Today, technology is at the heart of nearly every business, and we rely heavily on a range of systems for smooth operations, managing data, attracting new customers, and working more efficiently.
While your current stack may have served you well in the past, it’s undeniable that the world of work is changing around us. As we welcome a rethink of the workplace, there is an urgent need by companies to enlist solutions that can support hybrid working, an evolving workforce, and future proof for business continuity.
With the new financial year looming, there’s no time like the present to start thinking proactively about starting a new year on the right foot. By locking in the technology and tools your business needs for productivity you can begin to elevate your team to the next level.
Making the case for investment
Flexible work hours and physical boundaries are the hallmarks of the new normal. In this shift, staff have gained flexibility, time savings and better work- life balance, while businesses benefit from operational savings, built-in business continuity and the chance to tap into a global talent pool.
As organisations continue to redesign their new office dynamic, they must plan for disruption and displacement, which will affect how, where and when people work—sometimes with short notice. Ensuring you prioritise investment in the right technology can enable this transition and help companies maximise on productivity, flexibility and scalability as we all navigate the next evolution of the workplace.
Given the work shift, the need for well-planned video conferencing infrastructure is imperative to success in the ‘new normal’. Specialialised video conferencing tools with technology to auto frame both the active speaker and audience and creating new meeting spaces such as huddle rooms or phone booths, can complement the hybrid environment by boosting workplace efficiency, allowing real-time communication, and enhancing collaboration. For example, highly collaborative employees are 50% more likely to use digital tools such as video conferencing.
Responding to a changing workforce
Businesses are about to receive an influx of youth and by 2025, Gen Z will make up at least a quarter of the global workforce. As the first digitally native generation in history, the expectations and capabilities of this rising influence will shape the modern workplace. Attracting and retaining the best young talent is going to require a shift in workplace infrastructure. For companies to succeed in the next decade, they must value the limitless ways of working made possible by today’s technologies.
Much of this shift will be driven by IT teams, which are primarily responsible for choosing and implementing the technology that best meets users’ needs. Upgrading the office’s technology to meet Gen Z expectations will, in turn, better equip the workplace as a whole to compete in a world of constantly advancing technological innovation.
Adopting a video-first approach
Today’s workplace trends reveal that digital communications and video conferencing technologies are improving efficiency and 80% of workers now require collaboration tools to do their job properly.
Aside from providing a critical visual element, video conferencing also offers a far greater variety of communication tools, including screen, media, and file sharing, live streaming, digital whiteboarding, and integrated chat. Such dexterity and ease of teamwork are simply not possible in an audio-only environment.
The reasons for adopting a video-first approach may seem obvious: video is more dynamic, it strengthens relationships, improves the quality of communication, and makes teams more effective.
