“Work from home has increased sixfold in the U.S. It’s just an enormous rise,” said Nick Bloom, William Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University and co-founder of WFH Research, noting that the jump represents “30 to 40 years of increase” based on the previous trendline.”
Hybrid work has caused the public sector to embrace an increasingly automated digital landscape. In a new study, Cisco reports. Interestingly, 92 percent of decision-makers in federal, state, and local governments say they’re satisfied with their organization’s current remote work arrangement. This is good because completely rewinding the hybrid work environment has been challenging for the private sector.
This flexibility is rewarding for organizations that value a people-first approach. However, the term ‘hybrid’ work is getting old‒with today's tech tools; secure work can be completed anytime and anywhere.
In this new digital-first norm, there are clear benefits that local governments can leverage to entice talented employees. Flexible work opportunities mean less commuting. And less commuting means less out-of-pocket expenses, a better working environment, more time with family, and flexibility for travel, exercise, and other delights ;)
When budgets are inflexible and the public sector can’t keep up with the private sector’s wage growth, a digital-first approach can significantly impact an organization’s ability to hire and retain employees. Most staff members will appreciate the flexibility of WFH, and it’s undoubtedly a determiner of whether high-performance staff will work for you or stay with you.
Given the new normal, administrators are posed with some unique challenges. For one, they must create efficient systems that support both in-office and remote workers, allowing seamless collaboration regardless of location. And as more daily business is conducted online, security risks increase exponentially. This is one of the reasons agencies choose a secure tool such as Laserfiche to manage their resident service workflows, manage records, and serve as part of a Trusted System for DR or hack recovery purposes.
State and local governments need the capability to work with colleagues and citizens efficiently throughout the day while securely sharing significant amounts of PII. Plus, they must be able to do so seamlessly and with complete security during emergencies, like natural disasters and other urgent events. All of this while they are blocking outside threats.
