Opinion


Covid-19: Shifts in working models: which will last, and why?


Businesses across the UK are considering what a return to work might look like as the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic begins to loosen its grip on the nation. As they begin the process of consolidating the business continuity lessons learned over the past few months, there will no doubt be a consensus that office life will never be the same again. By Lieven Bertier, Segment Director, Workplace, at Barco ClickShare


As the virus hit, forcing all but essential workers into lock- down, technology came to the rescue providing the vital link between business leaders, em- ployees, customers and supply chains. As millions now begin to think about what comes next, many will look at their own ex- perience of remote working and ask whether this could be a glimpse of the future. Businesses will need to con-


sult with their staff about what does come next as individual safety is of paramount concern. There will be those who have benefited from the freedom of working from home despite the tragic circumstances surround- ing the imposed lockdown. While others, having experi- enced a sense of isolation over these past months, may want the option to return to the office to interreact with friends and colleagues. There is no single answer for everyone.


Giving people the choice of ‘how’ and ‘where’ they work by adopting a hybrid structure where some staff chose to work from home while others work in the office will likely offer the solution, but models will likely vary widely from one firm to the next. Technology will continue to connect co-workers while empowering businesses to man- age the unique set of condi- tions, such as social distancing. In the longer term, a mix home and office working could even provide a vital step towards solving certain environmental


maintained. Working remotely, aided by conferencing and virtu- al meeting solutions, has shown people that they can collaborate in real-time from home without impacting their performance or productivity.


Remote working


The culture of remote working is not new to the workplace. Even before the virus, Gartner had forecast that the proportion of business meetings conduct- ed face-to-face would decrease from the current 60 percent to 25 percent by 2024, largely driven by remote working and changing workforce demograph- ics. Now with the enforced shift to home working, there is little to suggest that Covid-19 will have done anything other than accel- erate this trend. However, it must be remem- bered that during the lockdown, companies responded to the cri- sis with varying success. Many businesses, particularly interna- tional organisations that need to empower teams to connect from anywhere in the world, have al- ready invested in technologies to support flexible working. Oth- ers, particularly those in sectors where face-to-face meetings were the norm and where the right virtual technologies might not have been in place, would have initially struggled to main- tain business-as-usual. Ultimately, the experience will have shown businesses what is possible in a world driven by wi-


Hybrid work models


With the adoption of a hy- brid structure to the working week, staff may be asked to only come into the office to attend key meetings or split the week between home and the office to reduce unneces- sary contact with colleagues. This model would also ease the pressure of overcrowding on public transport services as many will still be forced to use trains and buses to get to work.


Those hosting conferences from meeting rooms, for example, want to be able to wirelessly connect pe- ripheral camera and microphone equipment to their own laptop screens so they can stream audio-visual content directly to remote participants.


physical and virtual interaction provides the flexibility to use contractors and freelancers in accordance with organisation- al requirements. In this way, businesses will be able to react swiftly to market changes, re- ducing and growing workforces and customizing digital capac- ity with minimal investment or disruption.


New workplace landscape


Businesses whose human resources can be swiftly relocated or sent home with minimal disruption will be at a distinct advantage.


The hybrid model will also be seen by many as a long- term solution, particularly as tech innovators develop new solutions to meet the demand for improved conferencing


Getting the technology right will be crucial in the coming weeks and months for companies looking to build a future in new workplace landscape.


and financial challenges, such as reducing unnecessary com- mutes, cutting office overheads and lowering carbon emissions. After months of working re- motely, many employees are already asking whether trav- elling into the office every day makes sense. Staff numbers in the workplace at any one time must be drastically reduced to ensure physical distancing is


fi and has given many the extra push they needed to prepare their workforce for a new ap- proach to remote working. Twit- ter, for instance, has announced that its staff can work from home ‘forever’, whereby less techno- logically advanced organisations may see a hybrid approach, with a balance between office and home working, as a more sus- tainable option.


P12 AV News November 2019 P8 AV News June 2020 and virtual meeting room


experiences. Businesses are already investing in hardware and software to enable those in office meeting rooms to connect with their remote co-workers in a way that facil- itates effective engagement and collaboration.


Those hosting conferences from meeting rooms, for ex- ample, want to be able to


wirelessly connect peripher- al camera and microphone equipment to their own laptop screens so they can stream au- dio-visual content directly to remote participants. Barco’s own ClickShare Conference product is able to achieve this by merging in-room physical collaboration with the ability to dynamically connect with col- leagues anywhere in the world. There are other changes to the way technology is being integrated into the workplace. While the majority of employ- ees still use office-supplied hardware, the pandemic has seen a big increase in the number of people using their own devices to join conference calls and exchange data with colleagues. While this trend, dubbed ‘Bring Your Own De- vice’, has already been firmly embedded in many companies prior to the lockdown, it has gathered momentum following the enforced period of home working and the requirement for access to additional hard- ware.


Bring Your Own Meeting


There is another phase to the evolution of this trend which is seeing a growth in demand for ‘Bring Your Own Meeting’. Employees not only want to use their own laptop, but they also want to use their preferred vid- eo conferencing software rather


than using the ‘official’ compa- ny solution. People feel more confident using familiar con- ferencing solutions that they know and trust. The demand for flexibility is a crucial reason why ClickShare Conference was designed to be platform agnos- tic as it gave users the option to select their own preferred soft- ware, whether that be Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or alternatives.


In a post-virus world, em- ployees will continue to expect the freedom and autonomy to define how they work. Barco’s Future of Meetings research study, compiled in late 2019, identified a demand for giving employees greater flexibility to use their own technology. On average, staff had used six different conferencing tools in the past six months prior to the study taking place, while 72 percent of people were taking their own laptops into their meeting rooms. People are now far more accepting of tech- nology as a means to enhance team working. In total, 76 percent agreed that audio-vi- sual technology should play a central role in all collaborative sessions, particularly where they included people joining remotely. Technology also plays a key role in delivering scalability to a business as it looks to nav- igate the economic uncertain- ty ahead. Balancing a mix of


Getting the technology right will be crucial in the coming weeks and months for compa- nies looking to build a future in new workplace landscape. With the uncertainty of what the future holds, committing to a hybrid model where employees can work remotely if and when required will deliver the neces- sary agility should there be a second wave of the virus. With a vaccine unlikely to be widely available for some time, the threat of a resurgence re- mains ever-present. Businesses whose human resources can be swiftly relocated or sent home with minimal disruption will be at a distinct advantage. Hybrid models that can support people in working from anywhere are here to stay, but they must be flexible too, as every business will need to tune its infrastruc- ture to the needs of its people and to events beyond its control that may force sudden shifts in work patterns.


Biography


Lieven Bertier is the Seg- ment Director, Workplace, at Barco ClickShare.


Lieven has been with Bar- co for more than 15 years, taking up different techni- cal-commercial and market- ing roles for the company. Since 2014 he has been part of the ClickShare team, responsible for all strate- gic marketing activities. He strongly advocates design and usability in product de- velopment and is convinced that technology can help col- laboration become a compet- itive asset for businesses.


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