Tobie van Schalkwyk, Business Unit Manager at Duxbury Networking.

Research released at the beginning of February shows that 54% of employed adults in South Africa are either following the hybrid work model or working permanently from home. With many experts suggesting that office environments both locally and internationally have changed forever, companies must ensure that employees still communicate effectively and can collaborate with distributed teams spread across geographies.

There is no arguing about the benefits of going hybrid. The flexibility to work from home with the option to collaborate for in-office tasks that require face-to-face interaction provides employees and companies the best of both worlds. Not only does this result in a much improved work-life balance and reduced commute times, but it also means local organisations can attract talent from anywhere in the world.

Of course, making the transition to a hybrid environment does have challenges. One of the most significant of these is to make sure that employees have the connectivity required to work from anywhere. This is where signal-boosting solutions such as the Nextivity IntelliBoost become invaluable.

All-round connectivity

Access to reliable connectivity is the cornerstone on which hybrid work is built. Employees must be able to access corporate networks, collaborate in real-time, and communicate without interruptions regardless of where they are based. But at a time when load shedding is prevalent, people in remote or rural areas struggle with poor cellular coverage, and homes not equipped with enterprise-level internet access, signal-boosting technology can be a game changer.

As the name suggests, signal boosters work by enhancing cellular signals. This means that employees can connect to their mobile networks regardless of the service provider more reliably. So, joining a video call or accessing cloud-based resources becomes much easier than relying solely on traditional connectivity solutions.

Collaborate for success

Fundamentally, successful collaboration is the key to the success of hybrid work models. Nextivity solutions have been designed to deliver the connectivity essential for smooth video calls and online meetings. These solutions are also able to improve the performance of collaboration tools as any lags are reduced. This means that employees and employers have a smooth connectivity experience to maintain productivity levels regardless of where people are working.

Adopting signal-boosting technology means fewer dropped calls, better voice quality, and more reliable access to online resources. As proud distributors of Nextivity solutions, we at Duxbury are committed to providing our customers with the means to facilitate hybrid work as effectively and efficiently as possible. With the right technology in place, companies can provide employees with the flexibility they need while not compromising on the quality of their work or the effectiveness of their collaboration.

There is no getting around the importance of hybrid work environments in a digital era. However, this requires a willingness to embrace advanced technologies that facilitate effortless collaboration. Signal-boosting solutions provide businesses across industry sectors regardless of size with the means to do so.

By giving organisations the means to enhance the cellular signals many employees are reliant on for work, vendors like Nextivity are helping drive forward the future of work, especially in a country like South Africa that still sees millions of people working from home.