Connection within the workplace is simultaneously more critical and more challenging than ever before, especially as more businesses are abandoning a traditional work model in favor of hybrid work. Insights from McKinsey state that 52% of employees would prefer a flexible work model compared to 30% pre-pandemic.
However, as businesses transform their work model to accommodate the needs of their employees, they must also evaluate their processes and provide employees with the tools they need to stay connected. To get the best of both worlds, businesses need to implement technologies that encourage seamless communication and collaboration across devices.
Fortunately, with the assistance of advanced collaboration tools, organizations can streamline integration even in a hybrid work model. By partnering with experienced audiovisual integrators to incorporate modern technologies such as Crestron Flex, your company can accommodate multiple devices to boost employee efficiency, creativity, and teamwork across the board.
The Increasing Need for Flexible Collaboration
The shift from an in-office work model to remote work environments happened abruptly, and companies had little time to prepare for this pivot. Now, businesses are facing the dawn of yet another change regarding how we work — one that has the potential to prove permanent.
To bridge the gap between fully in-office and fully remote models, it is becoming increasingly common for companies to offer what we refer to as a “hybrid” work model. With this method of collaboration, employees will work from the office on certain days, while on other days, they will work from the comfort of their own home.
It seems that flexible work is here to stay because it offers the best of both worlds. For some people, remote work has increased the amount of time they can spend with their families while raising job satisfaction and productivity. However, other workers are suffering from digital fatigue and experiencing rifts in their feeling of connection and loyalty to their employers. This has contributed to the Great Resignation currently plaguing companies across sectors, with 40% of the global workforce contemplating leaving their employer.
Hybrid work models can accommodate employees in both camps, granting better flexibility and work-life balance while still providing a sense of unity and strong corporate culture. To make this compromise work, though, companies must be prepared with the appropriate technological solutions to keep employees engaged and connected.
If your business is seeking to shift to a hybrid work model, one of your first steps must be to build a sstems architecture with audiovisual considerations that will support your efforts and set your team up for success.
Implement Creston Flex for a Flexible Work Model
For employers to provide flexibility in the workplace, they need the right tools to make it happen. Specifically, they require versatile solutions that can fit into various workflows and processes while integrating with multiple devices.
As hybrid work grows in popularity, many employers are establishing “bring your own device” protocols to accommodate these changes, also known as BYOD. When employees are allowed to decide which devices they use to collaborate, it produces a smoother workflow and enables staff to enjoy an improved work-life balance. No longer tied to their office desktop, employees can maintain their productivity across devices and at any location.
However, BYOD can present challenges when hybrid employees try to integrate with on-site technology suites and systems. To ensure all these disparate devices are able to interact seamlessly, technology like Crestron Flex enables employers to keep their staff connected. Crestron Flex is a platform designed to simplify video conferencing, collaboration, and communication to improve the hybrid or remote work experience. Crestron Flex offers modern solutions to modern problems with unified communications, room scheduling capabilities, and wireless presentation collaboration options.
Flexible Video Conferencing Supports a BYOD Hybrid Work Model
As more companies opt to let hybrid employees work from their own devices, they need seamless collaboration options that enable team members to interact with on-site systems without experiencing technical difficulties. Crestron Flex empowers employers to meet the needs of an evolving workforce by allowing employees to access video conferencing, wireless presentations, and smart room control from multiple devices.
Furthermore, Crestron Flex has capabilities that enable dispersed employees to connect with each other in the ways that best suit their needs. On-site employees can use their devices to interact with other team members through collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, Skype, or Zoom rooms with a single touch. Plus, with Crestron Flex, employees are less likely to feel overwhelmed or experience technical difficulties because this tool enables an easy, consistent user experience throughout the entire organization.
Advanced Features Complete with a Touchscreen Interface
Video collaboration is a crucial component of effective communication in the remote and hybrid workforce, allowing participants to pick up on important visual cues for more efficient collaboration and communication. With the intelligent video integration offered by the Crestron Flex platform, all users will experience the benefits of enhanced video conferencing, including the following:
- Face Framing and People Counting: Crestron Flex can recognize participants within the room with intelligent cameras. Furthermore, this technology can also provide a full room view, along with a single image of each participant. This ensures that both in-office and remote employees or clients can participate equally.
- Full Room View: The addition of integrated real-time video stitching technology allows participants to experience the benefits of a total 180 view of the room. As a result, small spaces are fully optimized for effective video conferencing, and each participant will be in clear view.
- Whiteboard Sharing: Whiteboards are an excellent tool for collaboration. While whiteboards are traditionally used in person, Crestron Flex seeks to accommodate participants in remote locations with whiteboard sharing technology. This enables all participants, both inside and outside of the office, to view and share content from several different whiteboards digitally. The implementation of whiteboard sharing extends functionality that accommodates participants in all locations.
- Analytics: Although incorporating flexibility within the workplace has benefits, it is essential to stay organized, even as employees are in different locations. Crestron Flex allows companies to capture data and analytics, which improves room utilization and occupancy. When companies can easily access this information, they can be sure can that they use space effectively and plan accordingly.
When you’re ready to incorporate dynamic, modern solutions that suit your organization’s flexible work model, consider working with experienced audiovisual integrators that understand your needs. At Applied Global Technologies, we can ensure that your organization has access to technology to streamline your workflow, improve collaboration, and enhance your connection with your employees.
Marketing by Joseph Studios
