One-third of workforce keen on innovative videoconferencing solutions at work: Barco ClickShare global study

New Delhi [India] October 28 (ANI/NewsVoir): With work from home extending to over seven months now, one-third of the workforce is keen on their organizations investing in innovative videoconferencing technology to enable hybrid workstyles, according to a major global survey by Barco, a global leader in visualization and collaboration solutions.
The survey results emphasize the need for a hybrid workplace, with 77 per cent of Indian white-collar employees finding remote work less enjoyable, with 49 per cent missing office social life and feeling left out while working from home.
The study - which surveyed 1,750 employees around the world (250 each from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, India and United Arab Emirates) through global research panel provider Dynata - found that only 15 per cent of employees, globally, want to continue to work from home full-time after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
* 28 per cent Indian respondents admit their preferred video conferencing platform is often incompatible with in-office meeting room technology
* Eight in ten Indian respondents predict that voice recognition tools, such as Alexa, Google, and Siri, will become widely used in conferencing sessions
* Most Indian office workers (87 per cent) believe use of VR to visualize 'in-person' remote participants will become standard within the next two years
* WFH became less enjoyable for 77 per cent Indian respondents as Lockdown extended, with 49 per cent missing office social life
"Our new research depicts that the future of the workplace is not remote, but hybrid. While Indians value family time greatly, with 65 per cent of the respondents stating this as a major benefit of working from home, they are now ready to head back to office. The prevalent office culture has several positives, which are only set to be enhanced with the hybrid workplace trend. Organizations must invest in technologies that enable hybrid work to cater to employee requirements and enable bright outcomes in the workplace," said Rajiv Bhalla, Managing Director, Barco Electronic Systems Pvt Ltd.
"The survey states that the most desired investment by employees was for better video conferencing technologies, with one in three of the 1,750 employees naming it as an investment priority. Considering 67 per cent of employees in India have used their laptop to host video calls over the last quarter, it is imperative that organizations invest in next-gen visualization and collaboration technologies to boost productivity," he said.
The Barco ClickShare study states that India is one of the countries with the lowest desire to work from home in the future, wanting only 1.8 days a week at home, on average. Employees are keen on a hybrid workplace model, where most of their time is spent in the office but they have the flexibility and freedom to work from home when it works best for them.
Further, employees are looking for organizations to invest in a technology-driven hybrid working environment post-COVID-19.
Next-Gen Technology for Hybrid Workplaces
Employees have high expectations for technology-driven improvements in future meetings. Eight in ten Indian respondents predict that voice recognition tools, such as Alexa, Google, and Siri, will become widely used in conferencing sessions.
As the use of virtual reality (VR) is beginning to gather pace in other areas, most Indian office workers (87 per cent) believe its use to visualize 'in-person' remote participants will become standard within the next two years, the study stated.
Further, nearly three in four (72 per cent) respondents predicted that hand gestures would be used to control meeting room technology within two years.
Bring Your Own Meeting
The 'Bring Your Own Meeting' trend that was growing before COVID-19 - where employees wanted to use their own devices (Bring Your Own Device) and preferred conferencing solutions - has continued during the pandemic.
Organizations must incorporate agnostic collaboration solutions in the workplace as almost three in ten Indians admit that their preferred video conferencing platform is often incompatible with the available in-office meeting room technology.
24 per cent of the office workers often struggle to connect to a conferencing meeting room system, causing unwanted delays and frustrations.
Hybrid Workplaces for the New Normal
The study shows that most employees think the world is already returning to normalcy, post-COVID, with the number of remote-only meetings expected to drop significantly and hybrid meetings set to become the norm.
Indian employees are most keen to continue working in large offices (62 per cent) rather than moving to smaller 'satellite' offices once the COVID-19 threat has eased, with an overwhelming 88 per cent of respondents wanting a designated desk to call their own. Indians also have the highest preference for formal meeting rooms (58 per cent), the study reported.
"There is now a burning desire from employees to get back to normal, with the freedom, flexibility, and facilities to adopt a better blend of home and office working. Technology will be crucial to achieving this blend. To survive, rebuild and eventually thrive again in the post-pandemic world, businesses will need to invest in new technologies, redesign or at least reconfigure their office spaces and give their employees the tools they need to work in the best way possible, no matter where they are located or how they choose to connect. If they can make these changes quickly and effectively, they will be fit for the future and ready to deal with the challenges we all face over the coming months and years and to seize the opportunities that will surely follow," said Lieven Bertier, Segment Marketing Director Workplace, Barco.
Globally, over half of the workforce wants to see meeting room technology designed for more usability and connectivity in the next year.
56 per cent of the global employees are looking for apps that enable users to join a video conference in one click while 67 per cent think Artificial Intelligence should be in place to provide feedback on participants and their engagement in meetings.
The research was based on an international study of 1,750 white-collar workers who do an 'office' job (even if not currently present in the office).
The sample consists of 250 employees from seven countries: the UK, US, Australia, India, France, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates. The total figures provided in this press release are the average figures across all countries, treating each country equally.
The survey was conducted online via Dynata, a global research panel provider. Surveying was carried out between the 7th and 18th of September 2020.
Global Release Link: www.barco.com/en/News/Press-releases/Employees-ready-to-return-to-the-office-want-to-see-a-redesign-for-better-hybrid-meetings.aspx.
Barco designs technology to enable bright outcomes around the world. Seeing beyond the image, we develop visualization and collaboration solutions to help you work together, share insights, and wow audiences.
The focus is on three core markets: Enterprise (from the meeting, classroom, and control rooms to corporate spaces), Healthcare (from the radiology department to the operating room), and Entertainment (from movie theaters to live events and attractions).
In 2019, Barco realized sales of 1.083 billion euro. Barco has a global team of 3,600 employees, whose passion for technology is captured in 400 granted patents.
For more information, please visit us on www.barco.com, follow us on Twitter (@Barco), LinkedIn (Barco), YouTube (BarcoTV), or like us on Facebook (Barco).
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