Most companies have now been affected by the Great Resignation, and it has hit particularly hard within IT teams, with a recent study finding two-thirds of IT workers are open to or are already actively seeking new job opportunities, and only 29% of workers are intending to remain with their current employer
While hybrid working has become popular with many, citing improved productivity and a better work-life balance, for IT teams it has brought about new and more challenging problems.
Since the start of hybrid working, tech and IT teams are under immense pressure to cope with more support tickets on a machine they can’t access physically while having little-to-no visibility into the environment many of their colleagues are working in. To be able to solve these issues and ensure a productive workforce, IT colleagues must be equipped with the best tech at their dispense, though many are still in the dark.
If companies want to successfully make the shift to hybrid working whilst retaining their IT talent, higher levels of insight must be implemented into remote settings to weather the storm of support tickets. If IT teams can remotely push firmware updates and enable new features, for example, to distributed teams across multiple platforms, it will minimise potential issues before they become an IT burden and add to an already heavy workload.
Weathering the storm of support tickets
Moving to a remote or hybrid model was a first for many employees and has required them to rapidly adapt to new ways of working. Without the IT team close by, and with some employees navigating new technologies like shared documents and video conferencing platforms for the first time, IT teams have been stretched much further. Addressing any technical issues is critical in order for employees to be able to work and collaborate without disrupting their productivity, and is consequently putting pressure on IT.
IT teams have also faced the challenge of making sure there is no disconnect between in-office and remote devices. Admin and maintenance of both in-office meeting rooms and home working set-ups has been key – for example, making sure firmware updates can be rolled out across the whole suite of devices, to ensure continued compatibility.
Giving IT teams the visibility they need
A lack of visibility around the issues that remote employees are having has become a significant problem for IT teams. With the rapid shift to hybrid working, many companies have not had time to implement resources such as remote access software, which has caused an estimated 24 million unmonitored remote workers across the US and UK.
Without this visibility, IT teams are struggling to prevent tech issues – often only encountering them once they have already begun impacting on productivity.
Keeping every device in check
Remote device management software helps IT teams be more productive and solve issues faster and gives greater insight into how remote employees are using devices and software. For example, IT teams can see exactly where firmware updates are needed and push them remotely on remote workers’ personal collaboration devices, patching the problems before they become trouble tickets.
As they get used to working from home, workers are also expanding their home offices to include more remote working devices. If left unchecked, these devices can cause further technical issues – and having management software that can support devices such as webcams, headsets and docking stations ensures a secure network and productive workforce.
Hybrid working has put extra pressures on IT teams, and if they continue to work as they have been, with little to no visibility on remote workers, security risks and support tickets will soon pile up. Businesses must become aware of these pressures before they cause IT professionals to quit, and with 81% already reporting increased feelings of burnout due to the impact of COVID-19, supporting teams with the right insights and technology should be a priority. Remote device management software must be implemented to supporting the rapidly growing remote workforce and assisting the efficient troubleshooting of any technical issues they may encounter.
About the Author
Sean McCarry is VC Commercial at Logitech. Logitech is a world leader in products that connect people in a natural, intuitive way to the digital experiences they care about. We develop our products with a powerful blend of artistic design, surprising science, and innovation driven by consumer insight.
Featured image: ©Ulia-Koltyrina