KUALA LUMPUR: It is tougher to get employees to work from the office in Malaysia as they want more control to choose where they want to work from.

       Remote working has become the norm since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic early last year as movement restrictions kept people at home.

       According to Cisco’s survey, about 88% of Malaysian workers want more ownership to choose where they want to work from in the new world of work.

       In comparison to the pre-pandemic days, only 5% worked from home.

       Cisco Asean commercial and small business segment director Raz Mohamad acknowledged that the future of work is “hybrid”, a mix of working from home, office or anywhere.

       Citing company’s data, he noted that almost 84% of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that Cisco serves are eyeing to adopt the “work from anywhere” policy post-Covid-19 after more than two-years of working remotely.

       Meanwhile, Raz pointed out that around 67% of SMEs are seeing security as their biggest concern, increasingly worrying about cyber threats.

       Having said that, he said companies should incorporate hybrid working arrangements for employees that are “flexible, inclusive, supportive, secured and managed”.

       “Companies have to create flexibility for employees, allowing them to work from anywhere. They must also make sure that they have dialogues with employees via video calls and assure that everyone has a voice and an opportunity to speak.

       “At the same time, it is also important for employers to be supportive of the safety and well-being of employees. And most importantly is to have a secure environment to prevent cyber attacks.

       “Companies must also have the back-end infrastructure to work fom home for the experience to be seamless for employees, which is why IT plays a key part in operating the business,” he explained.

       As such, Raz said Cisco was working “very hard” to enable the future of hybrid work for businesses.

       With the rapidly changing working arrangements, Raz confided that organisations had to think about how employees could work remotely and yet remain efficient as well as enjoy the work-life balance they had pre-Covid-19.

       “People are now being more accustomed to how they work. This is why it is important for organisations to think about how we are going to move forward with the hybrid working arrangements,” he added.

       With companies adopting the work-from-home policy, Raz suggested that companies should have “virtual coffees” with employees and engage in online meetings, which would bring people together.

       “Do more interactive things to engage and have online meetings. Try to get your employees to switch on their cameras for online meetings,” he advised.

       However, he noted that the key challenge lies in bringing a new employee embedded into the organisation’s culture.

       “It is a little harder now to get a new employee embedded into the company’s culture. You have to go that extra mile to bring them on board,” Raz said.

       Moving forward, he said the group is focusing on providing SMEs with the integrated solutions at the “right price” for hybrid working solutions, adding that it has a portfolio that is built to ready SMEs post-Covid-19.

       “We are working with partners and distributors to grow SMEs, which also involves training and helping these businesses to prepare for the digital experience,” he added.

       It is important to note that SMEs represent 35% of global IT spending.

       On a positive note, Cisco security business development manager Ken Ang said the company is providing solutions to businesses at an “affordable rate”, though customers may perceive the price to be expensive.

       “We even have promotions to help our customers and even partners getting started using these solutions,” he added.

       Currently, Cisco has 0% financing, which would help spread payments for its customers over a longer period.

       Both Raz and Ken spoke at the “Secure Your New Hybrid Work Environment” webinar on Oct 21, organised by Star Media Group in partnership with Cisco.

       Visit ciscodesignedtool.com.my and get suggestions on IT solutions that suit your business needs.

       Watch the webinar replay at bit.ly/starcisco21oct_yt