Crestron Electronics, a global leader in workplace collaboration technology, unveils findings today of a research report covering the modern workplace experience. The report, Tackling the Modern Workplace by the Numbers, explores employee behaviors and preferences in a hybrid workplace, the technology tools and solutions they need and lack, and what employers are doing to enable more consistently productive collaboration remotely and in-office.
The data show that 84 percent of employees regularly have at least one remote participant in their meetings. One person joining a meeting differently than everyone else changes the entire dynamic of that meeting, and findings indicate many meeting spaces are not equipped to accommodate that change, which seriously hinders productivity and meeting equity.
To address this business need, a majority of IT managers responded that they are prioritizing flexible and scalable technology solutions that enable productive and equitable collaboration experiences for employees wherever they work, especially since rates of hybrid work have stabilized.
“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, EVP, 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.
Key Findings from Tackling the Modern Workplace by the Numbers:
- 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 most employees regularly have hybrid meetings. Since you can’t always know which meetings those will be, meeting spaces should be prepared to accommodate mixed collaboration.
- All meetings are high-value meetings. The age of the executive office suite is 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 prioritizing flexible and scalable technology solutions that enable collaboration and platform continuity for employees wherever they work.
Despite the high share of employees who have meetings with remote participants, 41 percent said half or fewer of their workspaces are equipped for full hybrid engagement. This drives workplace disparities, as more than 60 percent of survey respondents say their meeting experience is affected negatively because they cannot sufficiently see and engage with in-room or remote participants.
“Delaying decisions on both hybrid work policy and implementation of company-wide technology solutions leave employee productivity uncaptured,” said Hintze. “From desk workers to upper management, people agree there is no point in a meeting if that meeting is not productive. If organizations approach all meetings as high value, then the cost of disruption due to inadequate technology becomes a burden at all levels that can’t be ignored.”
Download a copy of Crestron’sTackling the Modern Workplace by the Numbers at http://www.crestron.com/modern-work.
