ADVANCED WFH TECH NEEDED
A global survey commissioned by Cisco showed that nine out of 10 workers are still uncomfortable about returning to the office considering that the coronavirus pandemic is still running its deadly course.
Given the current health crisis, 98 percent of the survey respondents said they expect future meetings will still be held among people working from home, even if 53 percent of companies are planning to optimize their office footprint.
Another finding was that 96 percent of the respondents want intelligent technology to improve their working environments.
Led by Dimension Research entitled “The Rise of the Hybrid Workplace,” the global survey reported that despite the gradual reopening of some economies, 58 percent indicated that they will be working from home at least eight days more each month.
Since most workers rely on laptops for home meetings, the top three issues that frustrated employees during video meetings were poor audio (50 percent), too many people talking at once (47 percent), and other participants being in noisy environments (46 percent).
As a result, there is a clamor for dedicated meeting technology. The most requested by participants are a high-quality headset, a digital meeting assistant to capture notes and action items and digital whiteboards.
Unsurprisingly, 95 percent of workers are still fearful of returning to the office due to the possibility of contracting COVID-19.
Virtual meetings are hobbled by poor signal, choppy audio and noisy work-from-home environments.
Naturally, workers will need to see their employers implement changes and policies that will make the workplace feel safer if they were to be asked to return including sanitation and social distancing.
While it’s inevitable for businesses to require some time in physical workspaces, 64 percent of employees expect more work flexibility that encourages work-from-home (WFH) setups and adaptable schedules.
There are still questions about how businesses can make workplaces safer, but both employers and employees agree that technology can make a work environment feel safer more comfortable.
The survey results clearly illustrate the need for the right collaboration technology. With that as the backdrop, Cisco rolled out innovations for both the remote and the in-office experience — to help teams stay safe and get great work done as companies navigate 2020 and beyond.
The future of work will be hybrid: people will work in the home and corporate office to varying degrees depending on the nature of their jobs. Our mission is to make the Webex experience 10x better than in-person interactions,” said Jeetu Patel, SVP and general manager, security applications group of Cisco.
“And when people do have in-person interactions, we want Webex to make those experiences 10x better than before, with our deeply integrated collaboration devices and software stack.”