Fun Technology Amenities in the Workplace 2022

As the Great Resignation rolls on, and American workers are continuing to quit their jobs at a higher than normal rate, businesses are searching for ways to retain and recruit top talent. Offering fun technology amenities in the workplace can help companies stand out.

Workers Want Remote, Hybrid and/or Flexible Work Schedules

During the pandemic, many workers flourished in remote roles. They enjoyed the comfort, customizations, control, and flexibility of working from home. And some of these workers just aren’t willing to return to the office on a full-time basis. Recent survey results published by Business Insider said that “many workers would consider quitting their job if they couldn’t work remotely. And of those workers polled, 39% said they’d consider quitting if they can’t work remotely at least part time.”

Pre-pandemic, open air office spaces were trending. Partitions and office walls were removed, spacing between employees was reduced, and many switched to hot desking, where seating was no longer assigned. The strategy behind the trend was aimed at increasing interactions, making collaboration easier, gaining flexibility, and removing barriers, while also saving companies space and money. But when the pandemic began, many companies had to adjust on the fly, moving as many workers as possible to remote positions. During this time, companies and employees were able to explore different workspace options – discovering what worked best for them.

But as businesses begin bringing workers back to the office, they will need to adjust once again. Leadership teams wanting to recruit and retain top industry talent won’t be able to return to the way things were prior to the pandemic. They will need to adapt to the new normal. Supporting all types of workers – remote, hybrid, on-site, and those with flexible schedules – needs be a priority for companies.

Those with a solid hybrid strategy, the infrastructure to support it, and an employee-first mentality will have the most success.

Flexible Meeting Spaces

For companies wanting to make the most use out of their physical space, a flexible meeting space offers a wide range of usage options. A flexible room architecture uses the concept behind modular design to create a malleable, adjustable, and multi-purpose space. Movable room dividers can be removed to create one large space for company or department meetings. Or they can be added to create multiple smaller meeting room spaces for teams to collaborate. And modular furniture allows meeting organizers to setup the space to best support their goals. Seating can be arranged in various ways, such as: (1) theatre style seating best for presentations, (2) circular seating arrangements to encourage contribution, (3) pod seating for dividing attendees into groups.

But the most important aspect of designing flexible meeting space is incorporating and audio-visual infrastructure that can also support the various arrangements. The system needs to be able to support multiple meeting spaces with separate audio-visual capabilities at the same time. But it also needs to be able to support the larger combined space integrating the audio-visual components into one cohesive system. Plus, it needs to be easy for meeting organizers to use and adjust timely.

Audio-Visual Technology Makes Meetings and Presentations More Interesting

Various types of audio-visual technology can be incorporated into meetings and presentations to make them more interactive and interesting.

Improving the Hybrid-Conference Room Experience

Since the start of the pandemic, remote meeting technology has made significant advancements, with a plethora of options available on the market today. By integrating remote meeting technology directly into company conference rooms, it can improve the experience for all. One option that allows remote attendees to feel more involved uses collaboration technologies, such as multi-screen set-ups that allows remote workers to virtually appear as if they are physically attending meetings via individual screens enhancing engagement.

Utilizing smart technology, such as voice command technology in hybrid meetings can help them run more smoothly. Presenters can start/control presentations using voice commands, making it easier to use. It provides more accessibility, especially for people with disabilities. It frees up the presenters hands, allowing them to make gestures, incorporate physical demonstrations or other visual elements. And it’s more efficient, as talking is typically faster than typing.

Incorporating Virtual Reality (VR) can make presentations more interesting and memorable. It provides some unique advantages. For larger audiences, using passive VR to create an immersive experience typically works best. But for smaller audiences, take presentations even further by creating an active VR experience allowing the audience to interact with the VR. It’s also an excellent tool companies can use for employee training, providing a more authentic learning experience, often enabling companies to onboard new employees faster.

Move Beyond Meetings with Video Presentations

Too often meetings can be difficult to schedule especially if trying to include a large number of people in the meeting. Instead consider if holding a meeting on the topic is necessary. Using video production technology allows you to communicate key topics that would be covered in a meeting but allows the audience to consume the material at a time more convenient to them.

Want to Incorporate More Fun Technology Amenities into Your Business Plan?

Engineering PLUS is an industry leading technology consultant. They can develop a plan to help your company incorporate more fun technology amenities in the workplace. Contact our team of technology experts to learn more.