Hybrid work model, how do you make it work?

7

October

2021

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During 2020 a lot of companies had to make the switch from offline work to online work within a small amount of time. How to make this switch effective and boost work performance were common challenges companies had to face. Moving into 2021, the pandemic is less dangerous and that shifted the discussion from working completely online to some form of a hybrid model where employees can work two or three days from home. A problem arising from the combination of both online and offline is how do companies effectively manage the relationship between remote and in-person employees at their current office space?  

Leadership

Running a hybrid model successfully starts with the right leadership style that is required. The way of working changed over the last year and it would be strange to see no change in the way management leads the company and their employees. The pre-COVID leadership style does not suit the post-COVID leadership style anymore. Too much has changed in a short amount of time. All companies require a leader that has trust in their employees when it comes to results. Employees do not require someone who is constantly looking over making sure their work is done properly and in time. The trust part should be enough to see good results and therefore it does not matter how many hours someone spends to get the results needed. 

Consistent experience

Although there are many advantages within the hybrid model, companies have to be aware that remote workers are not pushed into second-class employees. Companies should try to value remote and in-person employees the same, by providing every experience they have at the same level. This could be done by, for instance, prioritizing all communication through an online environment. By doing so, companies are not counting out the remote employees. So, every meeting has to be through one’s own computer and not having half of the employees in a room and the other half on a big screen somewhere in a corner of the meeting hall. If companies decide to do this, the experience for both is not the same and remote working might feel less valued. 

In conclusion, effectively managing the relationship between remote and in-person employees requires a new form of leadership, whilst delivering a consistent experience for both. A lot of testing out has to be done, but eventually, it will benefit the company and its employees in multiple ways. 

Griffis, H (2021). What is a hybrid work model, and how do we make it work? Builtin. https://builtin.com/remote-work/hybrid-work-model 

Roggeveen, J (2021). De hybride werkplek is de toekomst, wat biedt het jou? Dutch IT-Channel. https://dutchitchannel.nl/678855/de-hybride-werkplek-is-de-toekomst-wat-biedt-het-jou.html

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Can the government stop the use of Bitcoin?

6

October

2021

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Bitcoin is often seen as an alternative to the current money system. Bitcoin provides its users with the possibility to transfer money without the interference of banks, governments or other parties involved in the process. Because of less interference between parties, some see the use of Bitcoin as an alternative to the current money system. A question arising from this situation is: are governments going to interfere with the usage of Bitcoin and therefore are they seeking to regulate or ban the transfers made with Bitcoin? 

China

A great example of government interference is China. In China, all cryptocurrencies are banned already. China’s central bank announced earlier this year that all transactions by cryptocurrencies are illegal, making Bitcoin usage unable. Since China is one of the largest markets in the world, its impact on the cryptocurrency market is huge. The central bank stated that the use of cryptocurrencies is seriously endangering the safety of people’s assets. Moreover, they mentioned the fluctuations of Bitcoin often impact the global price of cryptocurrencies. 

United States

Whereas China decided to ban all cryptocurrencies, the United States’ Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced they are not going to ban cryptocurrency. This was said on October 5th 2021, following up the statement China made earlier. SEC’s chairman Gensler mentioned in a press conference that the US’s focus is on ensuring investor and consumer protection rules, whilst fighting money laundering. It could be stated that the approach of the US is definitely different compared to China. 

It is hard to stop Bitcoin as of today since many people are in some way invested in the coin. Completely banning the coin, or even all cryptocurrencies, might not be the best option and could lead to some form of criminal use. Governments might have to control all data traffic to fight against malicious use of the currency, but totally regulating it is harder than they might think. 

BBC (2021).China declares all crypto-currency transactions illegal. BBC. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58678907

Bain, B (2021). SEC chief signals crypto ban like China won’t happen in the US. Bloomberg. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-05/sec-chief-signals-crypto-ban-like-china-s-won-t-happen-in-u-s

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