Ready or Not: Why Public Sector Agencies Must Digitally Transform to Succeed in the Hybrid Work Era

The rapid migration to remote work during the pandemic sped digital transformation initiatives across nearly all sectors – from financial services to healthcare to hospitality, and even the public sector. The hard pivot that occurred in March 2020 impacted government agencies significantly, forcing them to test the waters on wide scale remote work. From virtual courtrooms to classrooms, to telehealth and the digital delivery of services including permitting, records and administration, virtually no part of government operations remained untouched. 

Many of the changes that happened during this time are still having a profound impact on the way government agencies operated. And, while the needs of the public sector and its workers continue to evolve, one thing is becoming abundantly clear – the future of work is hybrid. 

One of the key lessons learned during the pandemic is that digital transformation can help pave the way toward hybrid work models while at the same time creating opportunities for the public sector to build the workforce of the future, today. And, according to a recent global study on hybrid work, 80% of public sector organizations are accelerating their digital transformation strategies, including increasing software-as-a-service and cloud adoption.  

To succeed and win when it comes to the future of work, governments must think outside of the box, act quickly and start small. Are they really prepared to solve their most significant business and technology challenges?

Public Sector Technology Adoption Solves Key Business Challenges

Governments around the globe are already taking steps to satisfy the growing demand for hybrid work models by digitally transforming their workforces. The Canadian Government, for example, has acted quickly to expand the Innovative Solutions Canada Testing Stream (ISC-TS), a Research and Development (R&D) funding program which is helping to drive innovation through digital transformation in real-life settings within the Canadian public sector. 

For public sector agencies looking to optimize the user experience in hybrid work environments, five key benefits of digital transformation include:

1. The ability to safeguard sovereign data and intellectual property.

Cybersecurity and cloud computing are playing an important role in digital transformation, in both the public and private sectors, and networks and infrastructure need to be continually modernized. Today’s cloud infrastructure and cloud-first technologies can promote security and preserve privacy, while at the same time enabling governments to quickly scale as demand for services evolves.

2. Enhance the employee experience.

Digital maturity is key to attracting and retaining the right talent. Because the need for digitally-savvy talent will likely outpace supply, at least in the foreseeable future, resiliency means finding innovative ways to meet their talent requirements through new hires, upskilling current employees with the technical skills they need or contracting with digitally-savvy talent to fill workforce gaps.

3. Drive productivity and collaboration.

During the pandemic, the rise in the use of cloud-based collaboration tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Slack has demonstrated that when employees remain connected to data, applications and team members, regardless of where they are working from, productivity remains intact and employees retain a sense of connection and belonging with their workplace and their team members.

4. Reduce environmental impact.

Cloud-based networking, data and application infrastructure can often be delivered on existing hardware, making it possible to reuse and repurpose desktop and laptop computers, and other key infrastructure components, which lengthens the time between hardware refreshes. This can reduce the agency’s impact on the environment and also significantly reduce capital expenditures. Further, today’s remote work and hybrid work scenarios reduce the time employees spend commuting to and from work, saving wear and tear on the environment.

5. Promote resiliency.

The use of cloud-based technologies and solutions provide public sector agencies with the ability to respond and recover from disruptions, like the global pandemic, much faster and more effectively.

Tehama in the Public Sector

With Tehama’s purpose-built, cloud-based platform for remote and hybrid workforces, public sector agencies can position themselves for long-term success with their digital transformation initiatives. 

Recently, Tehama was awarded a contract by ISC-TS, to assess the viability of the Tehama platform for hybrid work to participating entities across the federal government, its agencies and crown corporations.

For more information on how Tehama can help Canadian public sector agencies successfully benefit from digital transformation, or to learn how to take advantage of the ISC contract with Tehama, contact Mr. Jim Short, Tehama’s Global Public Sector Leader at [email protected].