Video conferencing has made it possible for many companies to continue running their operations even in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic. As long as employees have a reliable Internet connection in their given locations, they have the ability to communicate with their coworkers and collaborate on work projects whenever the occasion calls for it. Video conferencing isn’t a new technology by any means. But the way it’s done now as opposed to 20 years ago has certainly evolved.
Back in the day, expensive and complicated equipment was needed to ensure a steady and secure video conferencing connection. Nowadays, all you need is your smartphone or a laptop, a strong Wi-Fi connection, and a secure location to use video conferencing technology. For upper management personnel who are still required to come into the office for work, private conference room rentals in Mississauga and Ottawa are the way to communicate with remote employees—especially during the pandemic.
Here are just some of the benefits of conference room rentals in Ottawa and Mississauga.
Reduced Travel and Commute Time Cuts Costs Down
Under a hybrid office model, some employees like top level executives and upper management will still be required to come into the office on a daily basis. Lower level employees, however, can work remotely from the comfort of their homes. This model effectively eliminates their commute time and reduces vehicular expenditures significantly.
During these hard economic times, this is a little bit of financial relief that many of your employees will no doubt appreciate—not to mention the fact that they won’t have to contend with early morning and afternoon rush hour traffic.
Improved Communication Amongst Staff Members
Another undeniable benefit of using state-of-the art video conferencing technology and software is that it makes remote employee communication practically seamless. Considering the fact that some of your employees may be in different regions and time zones, video conferencing pushes the need for more structured virtual meetings. Since virtual meetings will have designated start and end times to accommodate the schedules of all of your remote working staff members, these meetings are typically more productive than in-person project collaborations.
More time will be devoted to discussing important business matters, meeting project deadlines, and planning future creative projects. Video conferencing also eliminates the need for lengthy email and text chains, wherein messages can often get misconstrued or lost altogether. Body language and facial expressions are part and parcel when it comes to effective communication. Engaging in video conferencing meetings ensures that all participants are always on the same page and can ask for clarification on certain topics and receive responses in real time.
Increases Employee Productivity
Cutting out the need to email back and forth on a single subject and commute into the office for a meeting greatly increases employee productivity and helps them make the best use of their time. Employees are less likely to be late for a video conferencing meeting because all they have to do is log in to the system at the specified time.
Video conferencing is a far more efficient method of communication than teleconferencing, emailing, or instant messaging for a number of reasons. Participants can physically see each other and read body language and facial expressions in addition to tone of voice. And, they don’t have to impatiently wait for coworkers to type up responses to their questions or comments.
Oftentimes, when you have multiple people participating in a text or email chain, messages can easily get misconstrued or lost altogether. This makes it extremely difficult to keep track of the topic at hand and employees find themselves having to scroll up and down numerous times trying to stay on track.
Video conferencing is the equivalent of having everyone in the same room at the same time without asking them to commute into the office in the middle of a pandemic. Meetings go more smoothly, important decisions are made faster, questions and concerns are addressed on the spot, and everyone is on the same page.
Lower Employee Attrition during the Pandemic
As tired as many people are of spending an exorbitant amount of time at home during the pandemic, many employees are still extremely wary about physically returning to work if it’s not necessary.
One positive aspect about getting the opportunity to work from home is that employees spend less time stuck in traffic commuting back and forth. This can help them effectively improve their work-life balance and even spend more quality time doing the things they love rather than being frustrated in traffic.
Also, most office workers are fully capable of performing their jobs from home as long as they have all of the equipment they need, a quiet space to work, and a good Internet connection. That means you can retain more of your staff and reduce the amount of cutbacks you have to make during the pandemic.
Maintain Strong Human Connections
Lastly, video conferencing affords your employees the ability to maintain strong human connections with the outside world without actually having to leave the comfort and safety of their own homes every day. Maintaining some form of visual communication with coworkers has been proven to boost the mental states of those who have continuously been working from home during this pandemic. Simply being able to physically see people that you work with establishes a long-awaited need for return to some form of normalcy—even if it is through a computer screen.
These human connections are what keep people going during these difficult and uncertain times while also keeping all employees in the loop about current and upcoming company events.
Video Conferencing Can Keep Your Business Running in a COVID-19 Climate
Every business has been impacted to varying degrees by the COVID-19 pandemic. Innovative Professional Offices is here to help small- and medium-sized businesses slowly get back on their feet and recuperate their losses. We provide fully furnished and equipped conference room rentals in Mississauga and Ottawa that can be custom-tailored to accommodate your company’s hybrid workplace model. Contact us for more information.
