A report commissioned by Crestron has found that 84% of employees regularly have at least one remote participant in their meetings.
The report, titled Tackling the Modern Workplace by the Numbers, explores employee behaviors and preferences in a hybrid workplace, the technology tools they need and lack, and what employers are (and could be) doing to enable more consistently productive collaboration remotely and in-office.
“The findings of this report reveal that for the first time in years, we have a reliable sense of what to expect from the enterprise workplace in terms of where work is done and how meetings have to be held,” said Brad Hintze, exec VP, global marketing, Crestron. “If every meeting isn’t equipped to be hybrid, the data unequivocally shows teams will experience challenges in staying connected to each other, to leadership, and to the company culture, no matter where they’re working.”
The survey data within the report were compiled in partnership with SMG, whose researchers sourced perspectives on the modern workplace experience from more than 800 mid-level employees and more than 500 IT leaders.
The key findings are as follows;
* Hybrid meetings create distinct complexities for IT managers and employees who are interacting with collaborative technologies, regardless of where they are working.
* Workspaces must always be equipped for hybrid participation. The data show that a vast majority of employees are regularly having hybrid meetings. Since you can’t always know which meetings those will be, meeting spaces must always be prepared to accommodate mixed collaboration.
* All meetings are high-value meetings. The age of the executive office suite being the only fully equipped space needs to end. Modern work means physical workplaces must change to encourage collaboration and create equities between colleagues regardless of if the meeting is in person, virtual or hybrid.
* Hybrid work levels have reached an industry-wide equilibrium, which means technology implementation plans can be designed and executed more confidently. Though the workplace environment will continue to evolve, data show that IT teams are prioritising flexible and scalable technology that enable collaboration and platform continuity for employees wherever they work.