Now when it seems that the world is going back to somewhat normal functioning post-covid. Businesses have major decisions to make. Will their employees:
- go back to working from the office
- continue working remotely; or
- will they adopt the hybrid workforce model, working both remotely and in-office.
Recent surveys suggest that businesses are accepting the hybrid work model. Becuase of this many are already working to create a new functional working environment. Some are considering redesigning office spaces to accommodate the new hybrid work model. Will this type of workforce perform the same as a traditional work model? Alternatively, will it be even better? We are yet to find out.
What is hybrid working?
Hybrid working is simply a working model where employees are given the flexibility of when and where to work. This model is far from a traditional one where working at the office nine-to-five, five days a week was the standard. There are many pros to hybrid working. While more and more businesses are ready to go down this road, we may be looking at a very different future than one we have all expected.
Recent surveys show interesting results from employees who work from the office verus those who work remotely. It turns out that the latter are more likely to suffer from burnout. Therefore, taking these results into consideration, many businesses are implementing a hybrid plan. Employees will work both from home and in the office. Will these new work schedules be temporary. Or is this a lasting change that will affect the core of work as we know it?
How to protect my business with the new changes?
Like with any change it is important that employers adapt. Implementing or updating a flexible working policy, such as a hybrid working policy is a major consideration. In this case employment contracts, processes and policies will need to be updated. Careful drafting of these is crucial to accommodate this workstyle. On contracts, terms and conditions and everything in between. We discuss the importance of getting it right, read our blog here.
A hybrid work plan is an entirely new concept to almost everyone. So here are a few things to assess when securing a hybrid workstyle environment:
- Do you have the right security features for remote work?
- Being GDPR compliant and security measures needed for staff to process data when working at home
- Have you reviewed and updated all of your contracts of employment?
- Are your employees working in a secure home environment?
- Conduct risk assessments for all of your employees
Data Protection and Working from Home
On 18 of May 2021, the Government published a new Data Sharing Code of Practice. This has been laid before Parliament for 40 sitting days before coming into force. The new code gives guidance on how to share personal data fairly, safely and in compliance with GDPR.
“The code will guide organisations through the practical steps they need to take to share data while protecting people’s privacy. Data sharing that engenders trust in how personal data is used is a driver of innovation, economic growth and the delivery of more efficient and targeted services. Looking beyond the immediate Covid-19 crisis, data sharing will be central to the UK’s recovery.
The ICO will continue to engage with organisations and other stakeholders as part of our ongoing work on addressing perceived barriers to data sharing, helping them better understand how they can share information appropriately”.
Going back to the workplace after Covid is not going to be the same for many of us. Luckily for you, we are experts in legal drafting and data protection legislation and you can contact us for any guidance relating to this matter.