The German GDPR-compliant alfaview® video conferencing solution enables seamless hybrid work models. For over ten years, the employees at alfatraining group have been working together in virtual open-plan offices.
The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we work together: social distancing rules are posing new challenges to the world of work. In response to these challenges, New York SE has been conducting regular surveys on the current mood and work situation via its professional networking platform XING as part of the Corona Barometer. The company has now published the results of the November survey.
Employees are coming back to the office
While in spring, almost half of all German employees have worked remotely, in November it was only about a third. The trend of hybrid work, i.e. spending part of the working time on site at the company and part in the home office, seems to be gaining ground.
Hybrid work models combine the advantages of working on site with working those of working from home. They make it easier to separate professional and private life. While the lines between work and leisure are blurred or even non-existent when working from home full time, many people find it easier to relax in the evenings if they are on-site at the company at least some days of the week. Even though employees gain valuable life and family time by not having to commute each day when working remotely, they often miss social interactions with their colleagues. A day or two in the company might help.
It can be assumed that the trend towards hybrid work will continue after the pandemic. According to a study conducted by the online job platform StepStone, two thirds of German employers want to keep offering remote and hybrid work models because it increases their attractiveness as employers and meet employees’ wishes for more flexibility. “However, the majority of companies do not want remote work for ever and for all, but a mixed form between presence and remote days,” says Dr. Tobias Zimmermann, labour market expert at StepStone.
Ten years of hybrid work at alfatraining
alfatraining Bildungszentrum GmbH has been following this model for ten years. Since 2010, alfatraining has successfully been using its own GDPR-compliant alfaview® video conferencing tool for internal and external corporate communication, so that the 700 employees can discuss matters virtually.
The education company reproduces the room and organisational structure of all over 100 sites in Germany and Greece in alfaview®. In virtual rooms, employees are connected in their usual teams via video and audio, no matter where they are. There was thus no lockdown or short-time work at alfatraining during the coronavirus pandemic: using the alfaview® video conferencing software made it possible to switch seamlessly from the office to the home office and back again.
The trend towards hybrid offices will continue after the pandemic. Therefore, companies must provide the necessary infrastructure, for example, a technically advanced video conferencing software such as alfaview®. alfaview® scores in terms of data protection, usability and stability: communication is lip-synchronous, the software is intuitive to use and the connection is stable, even with high numbers of participants and low bandwidth. Whether two or 350 people, a joint coffee break or a works meeting – it can all be organised in alfaview®.
If your company would also like to test alfaview, we offer a free trial version for corporate customers. For more information, please visit www.alfaview.com.