Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito (R) says that “hybrid or flexible work is here to stay” and that nearly half of the Commonwealth’s 42,000 government workers are performing their jobs in a hybrid or remote environment in 2022. The Lt. Governor made her remarks during the first Hybrid Hub Summit, co-sponsored by NWN Carousel, a leading Cloud Communications Service Provider, and Fisher College in Boston, on November 16, 2022.
“I think we’ve all learned that the hybrid model can work,” Lt. Governor Polito added. “It’s all about professionalizing hybrid or flexible work while also providing college students with mentoring opportunities and the ability to collaborate with others around the world.”
Lt. Governor Polito led the Commonwealth’s efforts to re-open businesses during the pandemic in a safe way, which accelerated the state’s hybrid work model.
The Hybrid Hub Summit also featured a panel discussion focused on the future of work and was led by Boston Globe business reporter Jon Chesto.
“The future of work has been an opportunity for many organizations to re-imagine what the employee experience and what the customer experience could be using cloud-based technology, where companies get to design a great environment to work from anywhere and to help their employees do their best work wherever they are inspired,” said panelist Andrew Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer for NWN Carousel & event co-sponsor.
As the state of Massachusetts was forced to accelerate its hybrid work model during the pandemic, businesses also had to adapt to this new practice.
“We had a panic attack at the beginning of the pandemic and had to re-evaluate how our employees interacted with customers and with each other,” said fellow panelist William Senné, President and Chief Executive Officer, Senné Company, Inc. “Now, we need to continue to master the culture of remote work as employees want options to work in the office and from home.”
Today’s high school and college students are also at the forefront of the future of work.
“Our pivot was easy, as we had been using online education for many years,” said Janet Kuser, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Fisher College. “For our faculty, it’s always been a bit of a hybrid model, not chained to a desk five days a week. The rest of the world is now catching up. We transitioned to a hybrid model, which means one day in class and the second day online via instructional materials to better prepare students for today’s professional working environment.”
But hybrid work is still a work in progress in the healthcare field.
“We had to keep our business open, the clinicians had to stay, but the support staff was not allowed into the hospital, nor were patient families,” explained panelist Patrick Kane, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Cape Cod Healthcare. “This created a very different environment. Telemedicine opened up for the benefit of clinicians and patients and caregivers. But now, the inpatient care volume is back. However, things will not be like they were before. Many non-emergency patients are now opting for Zoom appointments with their doctors.”
The 2022 Hybrid Hub Summit also featured Peter Matamala, Vice President, IT Operations, HomeServe and Dr. Debra Lerner from Tufts Medical Center. The panel discussed a number of topics ranging from how to prepare a workforce for the future, best practices for creating a sustainable, equitable workplace through technology, and accelerating economic development for employees and customers.
About NWN Carousel
NWN Carousel is the leading Cloud Communications Service Provider (CCSP) focused on transforming the customer and workspace experience for commercial, enterprise and public sector organizations. We deliver hybrid work experiences for millions of users across North America’s 7,000 leading organizations. Our integrated devices, communications apps, AI-enabled contact centers, networking, security, and analytics allows our customers to learn, discover, work, and connect from anywhere – all delivered as a cloud service that’s simple to use and manage. To learn more about our solutions please visit www.nwncarousel.com
About Fisher College
For more than a century, Fisher has been changing lives by providing students with the tools they need to compete successfully in today’s challenging economy. Though built around the liberal arts, our on campus and online programs reflect our expertise in practical fields like accounting, biology, criminal justice, cybersecurity, information technology, and management, to name a few. We believe in educating students through close intellectual engagement with our faculty, meeting together in small-group classroom settings, or with industry and business leaders through internships, guest lectures, and site visits. We take full advantage of the educational resources of Boston, a city both rich in history and culture, and a center of intellectual ferment, entrepreneurship, and scientific advancement. For more information, please visit www.fisher.edu
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