As any home cook knows, having to work with a blunt knife in somebody else’s kitchen quickly sucks the joy out of the whole experience. In the worst-case scenario, you might even end up cutting your finger, doing more damage than good.

Poor performance can quickly become a test of patience

The digital workplace is no different. You will soon start to lose patience if you do not have the right tools available to tap into your strengths in the most efficient way possible. Applications that are not suitable for virtual collaboration or a lack of IT equipment for business operations only serve to reinforce the feeling of dissatisfaction further. No matter whether you are working on mobile, working from home, or in the office, it is clear that having to use outdated devices, work with manual IT services, or go without the right applications is a hindrance rather than a help – the digital equivalent of trying to drive with the handbrake on. This damages companies and chips away at employee satisfaction. A risky combination to say the least, especially given the shortage of skilled staff – companies might quickly discover that their best employees are looking for a new job.

Flexible work and decent equipment are the ideal solution

The pandemic has now shown that a combination of strong IT, empowered employees, and flexible work models are the ideal solution for coming out of the COVID-19 crisis stronger than ever before. This is because even though many companies were suddenly forced to deal with remote access, IT services for working from home, or managing private devices, the insights they gained are well worth it.

Working from home flexible, productive, and satisfied

Matrix42 investigated this together with research institute YouGov and uncovered correlations, trends, and mindsets. One of the most significant results that the new study revealed is that work needs to remain flexible once the pandemic is over. Although the traditional face-to-face time in the office with colleagues and catching up in the break room is not history. The model of working exclusively at the office seems to have lost its appeal somewhat.

The advantages of hybrid models have proven too good to ignore in recent months. And that goes for both companies and employees. 77 percent of respondents in Germany and 78 percent in the U.K. are especially happy that they no longer have to commute. Being able to use their time for working rather than commuting is definitely something that can motivate employees. And encourage them to be happy with their own success.

Working from home can also help companies hit their ESG goals by not having to have their entire staff commute every day. Consider that for a company of 5 people, that won't have a huge impact. But some tech companies have thousands of employees, and if they are all able to work from home, that's thousands of people not polluting the environment, which adds up.

Working from home without service is not a solution either

Companies that ignore their employees’ preferences may quickly risk losing their best talents. According to the study around 18 percent of the participants would even be willing to accept a job that is farther away. If it offers adequate options for working from home. Fifty-five percent of respondents say it is easier for them to balance work and family life when they work remotely. But this comes with an asterisk: the participants also made it very clear that they would need the right technical setup, as well. This means that simply telling employees working from home and leaving them alone with unreliable remote access, without providing a security concept and the right support, is not a solution either.

Secure business apps: compliant and by choice

And it is also totally unnecessary. There is now a plethora of options when it comes to providing remote support. They open up new and effective ways to replace traditional administration processes that see the administrator still needing physical access to the equipment. And thanks to modern remote maintenance software, the IT staff no longer has to run from client to client. Chatbots and AI-powered systems can cluster problems, assign them, compare them with each other, and save time in coming up with a solution as a result.

The process is even faster when employees can create their own optimal environment at the digital workplace. Be it at the office or while working from home. Platforms that allow companies to shop for compliant business apps can contribute to this. As can security concepts that extend beyond the physical office and integrate personal devices. Empowering employees to solve any potential standard problems can reduce unproductive downtime or expensive IT tickets even further.

Self-service with top scores

Incidentally, the analysts at Forrester have given the remarkable self-service concept of Matrix42’s Secure Unified Endpoint Management Suite a particularly positive rating. The latest Forrester Wave UEM says: “Matrix42 is a good fit for organizations that want to deliver maximum employee self-service to the workforce.” Matrix42 Secure Unified Endpoint Management (SUEM) also received top scores in many of the areas examined. Especially in the performance criterion