Kim Rader Subject:
How Can We Bridge the Location Divide?
How Can We Bridge the Location Divide? [Greeting] Flexible work has quickly become the status quo. We are now uniquely familiar with the terms “Zoom,” “Teams,” and “Skype.” Each phrase conjures up a memory: from chatting with pixelated colleagues in uniform boxes to frantically muting your audio as a siren wails outside the window. Over time, “Zoom fatigue” has crept in and managers are realizing there ought to be more to the hybrid experience. The embedded “location divide” describes the varied access to technology, space, and skills between in-person and remote workers. While hybrid work can promote equity—for instance, by giving more scheduling flexibility for parents, or allowing employees with disabilities or chronic health conditions to work from home—this location divide poses significant challenges for inclusivity, communication, collaboration and company culture (think: proximity bias & workplace burnout). In fact, as many as 72% of companies plan to invest in more innovative tools that support and sustain virtual collaboration. Take our Design Strategy team, for example. Lindsay dials in from Toronto, Jing from San Francisco, Katie from New York City and Zac from Maryland. For our weekly check-ins, our dispersed team now conferences on Gather Town. In this customizable metaverse, users can create office spaces and seamlessly walk into and out of conversations. As more teams adapt to new ways of working, it is essential to employ effective tools that mimic real-life interaction, encourage flexibility and enable social connection across the location divide. Cisco’s 2022 Global Hybrid Work Index featured technologies for noise reduction, speech enhancement, automatic translation and transcription, live polling and gesture recognition as key drivers of work in the future. These automated and intelligent technologies have the potential to make virtual interactions more natural, workflows more conversational, and spaces more blended. 1
But having the right tools is only part of the equation. It is equally important to address company policies and communications, as we’ve addressed previously—such as setting clear expectations around productivity and establishing team norms. The Design Strategy team at Perkins Eastman is engaged in ongoing research to stay abreast of the latest tools and technology for distributed teams, as well as human-centered strategies to support culture and inclusion. Best, [SENDER NAME]
Examples of Starter-Pack Essentials for Hybrid Teams In 2022, over 60% of employers expect to raise spending on virtual collaboration tools and manager training, while half plan to invest more in areas that support hybrid work models, such as communal space in the office (48%) and hoteling apps (50%). Based on our research and personal experiences, we’ve compiled the top 4 most exciting & innovative tools for in-person, hybrid and remote work
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Dialpad, Robin, Me & We Work Zones, Noisli
Miro, Krisp, Fellow, LessThanFive Chair
Loom, Bonusly, Slack’s Water Cooler Bot, Perimeter 81
Truly effective hybrid teamwork is much more than scheduling virtual team building activities. It requires a holistic rethinking of the entire work environment, from the digital to the physical to the interpersonal.
1. The Digital — Tools to Mimic Real-Life Meetings & Support Inclusivity
2. The Physical —Tools for Flexibility B
3. The Interpersonal — Tools to Connect Socially Across the Location Divide
44% of hybrid workers say they do not feel included in meetings.
42% of employees say they lack essential office supplies at home and 1 in 10 don’t have an adequate internet connection to do their job.
Nearly 70% of polled workers listed “missing a personal, social component to teamwork” as what frustrated them most when collaborating remotely.
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Gesture Recognition Polling/Q&A Real-time Transcription & Translation Background Noise Removal & Speech Enhancement
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Portable Monitors Quality Headset & Webcam Mobile Power Banks Wi-Fi Extenders
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Asynchronous Communication Internal & Informal Messaging Platforms Reconfigurable Spatial Barriers
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Activity-Based Work Zones
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Perkins Eastman uses design thinking to arrive at humancentered solutions for environments and organizations, add value, and position our clients for lasting success. Copyright Perkins Eastman 2022
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