Hybridge is helping many clients plan their “Return To The Office”. If you are considering bringing people back in person and haven’t talked to us yet please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. Here are some key changes to think about:

Business changes that will drive technology changes

  • Social distancing – you will need your employees to be more spread out, which probably means opening up more areas in/around your office for work.

  • Hybrid communications – most meetings are likely to include both local and remote teammates.

  • Scheduling – keeping to the desired occupancy percentage means team members will need a way to book themselves space in the office, and it often won’t be the same space
Technology changes for your return to the office

Network

  • The bad actors have been busy over the last year and most network equipment has new vulnerabilities that need to be patched. At the very least, your network equipment needs to be updated to the latest firmware -- Hybridge can also run a full vulnerability scan on your internal network to find any insecure device. If you are subject to HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, or SEC/FINRA compliance, then likely you will need us to do this.

  • A single Zoom call takes around 5 mbps upload and download, so with many people on Zooms with remote co-workers and customers, we should assess your overall internet bandwidth to ensure you don’t have video or voice quality issues.

  • If you dropped to a single Internet connection because everyone was out of the office, we need to add back a second Internet provider for bandwidth and redundancy.

  • For many clients, Hybridge is adding outdoor Wi-Fi coverage, additional capacity in open areas like break rooms, and non-traditional areas like parking garages, gardens, and balconies, to enable more people to work from more places.

Communication

  • Pretty much everyone has gotten used to Zoom over the last year. But Zoom is expensive, support can be challenging, and it is a stand-alone system that has separate accounts and passwords for each user, so it is worth considering other video collaboration systems that you may already be paying for as part of your email or Cloud Phone System, like Google Meet or Hybridge GoMeet.

  • Huddle Video Calls - Zoom from a laptop is OK for one person, but if you have more than one person, then the laptop huddle is a bad experience, not to mention it violates social distancing. The ideal solution is typically a Zoom Room, but there are other smaller/less expensive options for phone booths and touchdown spaces we can discuss.

  • Cloud phone systems - If you are one of the few companies left with an on-premise phone system like Shoretel, Mitel, Avaya, or Comcast, then we should migrate you to a flexible Cloud phone system that will work from anywhere and give a seamless in-office/out-of-office communications experience. Hybridge’s Cloud phone system also includes robust video calling like Zoom, but integrated with your phones and email. Cloud Softphones also mean you don’t need a physical phone handset, removing another COVID risk.

Managing Space

  • Booking - Almost all Hybridge clients had conference room booking in place before COVID (usually from their Google or Microsoft email system, and/or from Zoom). We can expand this same system to include specific desks, phone booths, and other outdoor areas to ensure occupancy percentages are not exceeded, and everyone knows where they should sit. If more sophistication is needed, like contact tracing or notifications to facilities to clean a workstation between users, then there are many purpose-built booking trackers like Robin, OfficeSpace, and Teem that Hybridge can help you implement.

  • Hot desking - With team members sharing desks, each person will need to bring -- then take home with them -- everything they would have left on their desks before (things like chargers, mice, mousepads, keyboards, pens, and post-its). Hot desk organizers like these from pioneer HotBox are great for this.



Bringing your team back requires a solid plan with great technical support. Hybridge is here as your partner in planning and executing your Return To The Office. Reach us at 888-353-1763 or info (at) hybridge.com

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