9 to 5 schedules are starting to become a thing of the past. And while we haven’t quite gotten there yet—Sweden just took the lead and introduced six-hour work days, the New York Times reports—innovative approaches to management are already leading to a ton adjustments. In particular, tools like video conferencing are changing HR policies across the board. Take a look at how:
Flexibility
The advantages of video conferencing are plenty. You get reduced travel costs with video. You also get higher productivity levels. Less commuting time also means less stress, allowing employees to work better. Best of all, it offers management leads face time with their employees. In the past, managing a team meant you’d have to see them every day at the office. These days, though, a lot of management teams are now learning how beneficial it is for organizations to loosen up the reins. By using industry-recognized tools like BlueJeans enterprise video conferencing solutions to communicate and keep in touch with their employees, they’re able to offer their teams that much needed flexibility and leeway. That leads to greater employee freedom, making it possible for employees to have greater control over that increasingly precious resource: time. Workers, especially new parents, have something to be grateful for. With these arrangements, parents can now have more time with their family.
Train and Record: Low Costs, Big Gains
Training is a managerial task. But if you’ve got a lot of incoming employees that need to undergo training, all scattered in different states across the country and have only a handful of management leads to take that on, that could become a problem really quick. At the very least, you’d have to keep sending your management leads all over these sites and back. That might solve the training problem, but this could take a toll on your management leads. If they’re always tired and on the road, they might not be performing at their best. They might not be delivering the level and quality of service you demand from your employees. That’s where video conferencing for training proves useful. Companies can now offer training via online meetings and conferences. This way, your managers won’t have to leave their desks, says CIO, and thus, won’t be as tired anymore. They would also have more time and more control over their schedule. So if you need to train your employees, instead of spending a lot on transportation costs and wearing your management teams out, follow the example of other companies that have made a successful go at it and consider the merits of using video chats and conferences to solve the problem.
Another great feature of online video trainings is that the sessions can be recorded. So trainees won’t have to waste time asking questions about details they forgot. They could simply rewind the session until they find the information they need. That can save your managerial team a lot of time and effort so it’s a win-win for both sides.
The Rise of Remote Teams
Cloud-based video solutions are also making it easier for companies to hire, manage and keep remote employees. As more companies offer flexibility to their employees, the trend has also made it possible for businesses to start recruiting all over the globe. That means a bigger talent pool so organizations can hire talents that meet their needs and requirements, giving rise to remote teams everywhere. Video communication systems have successfully reduced the amount of stigma around remote staff. It used to be that organizations had to see their employees clocking in for the full 9 hours to be productive. Video solutions have successfully turned that perception around. Instead of shying away from hiring remote employees and running remote staff, more management teams are taking on the challenge and perks of working with a geographically dispersed staff.
Collaboration
Online meetings have also changed the way managerial leads define collaboration. It used to be difficult to put together offsite and onsite teams on the same projects. Video solutions, though, have made it easier for teams to cross those boundaries. By crossing cultural and geographical barriers, technologies like these make it easier for the staff to develop a deeper level of closeness and engagement with each one. That’s made plenty of management teams revise their idea of what true collaboration between teams and among departments mean. Replicated across the board, this new emphasis on the importance of collaboration, and on the use of tools that empower and encourage it, might just be what your company needs to keep your team engaged and productive, while keeping your business relevant and competitive in today’s business.
So if you and your company are still stuck in the 20th century, you might want to see what the future looks like. Hint: Start by making video conferencing a part of your business.
