The mass adoption of remote working brought on by the unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that many organizations needed to radically rethink how they operate. Most likely, successful businesses will be ‘networks’ of people and technologies, with physical location becoming less important.
As we move into the “next normal”, how can we create the best working environments to empower these new ways of working? Here are 6 key trends that Pierre-Jean Châlon, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Poly foresee that will shape the future of work in 2021.
Work isn’t a place, it’s what you do. In 2021 we expect to see more organizations adopting the new hybrid work model and a more consistent work experience no matter where they are, whether in the office, at home, or anywhere in between. Work is no longer defined by the hours put in but by the outcomes of the work.
Digital transformation will be fuelled by XAAS, or Anything-As-A-Service. This is an adaptation of the digital services subscription model, as providers shift to providing value as a service. This lets businesses introduce and scale deployments as needed, providing the agility to continue to work seamlessly and without disruption.
Employees realizing that consumer-grade gear simply cannot deliver, are demanding that home workspaces be upgraded with technology that allows for seamless collaboration, whether fiber internet connectivity, noise-blocking headsets, or even audio and video conferencing solutions that allow them to join video meetings with the click of a button.
Offices will become a central gathering point for employees to meet, while the majority of work will continue to be done remotely. Workspaces will become collaborative and technology-enabled to accommodate the work style of every employee and facilitate a business being done from anywhere.
Video is now more common than ever for meetings, and thanks to technological advances in the past few years, has enabled collaboration on a whole new level as an increasingly critical part of business-as-usual, as organizations in industries like telemedicine and education adapt to a whole new way of doing business.
Businesses will look to technologies like 5G to drive a better collaboration experience through seamless connectivity, as if in person. Digital transformation efforts will also see an increase in focus on technology that adapts more seamlessly to the end-user.
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