Businesses that are embracing mobile workforces still seem to be retaining traditional office habits rather than making the leap into entirely flexible workspaces, according to new research from Barco.
The study revealed that conflicting IT and communication strategies are in place in many offices, with 86 percent of organisations indicating that they have a remote working approach in place despite 73 percent saying they still have allocated desks, and 50 percent reporting a BYOD (bring your own device) scheme while 82 percent said that company laptops were still being issued.
A Barco spokesperson said:
“What is clear from the results is that most companies are on the right track and realise the multiple benefits of having unified communications and a more collaborative workforce, yet there is still much more work to be done for businesses to be able to tap into its full potential.
“It’s time for companies to put more unification into their unifications strategy. There is an appetite for it, and in the future organisations need to tie all aspects of unified communications together. In our experience, selecting the right technology can be key to improving collaboration amongst colleagues – and by harnessing the many advantages of mobile workers and BYOD there can be greater productivity, better staff morale and a far more effective workforce.”
IT decision makers across a range of businesses were questioned on whether “A mobile workforce and multi-device environment requires new approaches to effective collaboration.”
Remote working was high on the agenda, and ranked in the top three areas of priority for IT departments, behind data security and network management.
Companies certainly recognise the potential of a unified communication strategy, as more than half (52%) have a dedicated budget for unified communication and collaboration technologies and that budget is either increasing or remaining the same. The top three drivers for UC&C implementations are to increase productivity (51%), reduce costs (44%) and increase collaboration (27%).
When asked specifically about unified communications and collaboration technologies, those surveyed felt it was crucial that any technology is user friendly, cost effective and easy to install. Capabilities that have the most impact on effective meeting collaboration are video conferencing quality (38%), wireless access to the company network (31%) and the use of multiple screen (27%).
Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.