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An Organization’s Way to Productive Meetings in 2024

By Josh Blalock, Chief Video Evangelist, Jabra

While employees have returned to their workplaces and meeting rooms in the office, new challenges in creating seamless and effective meetings arise – and will continue to appear in the new year. Today 66% of meetings are either fully online or hybrid, imposing new demands for how the office – and employees – are equipped.

In 2024, as more and more corporations follow in the footsteps of tech giants like Meta, Amazon, X, Apple, and Google by mandating a return to the office or setting a remote schedule, organizations will need to make sure that the hybrid way of work is meeting employees where they are. It will be essential to make sure employees know how to meet effectively in every space where they work – whether that be from their living room at home, or an office conference room.

The main goal for 2024: Help your employees enjoy the meeting room experience

Collectively as a workforce, we waste millions of minutes due to technical meeting issues – and the increase in online meetings since the pandemic hasn’t made it any bit easier. As employees return to the office (in a full or hybrid capacity) the technology and way in which we take online meetings grows more disrupted. In tandem with this, meetings have become mixed with in-person and online attendees, meaning that companies must have the technology in place to accommodate both kinds of workers at the same time. To adjust to this way of work, video solutions can no longer get in the way of productive meetings.

Jabra’s latest report on hybrid work found that 1/3 of employees are hesitant to take calls from a meeting room because they feel less comfortable with the technology within the room, compared to just using their laptop. In fact, if two employees in the office were to join a meeting with colleagues joining remotely, 50% would choose the laptop at their desks over a video-equipped meeting room. With today’s technological advances, this should not be the case.

However, most meeting rooms aren’t even designed for hybrid meetings, with only 1 in 10 meeting rooms equipped with easy-to-use video solutions. And even when they are, most employees aren’t comfortable with using them. To create a seamlessly operated office experience in the new year, it will be important to provide employees with training and support to become comfortable with video bar systems and other in-room meeting solutions. Even if a plug-and-play solution is an option, training and hybrid meeting etiquette is still essential.

A suggested two-pronged approach could look like:

1.  Proper onboarding before an employee joins a company

In today’s digitally run world, it might seem intuitive to some, but new technology requires new training. Employees often find their workday too busy to fully understand intuitive video solutions before entering a meeting, so training sessions are a good way to onboard employees to new meeting room technologies. The last thing a company wants is remote employees dialing in to feel left out if they can’t successfully connect with their in-office counterparts.

2.  Technology constantly evolves, so update instructions for every iteration

During a busy workday, joining meetings can become a mad dash. The last thing employees want is the inability to join a video call – it should be up to company leaders to help support workers in daily collaboration. Having a physical guide or QR code linking to instructions makes it easy and quick for employees to work the room, and the video equipment. For those operating from home, sending updates via instant messenger or email should become a habitual practice to keep every aspect of productivity high – and frustrations with accessing video meetings from remote locations low.

For the best experience, meetings rooms must be optimized

The beginning of the battle is to get employees engaged and comfortable using video equipped meeting rooms – the war is that only 15% of office’s meeting rooms are equipped with video. One of the greatest tasks for companies in 2024 will be to redesign and optimize meetings rooms with video to enable better hybrid meeting experiences.

Three key considerations should be made in doing so:

1.  Ensure that everyone can see and be seen, as well as hear and be heard

At this stage in hybrid work, meetings should be equitable for all participants – whether in the room or remote. Ensure the video technologies can consistently bring remote participants into the room and in-room participants to them – without any hiccups when joining, and throughout the meeting.

2.  Room layout and technology go hand-in-hand

Meeting rooms cannot be optimized if the room layout and technology within operate separately. Organizations should consider where the video camera’s field of view is aimed, and how it best captures everyone in the room, amongst other details.

3.  Don’t just assume that employees will know how to use the technology

As already mentioned, leaders must ensure that employees are up to speed when it comes to utilizing and mastering company technology. Both rooms and workers should be equipped with training and updated instructions as new technology and iterations enter the market, so employees aren’t left behind.

In 2023, new forms of seemingly futuristic technologies have become engrained in our day-to-day, and in the workforce, this trend is bound to continue. Keeping up with innovation is rarely an easy transition, but by recognizing patterns from previous years, its adoption can be met with a plan in mind to successfully leverage technological benefits.

The line between work and leisure will continue to blur in the new year as employees mold what a hybrid, flexible work style means for them. Because of this, they will expect professional tools to integrate seamlessly with personal life, streamlining tech use.

Fortunately for companies, improved user experience, enjoyment, and productivity through feeling invested in work tools will add significant perceived value at minimal cost. By ensuring that both physical and online rooms are equipped for a new era of hybrid collaboration, it is easy to foster a mutually beneficial work experience for employees – from wherever they are meeting.

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