Page 30 - EngineerIT August-September 2025

WORK AND SECURITY

The next frontier of work and security

outh African businesses are Hybrid work: flexibility with accountability
no longer debating whether The shift to hybrid has shown that productivity is not tied to being in an office.
Shybrid work “works.” We were Without the daily commute, many employees start earlier and finish later. Parents
thrown straight into that “deep end” can collect children from school and be back online within minutes. Meetings
with very little warning, thanks to the that once chewed up hours in traffic now happen back-to-back on screen.
COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it’s about
how we make it sustainable, secure This doesn’t mean more work for its own sake — it means work is better
and genuinely valuable. structured. Success depends on leaders setting clear expectations: when staff
need to be available, what outcomes matter and how performance is measured.
The first wave of remote and hybrid South Africans are known for their work ethic, and hybrid models are helping it
adoption was about survival. Today, surface in ways the old office model often suppressed.
it’s about discipline, trust and smarter
use of technology. The companies That’s because, with our work ethic (at least for many professional people),
moving fastest are those that see comes a desire to be independent – not to be “policed” by the boss and to just
hybrid as a singular opportunity to get on with it. I’m sure many reading this will, at some point in their office-bound
redesign how they operate – rather careers have thought, or asked, “Why can’t I fetch my child from school when my
than a stumbling block. work is up to date,” or “Why shouldn’t I be allowed to take a few hours off to go to
Home Affairs?”

However, the office still matters – especially for collaboration and culture.
But forcing everyone back full-time risks losing the flexibility and focus that
employees have come to value. The challenge for leaders is striking a balance
where trust and accountability go hand in hand.

By Kurt Goodall, Technical Director at Troye – an IT solution and managed services provider specialising in
hybrid work, user-experience and security

30 | EngineerIT August/September 2025