Will the energy crisis lead to less hybrid working?

Research conducted by the Federal Public Service of Mobility and Transport shows that the share of teleworkers has doubled over the past four years. In the first half of 2022, 32% of Belgians worked from home for at least one day a week and that, according to the study, is a daily saving of 35 million kilometers.

Working from home increases individual productivity

Employees who can work from home want to decide for themselves what they do, where and when and companies are embracing this flexibility. That is certainly the right thing to do as teleworking stimulates individual productivity. At the same time, employees need contact with colleagues, so the challenge lies in finding the right balance between office and home work.

Pascal De Wandel, Hybrid Workplace Consultant at Proximus

Responding to current events quickly

We will continue to work in hybrid mode this winter even though employees may come back to the office a little reduce domestic heating costs. But Covid flaring up again might, on the other hand, keep them at home. In any event, companies must be ready to respond to these rapidly changing circumstances.

Communication and collaboration hub

“They are increasingly using Microsoft Teams as the hub where their employees start their work”, says Pascal De Wandel, Hybrid Workplace Consultant at Proximus. “Companies are often already familiar with Microsoft 365, which includes Teams and that means that the threshold to work in Teams is low.”

Companies typically get to know Teams as a communication tool for internal employees through chat, meetings and video calls. From there, it is a small step to using Teams when sharing documents and collaborating with colleagues and partners. To make hybrid working even more efficient, Proximus can also ensure that employees remain reachable by phone on their office number at home by integrating Teams Telephony.

Everyone on board

As with any new technology, preparing the integration is half the battle in Teams Telephony. “Being prepared reduces the risk of a negative experience to a minimum,” said De Wandel. “That’s important. If Teams is to be a success, you need to have all the end-users on board from the start.”

Proximus supports this process with its Teams ‘Readiness Track’. “This is an interactive approach where we make the necessary preparations together with the client which makes the move to Teams Telephony as smooth as possible. As part of this work, the client's current telephony environment is analysed so that we can offer the easiest and fastest digital telephony migration.