As the world reopens, a hybrid work environment is becoming more commonplace. With it, your startup company can slowly get back to regular operations. However, shifting to such a setup is by no means a walk in the park.
There are risks that you will likely encounter. These can derail your return to regular operations if not resolved correctly. Let’s look at what these risks are and how you can better overcome them with Virtua Solutions’ help.
Hybrid Work Risk no. 1: Cybersecurity Risks
Cybersecurity has always been a significant concern for businesses. This was more so when companies shifted towards work-from-home setups during the pandemic. Companies worry that people are exposed to such threats outside the protection of the office network.
Image from Parallels.
And while a return to the office is welcomed here, the option for a hybrid setup still creates that concern. That’s because those who chose to stay working from home would still be open to these risks. And this can create even more problems for those in the office interacting with them.
How Your Startup Company Can Deal With These
To better protect your hybrid team from security concerns, you should implement both “hard” and “soft” measures. The hard ones are all about beefing your security infrastructure. For instance, you can install a strong firewall to protect the company server. You also need more stringent access protocols for people connecting from outside the network.
Image from Research Gate.
However, this is just half of the work. The other half (the “soft” part) is about getting people to comply with these protocols willingly. Companies have noted that many people who worked from home during the last couple of years have developed some bad security habits. That can include leaving their computers unattended while they do other things.
The goal of your security training should be to help these people unlearn these habits. Here, you need to explain to them why it is vital to maintain stringent security even at home. Instill a sense of ownership in your team when it comes to this. We at Virtua Solutions can help you implement this training for both your on-premise and WFH teams.
Hybrid Work Risk no. 2: Fraud Risks
Coupled with cybersecurity risks, fraud is also a concern for a startup company implementing a hybrid work setup. Here, it is worth noting that fraud can come from both outside and inside the team.
In the case of the former, fraudsters will often try to attack the ones working from home. That is because they typically have more lax security. These fraudsters often pose as representatives of the company. Communication issues can make it easier for unaware work-from-home employees to fall for their schemes.
Image from Wise Workplace.
However, fraud can also come from within the organization, as some unscrupulous employees can take advantage of the situation. For instance, some employees might falsify claims regarding expenses and procurement costs.
That was, in fact, one of the major concerns that companies had when the shift towards remote work happened during the pandemic. However, contrary to what some might think, it doesn’t just come from those working at home. The fraud goes both ways, with office-based workers potentially committing it like their remote counterparts. Due to the separation between both sides, there are no immediate checks and balances.
How Your Startup Company Can Deal With The Risk
As companies shift towards a hybrid work setup, they believe they can enforce their anti-fraud strategies again. However, you will need to review and adjust these strategies. This is to accommodate the fact that part of your team will remain in a remote setup.
Dealing with external fraud is pretty much tied with your security strategy. Consider the possible scenarios your team on both sides will encounter and plan the mitigation risks you need to do. Stay updated about various strategies these fraudsters might use to attack hybrid work setups.
Image from LinkedIn.
Mitigating internal fraud requires more care. After all, you are dealing with people you have already worked with for a long time. As such, you should balance stringent monitoring measures and proper people management strategies to safeguard the team.
In particular, you want to conduct regular rescreening sessions. These help you better understand the personal circumstances your members are facing. Such circumstances can potentially lead them to commit fraud. In the name of impartiality, we can be the ones doing these rescreenings for you as part of our HR support services.
Hybrid Work Risks no. 3: HR Policy Violations
Trying to implement human resources policies during remote work can be a challenge. The distance means that HR managers can’t always oversee the implementation of these policies. Even with remote communications, this can still be hard.
Hybrid work adds another dimension to this challenge. With a portion of your team returning to the office, you have to think about how to implement these policies fairly. In some cases, the office side might perceive that they are bearing the brunt of policy restrictions. On the other hand, work-from-home members may feel like they are being left behind in the development of these policies.
How Your Startup Company Can Better Resolve This
As is with any policy discussion involving the whole startup company, everyone needs to come together in developing hybrid work-related HR policies. Here, your goal is to ensure that both sides can abide by these policies accordingly.
Image from Work Nest.
It isn’t just about enforcing the policies. You should also understand what might prevent your team from abiding by these rules. Note that this would be often different for the office-based and home-based teams. For instance, the latter might find their home chores affecting their ability to comply.
Once you understand these limitations, you can refine policies to ensure compliance. That is where you need to balance everything carefully. In the case of home-based workers, you might need to provide some leeway. But you need to ensure that everyone agrees on these leeways. This avoids potential conflicts between both sides over such rules.
Keep Your Startup Company Risk-Free On The Way To Hybrid Work
With the business scene still undergoing a lot of changes toward recovery, the hybrid work system will continuously evolve. And that will bring more risks aside from these. We at Virtua Solutions are always ready to lend a hand. Contact us today and strengthen your startup company in this new work environment.