As we begin emerging from a post-COVID environment, it is vital that workplaces don’t go back to their old ways or drastically change their current virtual habits.
Instead they should prepare for a hybrid workplace that recognises the need for more flexible workplace arrangements and understands the importance of investing in easy-to-use worker-centric collaboration technology.
This growing trend is supported by research from global visualisation and collaboration solutions leader, Barco Clickshare, which surveyed the engagement and needs of Australian employees in meetings.
Findings from the research revealed that:
- There is much greater optimism from employees across the board to return to work in 2021.
- Employees are struggling with an overload of virtual meetings, with enthusiasm for these meetings down on 2019 and 2020.
- There is a growing preference for hybrid (in-person or virtual) meetings. However these are dependent on the purpose and type of a meeting, as well as number of meeting participants.
- The laptop is critical for workflow as well as for hosting meetings, with Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) and Bring-Your-Own-Meeting (BYOM) ranking ahead of more traditional in-room meeting systems.
- Hybrid meeting investment should be in sync with how and where employees choose to work and collaborate.
According to Barco, meetings will continue to play a crucial role in tomorrow’s workplace as they will be a key driver for business continuity, teamwork and innovation during the transition into a new hybrid reality.
Connecting workers wherever they are in Australia and making hybrid collaboration truly flow, will be the road to future success, higher engagement and productivity.
At the same time, hybrid meetings will create opportunities for business leaders to change work culture, redesign the workplace and invest in usability and technology fully in sync with employee needs.
Barco urges decision makers looking to shape the hybrid workplace of the future not to delay and to begin preparations immediately.
The company also stresses the importance of not taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Not all meetings are equal, not all employees have the same needs or requirements for collaboration. Companies will need to develop workplace strategies that allow for flexibility and empower employees to work the way they want.
Barco points to BYOM as the preferred choice for connecting employees with the world and with co-workers. The laptop is the heart of the meeting room eco-system and employees want to work with wireless and touchless meeting room tech that enables BYOM.
At Neo Technologies we are committed to helping businesses as they refine their approach to creating a hybrid workplace. Reach out if you have any questions about accessing the right collaboration technology and what the best options are for your business.
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