Be seen and heard; tackling inequity in hybrid meetings
1 in 3 remote workers feel disengaged in hybrid calls*. It’s harder for them to be seen and heard. In this blog, business segment lead for meeting and conferencing solutions at Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe, Gunnar Kyvik, acknowledges the challenges facing businesses today and highlights Sharp/NEC’s alliance with Barco ClickShare.
Identifying ways to improve productivity in meeting rooms has long been a key part of Gunnar’s role at Sharp/NEC as meeting and conferencing expert. Due to the Covid legacy, the meaning of productivity has come into sharp focus as hybrid working becomes the trending topic.
Today’s organisations are faced with the challenges of making hybrid work – these challenges are not only about the technology which will enable remote participation, but also about how to empower people to fully engage with that technology in order to participate successfully.
* According to Barco
We’re only human
To create an environment that gives everybody equal opportunity to fully engage in the meeting we need to understand all the elements at play. Whether people are participating remotely or are attending in-person is just one element of today’s meeting room dynamics. We also need to take into account the human element such as age, technological competence, and potential feelings of anxiety – not everyone feels comfortable with the new ways of working.
At Sharp/NEC, our vision for meeting equity sees organisations adopting a more compassionate working culture. Only by rethinking the meaning of productivity, and understanding that it is directly linked to well-being, can businesses truly evolve and embrace new opportunities for success.
We look more deeply into this topic here: Human, not machine: as workflow patterns shift, how do we balance productivity with well-being?
Breaking barriers
Sharp/NEC’s technology solutions are purpose-designed to support hybrid workflows by removing potential barriers to inclusion and making it easier for people to participate whether they are in-room or connecting remotely.
The audio and visual experience is of course absolutely critical. To be able to clearly see facial expressions and to pick up the quieter voices from the back of the room is fundamental for successful video communications. High quality products with proven compatibility must be a priority when equipping any workplace.
Finding ways to make doing work as simple as possible helps to break down barriers and potential resistance from older, less tech savvy employees. Smoothing the way requires technology that is familiar and easy to use, with simple connectivity that just works. USB Type C for instance offers a very simple connection between personal device and large screen and is the vital enabler for Bring Your Own Meeting initiatives.
You can find out more about how the new USB-C connectivity standard is supporting hybrid workflows here: Is USB-C the key to frictionless workflows?
Maintaining security whilst enabling interoperability across multiple platforms has been challenging for many organisations but it is this simple, frictionless workflow which is the mainstay of hybrid working practices.
All these considerations are addressed in our meeting room technology solutions, which, through our alliances with industry leading solutions providers means we can offer the best possible user experience. One such alliance, with Barco ClickShare, means our customers benefit from instant wireless connectivity, another tool to help tackle meeting inequity.
Read more here as Barco looks deeper into the issue of meeting equity and how to boost equal opportunity in hybrid meetings.
What is Barco ClickShare?
ClickShare Conference is a tech-agnostic, wireless room system. Walk into the room, ClickShare responds to your presence and connects your laptop automatically to room display, cameras, speakerphones, sound bars. With just one click, you can wirelessly start a video meeting from your laptop or share your screen, use your preferred UC&C solution and switch platforms easily. No cables, no mess, no time to waste.
Sharp/NEC is proud to be a ClickShare Alliance Partner.
NEC's Windows Collaboration Display MultiSync® WD551 together with ClickShare Conference CX-50 provides users with a simple Bring Your Own Meeting solution to instantly start your meetings and enjoy one-click wireless conferencing with either Button or App. Simple, seamless, and stress-free.
The bezel-free PCAP optically bonded touch screen is easy to clean and provides a superior pen-on-paper writing experience. Using the combination of NEC’s WD551 and ClickShare Conference CX-50 meeting participants can add comments on slides or benefit from the built-in blackboarding tool so details can be updated in real time and control the WD551 through the CX-50 touchback support feature.
Discover the full range of Sharp/NEC Displays compatible with Barco Clickshare