The Return to Work Revolution

Just last month, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon moved for employees to fully return to the office by July.  Dimon is mirroring a trend amongst executives; fellow CEOS David Solomon of Goldman Sachs and Sundar Pichai of Google are just two of the many eager to return to an on-site work environment. With employees facing mounting videoconferencing burnout and engagement slipping, it’s no wonder management is calling for a homecoming. The Barco Meeting Barometer -- an index measuring employee satisfaction -- fell this year to a staggering -25, due in part to frustration with remote meetings.¹ 

Despite this overload, 2020 made it clear that remote working has unique benefits and advantages. It empowers a team to collaborate across distances and share fresh perspectives. It enables them to use digital tools for presentation and visualization. Logistically, it can be easier to arrange large meetings through a videoconferencing app. Likewise, the convenience of working from home can increase efficiency and save employees commuting time. 

80% of those surveyed in the Barco study still felt technology would improve meetings. 77% felt that all rooms should be equipped with videoconferencing capabilities, highlighting the importance of hybrid meetings in a return to the physical office. Another 41% agreed that their employer did not prioritize the VC investments they requested. 

However, the office space maintains its own appeal. In their reasons to return to the office, those polled by Barco cited socialization (51%) higher productivity (39%) and access to better technology (34%). As workflow continues to be redefined, the successful office will be one that leverages the best of its technology and the best of its people. It’s important to consider how each space is optimized; are you getting the most out of your conference rooms and huddle spaces? Are they equipped for videoconferencing? If so, how effectively? The Barco report indicates that 78% of employees wish they could just walk into a room, hook up their computer, and get going with a meeting, avoiding unnecessary fuss and confusing cables.  

After all, if the last year has taught us anything, it’s that a poorly executed remote meeting is often worse than no meeting at all. Technical difficulties, distorted audio, grainy or frozen video; these can kill engagement and crash a meeting before it ever gets off the ground.  

As your company returns to work, make sure they are able to make the most of a hybrid reality. Updating your audio visual and videoconferencing solutions enables collaboration, facilitates re-entry, and respects the safety of your employees. Moreover, it enables them to use the strategies and skills they learned over the last year in an in-person environment for a best-of-both worlds scenario.   

1. ClickShare 2021 Research Outlook for the Postcovid World, 2021, ClickShare-2021-research-Outlook-for-the-postcovid-world.