I recently came across a post on LinkedIn that basically said to equip your employees with good hardware, along with a picture showing pieces of hardware. While I agree on the main topic - employees should be well-equipped - the hardware shown included some failures from my point of view. Which made me think: What are the general hardware requirements of a modern hybrid worker?
Having worked fully remote during the critical two years of the COVID-19 pandemic I added bits and pieces to my setup, which got refined once I started to return to the office for one to three days per week. So here is a list of what I view as the general needs of a hybrid worker in terms of hardware.
Computing Device
Most people will think of a laptop or desktop here, but I intentionally call it computing device, because a tablet may suffice. In fact, my own research (what a word for trial and error) showed that I can handle full work days with just my iPad Pro. But these are only the meeting days, so your mileage may vary, as does my own.
Personal recommendation: A current generation laptop (or convertible) with „too much“ RAM and storage. Only think of something else if you really have other needs and know them.
Smartphone
Even in a world driven by Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other communication apps, you sometimes need to fall back to the good old phone call. Apart from that, smartphones are fabulous devices to do … well, nearly everything. And they can provide a mobile hotspot as well, should there be bad or no WLAN connectivity. Which implies that you should not be too tightfisted with the mobile plan - best to include unlimited data, it just gives peace of mind.
Personal recommendation: iPhone. Many people will say that Android is on par or even better, but I cannot stand anything else than iOS.
Headset
A hybrid worker is likely to communicate with others and may do this in varying situations and noise levels. Audio being the crucial part in such communication, a (very) good headset is just as crucial. Look for something with active noise cancellation (ANC) for both the earcups and the microphone in order to be able to handle most situations with ease. As a plus, look for a headset that can be paired to a computing device via dedicated USB dongle and Bluetooth. Everything else is to be discussed individually, as some people prefer in-ear, some on-ear, others over-ear.
Personal recommendation: I am a huge fan of Poly products and use the Voyager Focus 2 on the go, but also the EX and Portal (both non-business devices though) by Bang & Olufsen at home. Other brands to consider are EPOS, Jabra and Logitech. It is a crowded market, so lots of other options can be found. I have even used gaming headsets from Logitech G for a long time and they worked exceptionally well for business needs.
Universal Charger and Cables
With already three devices added to the hybrid portfolio carrying chargers gets annoying, so get a universal one. Something with at least three ports, one of them being USB-C with at least up to 65W PD (power delivery). The more power the better, but the goal is to strike a balance between the power needs of your devices and portability.
Looking at cables, include what is necessary, likely at least a (long enough) USB-C and a Lightning (if you go with an iPhone) cable. But also include one universal cable. You never know when you might come across just that port you do not have a cable for, and this is when a universal cable comes in handy.
Personal recommendation: I own three Minix Neo P1 and love them, though my personal tech pouch includes a SlimQ 100W charger with two USB-C and two USB-A ports.
Mobile Docking Station
Many computing devices nowadays do not provide that many ports anymore, so at some point you might miss one or two ports for your peripherals. And as most (all?) modern computing devices offer at least one USB-C port a mobile USB-C docking station will do the trick, even across different devices. I, for example, use the same USB-C docking station with my Windows laptop, my MacBook Pro and my iPad Pro. Seldomly, but it is always good to know that you have the option of plugging your docking station in.
Personal recommendation: I have used Inateck and Anker models, and they work well with all my devices.
Carrying Solution
The essentials keep piling up, so it is time to think about how to lug them around. A rucksack will do, but do yourself a favor and add a tech pouch to the rucksack as well. The advantage of a tech pouch is that your essentials are organized at all times and can easily be pulled out of your rucksack when you need them.
Personal recommendation: Over the years I have used many rucksacks and they all have their pros and cons. No recommendation here. As for the tech pouch, I am really happy with the Inateck one I have. The model by Peak Design might be worth a look as well.
Camera
Up until now you sound good in virtual meetings, but you may not look well, depending on the camera built into your computing device. Levelling up requires an investment into a passable camera. Unless you are a hardcore video content producer, that camera will be a webcam. It should offer at least Full HD (1080p) resolution, everything below that is just the same garbage you already have built into your computing device. If reasonable I recommend a model with 4k resolution nowadays.
Personal recommendation: Logitech is hard to beat in the webcam space with their Brio or C920, though Poly has ramped up lately with the P5.
Speakerphone
A bit of a specialty device and only applicable if you handle most of your communication in private spaces or within groups of people that take part in the same call as you do. But if that applies to you, by all means, add a speakerphone to your setup - it makes life much easier when you are constantly on calls.
Personal recommendation: Poly Sync 20, as it just does everything right at a very reasonable price. The devices provided by EPOS could be considered as well.
This is it, my list of essential hardware for hybrid workers. Note that it does not include peripherals like a desktop docking station or a monitor or a keyboard or … - this is just the essential kit for being able to work effectively from wherever. Of course a real desktop setup increases productivity as well, if you have the space for such a setup and are able to use it on a regular basis. Maybe I will get back to this at some point and share bits of experience from actually having two workspaces at home.
While this essential kit is just a personal opinion, I have found that most hybrid workers actually go along with these hardware categories. As a company, manager or employee you do not have to take it for granted, but I especially urge companies to think about the equipment of their employees as hybrid work continues to gain traction. It does make a difference in employee satisfaction if their equipment matches their needs or not.