In these days when isotherms are unleashed, it seems inevitable that we are witnessing new legislative openings, to the insomnia of jurists, social agents, and parties involved, who will have to interpret, negotiate and implement in record time if we do not want to celebrate San Ignacio mired in E.R.T.E., equality plans… and teleworking measures.

It seems clear that confined work and intensive use of new technologies has not been a recipe from which we can get more than a few good ingredients. The rest is sure that, in most homes, it has been a manifestly improvable experience.

Pros And Cons Of Telecommuting

Surely we will agree on each particular analysis of the system’s weaknesses and opportunities, on what pros and cons of teleworking equal each party in the debate.

There are many known advantages for companies (adaptation to possible crises, improvement in attracting talent, implementation of agile and collaborative environments, brand image, reputation, motivation), for workers (conciliation and care of family responsibilities, trust, delegation and autonomy, flexibility, inclusion), for both (savings, healthy workspaces and fewer infections, B.Y.O.D. options) or for society (sustainable extension of working life and pension system guarantees, opportunities for Spain emptied, territorial redistribution of companies, shorter working hours and presenteeism, local tourism, higher consumption, and employment opportunities…).

But there are also unknown ways (productivity, threats from a limiting regulatory framework or one that increases costs) and threats from teleworking in the post-Covid-19 era if we think about the use of what we experienced during the pandemic.

Both for companies and employers (cybersecurity, difficulties in communication and management of collective talent, investments in technology) and for workers (risks of isolation and lack of socialisation, collective rights, ergonomics, techno-stress, circadian cycles, increased gender gap, excessive working hours due to inadequate time management, digital disconnection and task scheduling, controls and privacy, visibility, promotion…) there is homework to do.

It is not new that our regulatory framework has always been one of the vectors that hamper the competitiveness of our economy ( 74th position out of 141 countries ). And this should be a warning for the regulation of teleworking if we do not want to kill the creature in the transition from fasciculus to the Official Gazette on duty.

Examples of regulation that we have in our closest environment: from the smart work of Italy to the visionary French regulation, which regulated cases of forced teleworking during exceptional circumstances and pandemics… sometimes it is better not to invent if among our partners in the European Union already there are many good practices.

Need For Minimum Regulation

Surely teleworking will not only need a minimum regulation in the face of the vacuum of our Workers’ Statute.

The support of collective bargaining, sector, and company, and the complement of other soft law tools (policies, individual agreements) will be necessary if we want the new telework to be sustainable in the future, without affecting the competitiveness of companies and employers, the free choice -and expectations- of workers, or generating more rigidities in the regulatory framework.

It is also necessary to conceptually separate this variant of remote work, as a form of work organisation, from other rights that, although they may benefit directly or indirectly, should not be mixed. Teleworking is not only reconciling or focusing flexibility on the female gender, and a long list of assumptions and confusions that proliferate these days.

Current Regulations For Teleworking

There are aspects where the existing regulations should only require compliance (digital disconnection, time recording, prevention of ergonomic risks, psychosocial risks, and techno-stress) and other areas where it will be necessary to provide legal certainty in aspects yet to be specified (scope of the general duty of protection of the businessman, concept of risk assessment, workplace, and means of protection and prevention, the concept of the accident at work).

Promotion Measures

Likewise, promotion measures from the Public Administrations seem necessary. The importance and majority of S.M.E.s and self-employed workers in our economy require incentives and rebates on costs and investments since they are now more important than ever to address digital transformation and telework as engines for competitiveness and job creation, thus avoiding wasting time increase the latent gap between large and small.

Liquid Right In Teleworking

And in the field of liquid law, the legal or conventional definition of positions susceptible to teleworking (intelligent teleworking), types of teleworking (Anglo-Saxon model: permanent or occasional; exceptional, “protected,” regulated in the job description, maybe interesting. etc.) and inherent characteristics (“asymmetry” of the types of telework), as well as the door open to other “extended” options: Italian model of smart work … work anywhere, anytime …

One of the most controversial aspects is the obligatory assumption of costs by employers. Since voluntariness and reversibility seem to be essential characteristics in the regulation, as in the rest of the European Union, the determination of costs should be dealt with in collective bargaining, since, if not, it can become a dissuasive element for the implementation of post-covid-19 teleworking.

In this sense, there are proposals to include in the definition of the cost model, both the description of the concepts that can be included, as well as the relationship of “monetizable” advantages and the relationship with the remuneration model and purchasing power (costs based on earnings/ loss of purchasing power of the worker depending on the place of residence and telecommuting).

Surely many other aspects are pending to be addressed: activity control systems, proportionality, intimacy, privacy, self-image, the scope of control and direction, company policies on teleworking ( dress code, mandatory use of the camera in video meetings, etc.).

Conclusion

Without a doubt, we are committed to seeking consensus solutions so that they last over time, in the face of new work environments, the necessary flexibility, the growing digitization, the competitiveness of our labour relations model, and how to attract and value the talent of people to ensure adaptation to foreseeable changing environments. Hopefully, the legislator is sensitive to what workers and employers demand. It is the only recipe.

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The digitization of companies and the industrial revolution 4.0 has brought with it new management formulas. The incorporation of New Technologies (NNTT) such as robotics, Machine Learning (ML), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have led to the implementation of what has become known as agile methodologies.

These techniques replace the classic management model used by companies in the last century.

What Are Agile Methodologies?

More innovative business processes have had to be faced with new technological advances. Machines, software, devices, and apps have come to perform tedious or repetitive tasks. This avoids the loss of time and human resources.

Employees have been freed from this type of task. The consequence is that the workforce can be dedicated to more productive functions. This fact has strengthened teamwork and the concept of achieving objectives.

During this transition in the business fabric, agility has emerged. It is supported by concepts such as labour flexibility and quality commitments. It is the only way to respond to a market that demands the delivery of projects and products in a short space of time.

Agile methodologies, therefore, are being implemented by organisations. Regardless of its size, it is the only way to remain visible and competitive. In this way, agile processes allow resources to react to new trends.

We can conclude that agile methodologies enable the adaptation of work techniques to the project’s needs. The tools and the action system provide the objectives with flexibility, autonomy, and efficiency. Finally, greater efficiency and cost reduction are perceived.

Benefits Of Agile Methodologies

Agile methodologies offer several advantages over traditional management techniques.

• Faster Decision-Making: CEOs and middle managers feel freer to focus on more strategic issues.
• Adaptation: It is easier to improve products and services and adapt them to the environment and the customer’s needs.
• Reduction Of Time, Investment, And Infrastructure: Agile eliminates unnecessary bureaucratic work meetings and reduces development time.
• Talent Retention: Workers are more motivated, and their commission rate is propitiated. Teamwork allows them to contribute more and better.

The figures leave no room for doubt. Companies that have implemented agile methodologies claim to have launched 50% more products or services on the market. In addition, the customer relationship has increased by 40%, and they have perceived that the employees’ loyalty has shot up by 200%. All these are thanks to the application of agile principles.

How To Implement Agile Methodologies

This technique requires a series of steps to be practical. For this, the business must be carefully studied.

Delimitation Of Needs

Different agile methodologies can be applied to a company. However, not all of them provide the same answer. Everything will depend on the particular needs of each organisation.

Once the methodology that best suits the company has been determined, it is recommended to begin a gradual adaptation process. In this way, you will not lose the dynamic in issues that work well. However, the most deficient processes can be remodelled.

Talent And Training

The involvement of Human Resources is essential. It would be best if you were involved in attracting and retaining talent. In addition, a continuous training calendar must be designed to enable the staff to perform their tasks in agile environments.

With this decision, security will prevail in the implementation process. In addition, the possibility of making mistakes will be minimised.

Transparency

Work teams need to get used to performing their duties in a transparent, collaborative, and open to dialogue environment. In this case, horizontal and close dynamics work very well.

New Technologies

The traditional methodology full of reports and diagrams must be left behind. Currently, it is straightforward to implement management tools and software that facilitate the tasks of work teams.

Goal-Setting

Any objective that is marked must be feasible and assumable. This will make the transition to the agile environment easier. In this sense, it should be emphasised that it is more convenient to adapt deadlines, tasks, and delivery times. All must be appointed consistently to meet the goals set.

It is often difficult for organisations to find the right moment to modify the work dynamics. To achieve this, there are three essential factors:

• Clear customer orientation.
• Equipment properly aligned.
• Measurement of daily results.

Getting everyone, executives, and teams out of their comfort zone will enable the implementation of agile methodologies to be fast, efficient, and productive.

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Many application architectures can be found in today’s IT: Central data centres supplemented by local IT resources, or entirely distributed resources. David Walker from Yugabyte explains how the IT architecture must evolve because of the edge dynamics triggered by IoT and 5G.

We are currently experiencing a new surge in development in the data centres and thus in the IT architecture. The trigger is the transition from first to second-generation cloud implementations; the fuel is provided by the increasing spread of 5G and IoT applications. The first generation was about internalising the use of the cloud and “somehow” identifying databases and applications that were suitable for this new environment. Now that the use of the cloud has become established, the user companies are gradually discovering its downside: they are tied to their cloud provider. And because the IoT increases the volume of data, the costs also increase.

In an attempt to break the cloud provider monopoly, some organisations are placing specific classes of applications in particular clouds, such as Azure for Office, AWS for OLTP, and GCP for analytics. This allows users to reduce their dependence on cloud providers somewhat. But users are still dependent on a cloud provider for each application class. Three main characteristics will characterise the development of a second-generation IT architecture for cloud use:

Distribute Applications Across Multiple Cloud Providers

The use of applications, especially databases, should be distributed across multiple cloud providers. It will not be enough to distribute applications across multiple clouds – they must be distributed across both clouds and their own in-house IT capacities. This allows organisations to bring processing and storage closer to the user and offload it to the most cost-effective platform for the type of workload. Organisations using vendor-specific databases from cloud operators will need to reconsider this approach. Users looking to migrate their stateless, cloud-native microservices across cloud providers need a data layer, mainly a database supported across clouds.

IT architecture: Use Of Three Data Centres In Different Regions

The second trend is using three data centres in different regions instead of two. In the past, it was usual to operate two data centres, one active and one passive, but in the future, the use of distributed databases at three locations should take the place of this concept. If one of them fails, the services are still maintained. Operating in Frankfurt, London and Dublin is no more difficult than working in two of those locations.

It’s not much more complex, but it’s certainly much more robust. And it’s easy to implement with the technologies now available. This approach also better supports regulatory compliance and data security. For example, it makes it possible to store data exclusively in one of three centres in the US, the EU, and the rest of the world to comply with legal requirements while keeping it in a single global database.

IT Architecture: Agnostic APIs For Data Storage

The third trend is the move to agnostic APIs for data storage. I predict that the Postgres API will prevail for SQL databases and Cassandra for no-SQL databases as block storage moves closer to the S3 programming language. This amounts to a de facto unification of APIs for data storage. This is important because it removes a barrier that hampers scaling and prevents organisations from moving between different data plane platforms.

The commoditization of the data centre is already underway. The three trends mentioned are the inevitable result of users’ desire to scale their IT architecture cost-effectively. And without having to bind yourself to a provider. Providers will not give up their lock-in advantages without a fight. Ultimately, however, the approach that promises users more independence will prevail. This evolution will bring with it a plethora of innovations. Not just at the edge but also in the way we build our data centres of the future.

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Defined Workflows: The complexity of marketing is overgrowing: Today, over 50x more marketing tools than ten years ago. So it’s no wonder that the efficiency and thus the satisfaction of the employees suffer. We will therefore show you how defined workflows can help.

Since 2011, the martech landscape has grown by 5.233 percent, leading to increased use of new technologies and thus more inefficiency and dissatisfaction.

How do you stay connected when teams and tools are more distributed than ever? According to researchers, today’s enterprise workers switch between 10 applications an average of 25 times a day at work, resulting in interrupted communications, decreased efficiency, and duplication of the piece.

In other words, instead of moving work forward effectively, many employees spend their time going back and forth, moving work from one tool to another, struggling to collaborate effectively.

The trend shows that employees are working more and longer hours. Eighty-seven percent of all employees work longer every day but are less and less concerned with the actual work.

Administrative work takes up such a large proportion that several days a week, there is no time to do meaningful work instead of searching for information, switching between the different tools, and constantly changing priorities.

Also Read: Employee Self Service: 4 Tips For Introducing The Tool

Defined Workflows: The Solution – More Structure

To increase efficiency and satisfaction, a company needs structure. By introducing predefined workflows, companies can make their teams more adaptable.

A workflow is a complete process that helps teams achieve goals by providing the right people with the correct data at the right time.

If the individual steps are defined, employees can run the workflows repeatedly without restarting each time. Fixed workflows can increase success and minimise work-related work.

Employees are given the data, information, and resources they need to get started right away. Everyone knows at a glance when specific tasks have to be completed. In addition, new employees are trained much faster and find their way around quicker.

How Can I Develop Predefined Workflows?

To develop meaningful workflows, three steps are necessary.

Planning

The first step is planning. This means that the project team collects all information without direct structure. With this brainstorming, all relevant topics, hooks, or designs needed for the later process are gathered right at the beginning.

In this step, the project manager also assigns tasks to individual employees based on their capacity, efficiency, and skills.

2nd Execution

After assigning the tasks, the team gets to work – creating, checking, and improving tasks. In this phase, the project manager records progress in status reports and identifies problems at an early stage.

Verification

In the last step, managers have the opportunity to check the individual workflows. Does everything work as desired? Are all texts free of typos? Does the workflow meet the high standards? If you notice that an error has crept in, the workflow goes back one step.

With Asana To Defined Workflows

In the free ebook, Asana experts analyse how marketing teams at top companies worked and looked for trends, themes and similarities. The result is a seven-part framework for workflows that is universally applicable. Find everything you need to know about marketing team problems, marketing workflows, and much more in the free ebook.

Asana easily integrates with tools companies already use. This makes, for example, connecting to Google apps (e.g., Google Calendar, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook), communication (e.g., Slack), file sharing (e.g., Dropbox), development (e.g., Github), or reports (e.g., HourStack) easier and thus also the achievement of significant results.

Convince yourself of Asana now, get your free e-book and bring more structure to your company.

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