Press releases, 2020-11-10
Research Reveals The World Of Work Has Changed Forever
Around 70% of workers are set to continue operating in some capacity from home once the second national lockdown and Covid crisis is finally over – providing further evidence the ‘new normal’ is here to stay.
Groundbreaking independent global research, highlighted by conferencing specialists Konftel, indicates the world of work may never go back to the way it was before, as more hybrid patterns emerge.
Global Workplace Analytics has conducted one of the largest surveys of homeworking during the pandemic. Their Work-from-Home Experience Survey shows that before Covid-19, respondents worked remotely for half a day a week. During the pandemic that figure has risen to five days, and they estimate that they will be working from home two days a week in the future.
Furthermore, Nemertes, a major research-based advisory and consulting firm, conducted a survey of 460 companies in eight countries. Around 70% of those questioned said that they expect to continue to work from home in some form even after the pandemic is over.
Jeff May, Konftel UK Sales Director
“Everyone can relate to the fact that we have changed our way of working – if not forever, then for a very long time to come,” says Jeff May, Konftel UK Sales Director. “This research reinforces that view.
“In the future some staff may work more from home whilst others will eventually return to the office. But for now important customer meetings need to take place online, since normal business travel is not an option. All this demands new thinking on how we equip both offices and homeworkers.”
Jeff says video conferencing has become much more important, with sales overtaking standalone audio for the first time in Konftel’s 32-year history.
“All this will require changes to both office workspaces and the home office. Fewer people are on site during a normal working day; they want to sit further apart and more people have to be able to hold distance meetings. Those who work from home or some other location need support in making this happen.
“Above all, the hybrid way of working is going to demand much more from the video conferencing technology. It has to be easy to use and something that is not going to tire out the user, no matter how long the meetings last or how many meetings they have in a working day. Good solutions are needed both at home and in the office.”
The company is hosting a live webinar on November 18th, entitled: How to equip the new hybrid work environment. Register here
Jeff highlighted: “Here at Konftel, we have spent over 30 years developing technology for distance meetings and we believe we have a great deal of practical expertise to share as our workplaces adapt to the new normal. It is important to get things right from day one so as not to lose productivity or be forced into costly workarounds if the solutions are not scalable or compatible.”
Konftel has created special guidance on new ways of working based on five steps to an effective hybrid environment.
- Make sure everyone is included in the hybrid team
- Make it easy to hold good video conferences – both at work and at home
- Improve skill levels regarding meeting technology and techniques
- Make audio a main focus
- Upgrade the video quality
Jeff concluded: “The world of work may never go back to the way it was before and that may not be a bad thing. Flexibility and agility will be at the heart of new ways of working, with audio and video conferencing at the core.”
Editor’s Note.
The research arises from the following:
https://www.konftel.com/en/news-room/2020/09/28/14/30/how-to-equip-the-hybrid-workplace
https://www.konftel.com/en/academy/our-new-way-of-working
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