Over the past year, IT operations have played a pivotal role in supporting thousands of employees as they transitioned to working from home, as well as managing the entire IT infrastructure. Irrespective of roadblocks and glitches, IT dedicated themselves to clearing impediments in our day-to-day work. Thanks to these unsung heroes, we’ve experienced firsthand how technology can connect and bind remote working teams for a common objective. 

Now some of the workforce are being allowed to return to work in smaller units, while others continue to work remotely, and an emerging new format called "the Hybrid Workforce" is being adopted. Once again, organizations will have to rely on technology to both ensure a safer return to the workplace and to make this hybrid model a success. 

Move from transactional HR to digital HR

Even before the pandemic and the emergence of the hybrid work model, organizations had started relying on technology to solve major HR challenges. It’s now evident that apart from enhancing the workforce's skill sets, IT can also transform the entire HR function — an important ingredient in keeping pace with the latest digital economy. 

A primary mission for HR it is to attract new — and retain existing — talent. The most efficient way to do this is to rely on technological innovations, such as cloud technology, people analytics, automating the fundamental processes, artificial intelligence, and big data. These tech tools can accomplish a significant amount of work while giving back the most essential element HR can have today — time. More HR focus can then be dedicated to driving the hybrid model further. 

Blend your hiring process

Organizations will have to shake up their hiring strategy by relying on both in-person and virtual recruitments. With IT support, HR can streamline the process and sift through numerous applications to determine which should move forward. Various touchpoints for candidates can be remarkably enhanced using technology, while providing them a seamless recruitment experience. Virtual interviews can save a lot of time and, simultaneously, build trust during initial rounds. Once candidates are selected, their onboarding process can also be vastly improved by adding gamification, making the induction more engaging. 

Nurture your talent with innovative learning

If organizations want their workforce to be "future-fit," skilled and ready for the jobs of tomorrow, HR needs to start building a blueprint that aligns with the organization's goals. Technology needs to be seamlessly woven in with a focus to drive learner engagement. This can be done by providing an immersive platform, rich media, AI-based personalized recommendations, voice-enabled learning models, and by leveraging AR and VR. These innovative digital learning tools will be pivotal in keeping the talent pool motivated and helping them learn new skills. 

The recent Skillsoft Learning Trends India 2020 Report reveals that 88 percent of HR and L&D leaders listed digital learning as the best option for aspirational learning. We’ve witnessed digital learning tools find a central place during the pandemic, and they will continue to be a top choice in the remote working model that is permanently shifting the world of work.

Even with the hybrid work model fast becoming a reality, there’s remains a large part of the workforce that’s not yet convinced about going back to the office. A recent survey by Barco — a global leader in visualization and collaboration solutions — reveals that most employees prefer to work from home 60 percent of the time and office 40 percent. With the workforce now split into office employees, hybrid employees, and remote employees, there will be more challenges for HR to handle these three different segments. 

How can they make sure they safely return to work, stay engaged and motivated, and continue to be productive? The answer lies in selecting the right set of tech tools.