Worsening Loadshedding Reverses Hybrid Working Model In South Africa

Of the many things that the Covid-19 pandemic transformed, one of the biggest is the way most of us now work. What started out as ‘remote working’ has evolved into ‘hybrid work,’ a flexible model that supports a blend of in-office and remote working. 

Over the past few years, increasingly more South Africans have made the switch and embarked on a new, more flexible work-life journey. So much so that it has even drawn the government’s attention, who are wondering how to regulate the new environment to protect workers.

That aside, the advantages of the hybrid working model are hugely significant, including benefits such as improved mental, physical, and financial well-being. Not only can this approach improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of employees, but it might just be one of the few silver linings to come out of the pandemic.

It’s a pity that all of this is in jeopardy. 

The Power Of The Hybrid Work Model 

To date, the most significant benefits of hybrid work include improved work-life balance, more efficient use of time, control over work hours and location, burnout prevention, more personal confidence, improved relationships, and higher productivity. 

Essentially, employees can work in ways that are most effective for them and therefore better for their employers, thanks to hybrid working.

These findings are backed by the latest Cisco Global Hybrid Work Report, which surveyed  28 000 full-time employees from 27 countries in a bid to understand the impact of hybrid working around the world. 

Unsurprisingly, South African companies have embraced hybrid working models, emptying their office buildings and supporting employees through various connectivity solutions. Sure, some offices did fill their offices when lockdowns eased, but most have adopted some form of the hybrid approach.

It seemed to everyone, certainly to us, as though we were on the precipice of a new normal. However, this seems to be under threat as our national power service hikes prices and cuts power.

Severe Loadshedding Challenges 

The most striking of barrier to remote and hybrid working in South Africa is, without a shadow of a doubt, the severe loadshedding that we have endured – particularly from the start of 2023.

In as early as January, the country was dropped into stage 6 and many South Africans faced 10 and 12 hours of outages per day. Worryingly, it is this stage that costs South Africa between four and six billion rands per day. Another side effect is that increasingly more people are returning to their offices where they can secure reliable power and connectivity. That is, if their offices are equipped with back-up power solutions. 

And so the pendulum is forced all too soon to swing back from the sought after hybrid working model as employees make plans to more permanently return to the office as soon as possible. 

As a result, South Africa is moving against this global employee trend and local businesses are under more pressure than ever to make sure that they’re up and running regardless of what stage of loadshedding we’re in, and in so doing, keep their employees connected. 

Connectivity That Won’t Quit

This is where the Huge Connect Fixed LTE solution steps in,  offering a vital lifeline when loadshedding threatens the viability of small-to-medium businesses. To this end, this solution includes a proactive monitoring on the status of your Primary and Fixed LTE Backup Link, the ability to aggregate back-up data usage across your multiple sites, and to seamlessly connect over to the Huge Connect Fixed LTE network as a backup link when your Primary Broadband Access Link fails or is temporarily unavailable.

This back-up benefit is in addition to our improved pricing model, which allows you to only pay for data when you use it, not forgetting the convenience of having your service delivered from one contract, one price – and just one call to us in case anything goes wrong. 

If you need help choosing the right connectivity solution for your business that will help you combat risks like loadshedding, talk to us.

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