StaffNigel Roberts, UK Head of the Information Display business unit of LG Electronics Business Solutions, offers his thoughts on the growing resurgence of the boardroom and the increasing need for cutting-edge display technology in the workplace to enhance collaboration, communication and efficiency.
Since March 2020, office-based work has been transformed by the effects of the pandemic. There are few formerly office-centric organisations that haven’t retained at least some remote working since their employees first went home during lockdown.
That rapidly increased flexibility has brought a whole raft of positives – improved working conditions for parents, job applicants from a far wider geographic radius – but it also has its drawbacks. It’s hard to collaborate effectively if you rarely see your team face-to-face, and team dynamics can only grow so strong over distance.
The recent focus has invariably turned to supporting hybrid work and making arrangements that ensure efficiency and productivity are not impacted by employee working patterns.
According to a survey by Owl Labs, 62% have opted for a hybrid work model combining remote and in-office work. Additionally, McKinsey reports that 58% of the workforce has the opportunity to work from home at least one day per week, indicating a widespread shift towards hybrid models. With this transition and the need for flexible working styles in mind, 62% of companies are planning to invest in upgrading their meeting room technology this year to enhance the hybrid collaboration experience.
There’s a kind of magic you only get when the team is around you, be it face to face or online. As a result, we’re seeing a major resurgence in the need for cutting-edge display technology in the workplace, to enhance collaboration, communication and efficiency.
As remote working remains part of the picture, it’s important to ensure we are helping in-office and at-home employees mesh well. Using the right information display technologies can ensure both remote workers and meeting participants are fully engaged. Integrated video conferencing solutions, for example, can enable seamless remote participation – ensuring people in the conference room and people in home offices can view the same thing at the same time, participate in discussions, and work more effectively together.
We’re also seeing a number of growing trends emerging to support hybrid collaboration as workforces balance in-office and remote arrangements. As VR and AR have become more sophisticated and accessible, immersive experiences are coming within reach for many organisations, enabling team meetings, presentations, and creative sessions to take on a new dimension. That might look like an interior design agency displaying computer-generated, explorable 3D models of client proposals for discussion; or a rail transport company demonstrating security plans for its stations through on-screen walkthroughs.
This kind of tech offers a host of possibilities for improving the value of time together in the office, but it needs the right kit to make it work, including high-quality displays, seamless, user-friendly controls, and remote feed options for those not in the room.
A key development in this regard is the rise of new AV meeting room trends, including highly interactive, intelligent screen solutions. This includes a shift to 21:9 ratio displays and monitors, which optimise the video conferencing experience. These wide or ‘ultra-stretch’ products such as LG’s upcoming 105BM5N model are ideal for this type of application and help businesses to create new meeting room experiences – including touchscreen capabilities for enhanced collaboration.
Optimised meeting room layouts with strategically placed displays, can also ensure that the flow of discussion isn’t limited by obscured screens or poor visibility. Attractive, minimalistic design plays a crucial part in this whilst screens like the LG Magnit All-In-One also boast incredibly user-friendly functionality with outstanding picture quality, integrated audio and multiple outputs.
Display technology is at the heart of in-office collaboration. We’ve all experienced what it’s like to wrestle with a non-compliant HDMI input, sweating as the client’s amusement levels drop and our presentation stubbornly remains anywhere but on the screen.
It’s probably fair to say we haven’t all experienced the opposite phenomenon – breezing into the boardroom, instantly pulling the right visuals up on the right displays and sliding smoothly into our opening remarks – but when it does happen, it can be the difference between a wasted hour and a productive tête-à-tête.
By investing in innovative, high-powered display technology, businesses can make the most of the return to the office and equip their employees to get the most possible benefit from time in the boardroom.