Is the transition to hybrid working really done and dusted?

In 2024, hybrid and remote working trends have moved far beyond the trendy buzzword stage. It’s simply the reality for millions of workers across Europe. Companies boast of their seamless transition to these models, projecting an image of business as usual. But beneath the surface of this modern workplace transformation, complexities and challenges remain.

So it’s no surprise that, even after several years of these models being adopted, the latest findings from the Canon IT Transformation Barometer report show that 98% of IT leaders are still actively engaged in refining their hybrid and remote work strategies. What are those persistent issues still troubling IT decision makers (ITDMs)?

The performance of organisations and their teams relies on seamless communication between employees, even when they’re not working in the same location. That means a sure-fire way to gain a competitive edge is adopting the latest collaboration technology as it hits the market.

But constantly adopting new tools at a rapid pace has its own challenges. Data from the IT Transformation Barometer suggests that achieving slick integration for new technology is not easy. When asked how they’re looking to improve hybrid working in their organisations, 47% of ITDMs said that integration with office infrastructure and platforms was a priority, making it the number one concern.

This speaks to the ongoing dilemma of ITDMs: refining hybrid working calls for constant evolution. But solving one problem by helping distributed teams collaborate more effectively risks exacerbating a separate issue: every new tech implementation brings fresh integration challenges for IT teams to work through.

Other findings from our research confirm this. When ITDMS were asked about their recent technology implementations, the most common issue was compatibility between new and legacy tech, affecting 28% of respondents.

No wonder, then, that the IT Transformation Barometer reveals how ITDMs are addressing these complexities through strategic procurement. Integration has emerged as a top priority in procurement decisions, reflecting a keen awareness of the potential disruptions that poorly integrated technologies can cause.

Remote and hybrid working can be a regulatory nightmare. It’s not about policing employees, but undoubtedly the challenges of monitoring and managing employees have intensified in this working environment.

A second theme emerged among ITDMs’ plans to refine remote and hybrid working: a need to better manage how employees access company applications and information offsite. 43% of IT leaders said they wanted to improve visibility of employees’ software use, 42% to increase control of employees following compliance processes and 40% control over shadow IT. Here, we can see that IT leaders clearly feel that more controls are needed to avoid creating risk.

This isn’t surprising. It comes amid a surge in security breaches, cyber-attacks, and the proliferation of shadow IT in the business world at large. In 2023, there was a 57% increase in ransomware attacks affecting businesses across Europe¹, while Gartner predicts that 75% of employees will play a role in bringing shadow IT into an organisation’s network by 2027².

Given these developments, ITDMs naturally continue to view remote and hybrid work as a potential vulnerability needing constant refinement – particularly in how information is managed – to protect against risks. And to mitigate these risks, they need robust systems and policies that can adapt to the evolving landscape of work and keep organisational integrity intact.

ITDMs need no reminder of how the transition to remote and hybrid work affected – and continues to affect – the workload and stress levels of their teams.

Integration. Visibility. Security. These are complex issues, and the continuous push to refine systems that enhance these areas has led to an uptick in both the volume and complexity of IT teams’ daily tasks.

The IT Barometer offers a clear view of how these challenges have escalated IT workloads. In 2023, IT leaders reported an unprecedented increase in their responsibilities. Not only are they dealing with more complicated systems and greater security risks, but the demands to maintain continuity and efficiency in increasingly dispersed teams have also grown: The report shows that in some instances, ITDMs are spending three times as much time on their responsibilities than in 2019.

A bigger workload inevitably pairs with increased stress. The IT Barometer reveals that the stress levels among IT professionals rose sharply between 2019 and 2021, and have yet to drop down to pre-pandemic levels.

These findings highlight the human aspect of IT challenges – beyond the technical hurdles, there is a significant toll on the individuals tasked with managing these systems. Now more than ever, ITDMs are at the frontline of organisational resilience, placing emphasis on the need for strategic support and resources that can ease these pressures and support their well-being.

ITDMs have not been resting easy these last few years. Our research highlights the effects of remote and hybrid work highlights: a complex, fast-changing landscape where ITDMs are continuously adapting and innovating.

From integrating diverse technologies to enhancing oversight and control over remote operations, IT leaders are at the forefront of defining how the workplaces of the future will operate. It’s not been a straightforward journey for many. Key to success will be finding the right balance between investing in new capabilities and managing the impact of new integrations; get this right and the years ahead could be the most exciting of their careers yet.

Want to explore how organisations can use the experiences ITDMs had during the last five years to chart a course through the years to come? Read the full IT Barometer report now.

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