Your organisation’s way to productive meetings – Nigel Dunn, Managing Director, EMEA North, Jabra
What would you say if I told you that less than 3 in 10 people are equipped to do their jobs? And only 1 in 10 workspaces are equipped effectively? No wonder our productivity is slumping. Employees are returning to the workplace and bringing with them the return of in-person meetings.
Today 62% of all meetings are now held in meeting rooms, with roughly half of them involving online participants. As corporations like Meta and Amazon mandate a return to the office, creating spaces where workers can collaborate and use meeting room technology to improve productivity is essential.
Know your meeting room and how to use
Collectively as a workforce, we waste time due to technical meeting issues. With the increase in hybrid meetings that include participants remotely and in the room, we are using meeting rooms differently compared to pre-pandemic times. Video conferencing solutions are now a must have, but as we try to master the art of hybrid meetings, the challenge is choosing the right technology and ensuring it doesn’t get in the way of being productive.
In Jabra’s recent report on hybrid work, 1/3 of employees say they are hesitant to take meetings from a meeting room because they feel less comfortable with the technology compared to just using their laptop. In fact, if two employees were in the office while another person was joining remotely, 50% would choose to use the laptop at their desks over a video-equipped meeting room.
It’s important to provide employees with training and support to be able to use video bar and meeting room systems confidently, even if you have a plug-and-play solution. I suggest a two-pronged approach:
1. Onboarding before take off
It might seem intuitive to some, but new technology requires new training. Employees are busy and don’t want the stress of working out how to use new technology for a meeting. Training sessions are a good way to onboard employees and introduce new solutions. If you’re not comfortable with the technology in the room, employees dialing in remotely are more likely to be left out.
2. Clear instructions in every meeting room
A simple yet effective tip is to provide easy-to-follow instructions such as a physical guide in the meeting room or a QR code linking to instructions to remind employees how to work the room and be up and running in no time.
Are your meeting rooms optimised for the best experience?
While one battle is to get your employees to use your video-equipped meeting rooms, our research reveals that only 15% of office meeting rooms are equipped with video conferencing technology. When the task at hand is to redesign and optimise meetings rooms with video to enable better hybrid meeting experiences, there are three key considerations:
1. Ensure that everyone can be seen and heard
Meetings should be inclusive for all participants, whether they are in the room or joining remotely. Meeting room technology should bring people together so the meeting feels natural as if everyone is in the same room.
2. Room layout and technology go hand-in-hand
You can’t optimise your meeting rooms if you approach the room layout and technology separately. Make sure the video conferencing camera’s field of view captures everyone in the room, and consider the position of the table and seating when doing the room layout.
3. Don’t assume everyone knows how to use the technology
As already mentioned, ensure that your employees have mastered the equipment. Provide training and guides to make the most of the technology and get maximum use from meeting rooms.
For some employees, new technology can be daunting and they may be reluctant to transition, but a little effort to smoothen the process can go far, and the benefits of video conferencing are clear.
Jabra’s research with the London School of Economics’ Behavioural Lab found far greater levels of engagement and productivity when people used Jabra’s video conferencing technology and professional headsets. Whether participants were in the meeting room or joining remotely, the study found there was a 27% increase in overall clarity of the experience. This led to a 16% increase in trust, a 35% increase in participants’ expressiveness, and a 47% perceived improvement in the quality of input. This highlights how technology can impact our behaviour in meetings and the collaboration benefits.
I strongly believe most organisations can improve how they use their meeting rooms and enhance the experience significantly. By ensuring that meeting rooms and employees are equipped with the right technology and know-how, businesses can improve productivity, collaboration and customer service in the hybrid workplace.
Nigel Dunn is Managing Director, EMEA North at Jabra
Jabra is a world leading brand in audio, video and collaboration solutions – engineered to empower consumers and businesses.
Proudly part of GN Group, we are committed to bringing people closer to one another and to what is important to them. Jabra engineering excellence leads the way, building on over 150 years of pioneering work within GN. This allows us to create integrated tools for contact centers, offices, and collaboration to help professionals work more productively from anywhere; and true wireless headphones and earbuds that let consumers better enjoy calls, music, and media.
Founded in 1869, GN Group employs more than 7,500 people and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (GN.CO). GN’s solutions are sold in 100 countries across the world.
For additional information on Jabra view their Company Profile
