Rise of the new normal
The past year has led to profound changes in the way we work. The rise of dispersed teams, new strategies to be productive from home and a trend toward new meeting styles have all recharacterized what it means to be ‘at work’.
Today’s working world is a complex environment. Myriad challenges affect processes, technology and, crucially — people. More and more, company success is about adopting an inclusive mindset that makes sure all voices can be heard. Organizations must be open and flexible enough to pivot and adjust to new expectations and ways of working and support their people accordingly. More practically, they need to equip their office spaces to enable new styles of interaction and, chiefly, to support a new breed of hybrid collaboration where all participants can participate meaningfully, easily and authentically, no matter where they are based.
Rethinking hybrid collaboration
Recent statistics¹ show that hybrid work is all but inevitable. 73% of workers say they want flexible work options, while 80% of managers expect to have more flexible work from home options post pandemic. At the same time, 67% of workers want more in-person collaboration, while 60% say they feel less connected to colleagues since moving to remote work. These differing goals mean that some employees are likely to be happy to remain totally or largely remote going forward, whereas others embrace a safe return to work, where and when possible.
Given the myriad factors of pandemic uncertainty, new priorities, personal preferences and shifting company cultures, ensuring that employees are able to continue to collaborate and engage with colleagues in authentic, meaningful ways is crucial. Whether working in the office or anywhere else, it is critical to ensure that no employee is disadvantaged by their circumstances or location.
Worryingly, few companies are equipped to capably manage the change toward these new work styles. 93% of organizations’ meeting rooms are equipped with only minimal technology to support information sharing.² Pre-pandemic, workers based in the office were at a definite advantage, able to engage more easily with colleagues than those based remotely. It is important that this advantage is not perpetuated into the future, leaving those with expert skills, knowledge and abilities in the shadows simply because they are not able to attend meetings in person.
Authentic, inclusive meetings
Yealink meeting and collaboration solutions are designed to support the future of equitable hybrid work. With integrated solutions for meeting rooms on Windows and Android, AI speakerphones, and multi-camera and intelligent room systems, organizations can turn meeting spaces of any size into inclusive video conferencing and meeting room environments that allow every voice to be heard. With one-cable easy deployment, flexible audio options, extra-large meeting room solutions and the power of AI, Yealink streamlines deployment and setup. Plus, Teams and Zoom certification means the assurance of easy integration and streamlined logon.
As organizations around the world adjust to new ways of working, investing in the right collaboration technology will be one of the most crucial factors for employee satisfaction and overall company success. Yet envisioning an inclusive, digitally enabled future needn’t be difficult. The tools are already here to help organizations of every size make the shift.