Countless employers still don’t trust their people to do their best work unless they’re physically in the office. But while managers may be struggling to adjust to our new hybrid world, this perception is a long way from the truth.

Research from around the world reveals that greater flexibility from remote and hybrid working often results in a major boost to productivity. Yet still some firms are bringing back an office-only policy.

Employers may be grappling with the fallout of the last few years and hoping that a return to the office will result in a post-pandemic productivity boost.

But seeing as hybrid workers show improved morale, greater creativity and better collaboration (compared with pre-pandemic levels), this could be a big step in the wrong direction.

Big Brother will never be popular

Some businesses have increased their employee monitoring to try and track performance. But this is often perceived as a Big Brother tactic that ends up having the opposite effect – a drop in productivity, a lack of trust, demoralised teams, and a greater feeling of ‘us and them’.

All businesses need to understand how they are performing and decide which metrics give the best insight into productivity. But this has to be done in a way that doesn’t leave employees feeling like cogs in a machine.

So what’s the answer?

There is some clear advice for building a productive and successful hybrid environment:

• Encourage people to work in the way that’s best for them
• Find the right ways to measure performance – without people feeling like they’re constantly being watched
• Automate repetitive tasks to free up your team’s creativity
• And provide everyone with the tools and tech they need to do their job properly. That could include choosing the right devices, using communication tools that aid collaboration, and making the right connectivity choices.

We can help with all of this.

So if you’re having trouble adjusting to a hybrid world, get in touch – we’re here to help.

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

With its huge dominance in the workplace, Microsoft’s Windows has become the prime target for cyber criminals. They’re looking to access your information, disrupt your business, or hold your data to ransom.

Tens of millions of attempted malware attacks were discovered throughout this year, and a massive 95% of those threats were targeted at Windows.

The vast majority of attacks are unsuccessful, but those that do succeed can create havoc for the affected businesses. So you need to be sure that you’re taking all possible precautions to protect your business and your data.

• Hardware and software companies release regular updates to address threats to Windows users, as well as security patches designed specifically to deal with new risks. These should all be installed as soon as they become available.

• Your people should be regularly trained in how to spot cyber security threats and what to do if they suspect one.

• And because it’s not possible to protect every business from 100% of all threats, it’s also important that you have a strong resilience plan in place.

This should detail exactly how your business should react if it falls victim to a cyber attack and who should be notified to take action. Everyone in the company should have access to this document and know to report any potential attack as quickly as possible – that’s the best way to lessen its impact.

If you have an IT service provider, they’ll be able to make the best recommendations to keep your business safe and secure, train your people, and even provide monitoring to spot any potential danger before it becomes a problem.

This is something we do every day. So if we can help your business become more resilient, just get in touch.

Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.

One bad email. That’s all it takes…

What’s the biggest threat to UK businesses in 2021? Not Covid – it’s cyber-crime.

And you see what a big threat it is, by understanding the one one one rule.

We explain it in this week’s video.

Working from home can make your business more exposed to a potential cyber-attack. Because sometimes our home Wi-Fi isn’t as secure as business connections can be.

Here’s a clever way to keep your business safe, no matter who’s working where…

Hackers are very smart people. Not only can they break into your computer without you realising it, but they can also cover their tracks – so it’s almost impossible to spot they’re in.

Almost.

Here are 3 signs to look out for, which could be a sign that your business has been hacked.

If some of your team are in the office, and some still working from home – and maybe they’re swapping locations throughout the week – you need a truly flexible way of working.

And that’s where Microsoft OneDrive comes in. It makes sharing documents and collaborating so much easier.

I think we’re all starting to realise now that working from home is here to stay, thanks to Covid.

But is your business really prepared for it? These are the areas you need to get right.

It might seem in our modern age, that you no longer need antivirus to protect your devices.

Oh no. Quite the opposite. Every device that’s connected to the internet needs to be protected. Here’s why.

These days everyone knows the importance of backing up data. It’s a basic way to protect your business.

But there’s a second regular you job you must do – and that’s check, and verify your backups. Here’s why it’s so critical

Just because your team are working remotely, doesn’t mean that has to be a stress for you.

In fact, the collaborative and communication tools within Microsoft Teams really do make Working From Home easy for everyone.

Here’s how.