Businesses have utilized sprawling suburban spaces to develop their office buildings and provide as many resources and comfortable rooms as possible to stimulate collaboration and improve efficiency. Beyond just work, corporate campuses aim to promote employee engagement and well-being and have a unifying feeling that can contribute positively to company culture. One element that plays an essential role in corporate campus culture is AV technology and how the strength of the AV implementation fosters a better employee experience. Hybrid work schedules and a need for more collaborative technology bring AV technology and productivity further into the spotlight.
Enabling a New Global Workforce
Investing in a corporate campus has made sense for many businesses due to the long-term benefits of owning land and the potential for influence on the surrounding community leading to other competitive advantages. In any corporate campus structure, flexible workplace design that can evolve with the needs of new generations of workers and the growing global landscape should be a high priority. Onsite AV integrators in a campus setting have always needed to think strategically about meeting the needs of a global corporation and evolving workforce while including new technologies into existing systems. Now, that need is even greater.
AV teams need to integrate new technologies with new workplace strategies as more video conferencing and collaboration between remote and in-person employees is required. Understanding the needs of a hybrid worker will be critical in a post-COVID world. Considering the end-user and how employees coming into office space will interact now, there will be a need for more hygienic, socially distanced spaces and a constantly rotating employee schedule.
Additionally, keeping up with new tools should always be top of mind. Introducing every new emerging technology isn’t necessary or even possible. However, enabling a workspace to be agile enough to grow with any newly added technology, such as adding motion sensors, voice commands, and interactive digital display walls, is essential.
Engaging Employees
Large organizations with campuses aim to inspire their employees to produce their best work. Providing comfortable spaces based on their employee’s preferences is something many offices have tinkered with, going from open floor plans to closed offices to some combination of the two. While corporate campuses often offer various workspace options, the new way of working will require that collaborative and individual work needs are equally prioritized. Implementing huddle rooms and re-imagined conference rooms can help achieve this. On a corporate campus, flexibility in available workspaces allows for high-performance work. Investing in environments that promote teamwork and collaborative problem solving while also offering quiet rooms and innovative content sharing technology helps employees do their best, especially when working cross-functionally.
Employee wellbeing is another vital aspect of the corporate campus that will continue to grow in importance. Maintaining health and wellness is now at the top of everybody’s priority list. Campuses that offer quality lighting and screens rather than harsh ones are a good starting point. Designing spaces where employees can stretch and take short breaks or allowing for room to simply stand and take a phone call, is essential. Some businesses will consider implementing interactive digital displays for employees that will tell them about their health and any critical information they can use toward maintaining wellness.
No matter the company culture, most organizations can agree that they want to achieve more, and quicker. They know that to get the best results, their employees need to feel inspired, creative, valued, and productive. That is why campuses are designed to foster collaboration and help employees feel connected.
