The workday starts the same. As with any other, people get up in the morning and ready themselves for the office. It may involve individual choices like what to have for breakfast or perhaps an exercise routine, but then it’s off to the office, either the physical workplace or the remote one.
Despite the setting, what all employees share is the impact COVID-19 has made on their work experience, remote and physical. It is now driven by audio visual technology and collaborative office technology programs that bring everyone together in a safe and virtual environment.
This is a reality that will continue post-pandemic as both employees and employers get used to the benefits of a hybrid workplace. According to data from Statistics Canada, when the pandemic hit hard last March and workplaces closed for lockdown, 6.8 million Canadians (almost 40% of Canada’s total workforce) ended up working remotely. The agency also found that about 25% of employers thought at least 10% of employees would continue to work remotely, and 14% intended to make it a condition of employment.
Trend Towards Hybrid Workplace Appears to be Taking Root
Clearly, the trend is becoming permanent. So let’s take a look at what that means for workers, remote and at the physical office, and how both groups can gather in virtual spaces enabled by audio visual technology.
First though, let’s review why employers need the audio visual and collaborative technologies that will bring everyone together, in remote and physical office settings where employees are separated by COVID-19 safety measures.
- Keeping individuals and teams connected: There are times when groups of employees need to be in the same ‘space’ to work on a project. That space used to be meeting and conference rooms in offices, but now it is virtual space connected by office AV technology. Employees can connect to a meeting from anywhere in the world, or from the remote office setting, with participants sharing ideas with the whole team in real time.
- Information flow:Employees will need to stay connected with each other and managers to send and receive necessary work information in real time, otherwise they will end up working in unproductive silos.
- Employee wellbeing:Working remotely or in an office reconfigured with distancing, geometry, and division measures can be a daunting experience for many people, leading to feelings of isolation and depression. Staying connected to the team through virtual technology can alleviate those problems, leading to enhanced productivity, engagement and collaboration, and creativity.
- Keeping employees safe: With physical office measures designed to keep the virus at bay, information-sharing and collaboration resources will work around these conditions to bring employees and teams together virtually. All that is simply required is a computer or mobile device, WIFI connection, and the right audio visual technology.
COVID-19 Separates Employees, But Audio Visual Technology Connects Them
There’s no doubt the work experience for workers who have returned to the office and those working from home has been altered. The measures taken to control the spread of COVID-19 make for less physical, and emotional, connectivity in the office. Integrated and reliable audio visual technology helps to keep workplaces connected, safe, and efficient. More than ever, such technology has become an integral part of the workday. Let’s look at some of that technology.
- Rapid deployment resources:All-in-one robust mobile conferencing solutions offer flexibility to any environment. It comes with intelligent web camera options, beam forming microphone technology and universal support for large format displays. It’s a completely agnostic web collaboration solution that supports any conferencing platform (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Hangouts and more).
- Solutions: Microsoft Surface Hub 2s, Crestron Flex R-Series Plus Mobile UC System.
- Work from anywhere:That’s the new normal – the ability to work from anywhere and connect to teams remotely. Enhanced remote conferencing solutions allow employees to effectively meet and collaborate.
- Solutions: Yamaha Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones, Yamaha Personal or Work From Home Speakerphone, Yamaha Portable USB and Bluetooth Conference Phone.
- Responsive & touchless meeting experiences:Imagine meeting spaces that automatically sense you have entered the room and spring to life – spaces that make it possible for you to control everything from your own device.
- Solutions: Crestron Airmedia – Wireless Presentation System, Barco Clickshare – Wireless Presentation System.
- Connecting with conferencing systems: Collaboration technology keeps people connected. Now more than ever, businesses need to empower people to collaborate efficiently and effectively.
- Solutions: Crestron Flex – BYOD Solution (all-in-one conferencing system), Yamaha Video Sound Bar.
It’s a new world for employees and employers, but don’t worry as there are audio visual technology and collaborative solutions to bring teams together, no matter where individual members might be working. Contact the experts at POItoday for assistance in meeting the challenges of remaining connected.
Learn more about why braiding the digital and physical works is the new imperative for companies looking to drive innovation and productivity in our most recent webinar entitled Technology: The New Workplace Imperative. Watch it here.