged culture among employees.
Scott Wilson, Senior Director, Sales & Service, eFax, stated: “Since the pandemic struck most of the workforce that previously worked in offices, were forced to work from home. The huge shift to remote working was made possible by technology, such as online fax services and video conference applications, that provided all the capabilities of being in the office and often with even more benefits.
“Digital transformation initiatives have allowed organisations to move much of their workforce to remote working. Office fax machines have been swapped with online fax services, whilst video conferencing has replaced in-person meetings, enabling employees to perform remotely without limitation.”
According to the eFax research, this has worked well, with more than three quarters of UK IT decision-makers stating that their organisations could have made the transition to a hybrid workforce sooner if they were aware of the pros and cons of moving to a hybrid working model before the pandemic began.
Wilson said: “It is clear that companies have enjoyed success from a hybrid workforce model, made possible by their digital transformation initiatives. Although many employees may choose to return to the office, the possibility to work remotely is a great option for those that wish to use it. A hybrid workforce is here for the long-term.”
