The days of fully remote work are slowly ebbing away, according to the 2023 Future Workplace Index survey by EY. Only 1% of executives reported their employees work completely remotely — down considerably from 34% in 2022. A 2023 study by CBRE echoed the shift, finding that 65% of all respondents require in-office work at least part of the time. Still, employees aren’t thrilled with the change. For example, Deutsche Bank reported enormous resistance among staff to returning to the office.
Building a more collaborative workspace can help get employees excited about their return to work, ease the transition and create happier workers. In fact, some employers are purposefully designing environments to entice employees to return. Their changes include office updates centered around workers’ needs, such as adding flexible workspaces, yoga rooms, large conference centers and more amenities.
Speaking employees’ language can go a long way toward bringing them back to your office and allowing them to enjoy the benefits of in-person work. Here are three tips to help.
1. Increase office perks
Many employees love working from home because they like to take breaks and relax during the day. Bring this perk into the office by creating desirable secondary spaces, such as cafeterias, conference rooms and wellness areas, that employees can enjoy during the day. The more accessible and functional you can make them, the better you can align with what employees want in the workplace. This might include adding room reservation systems, self-service kiosks, entertainment centers and digital signage throughout the office to inform and guide employees and visitors.
Employees and visitors can also use displays, such as Samsung Pro TV, to play videos, view images and display multimedia presentations from a smartphone or other device. Installing a Pro TV does more than make sure your employees are up to date with the latest market reports, news and information. The same equipment can be used for wellness activities such as remote exercise classes, affinity meetings and remote training and onboarding.
Installing the cloud-based Samsung VXT content management system (CMS) makes organizing and scheduling all of this even easier, with a unified, remote interface for all displays. With VXT, businesses can even create custom content and use real-time data to drive efficiency and strengthen more seamless employee communication.
2. Wow employees with ease and function
It can be a big leap to go from a home office to a multi-floor building of vast office and meeting spaces. Help your employees feel comfortable by installing technology that acts as a wayfinding and information source.
For example, LED screens such as Samsung All-in-One LED IAC Series and The Wall All-in-One can be used to display static information or videos to help people stay up to date on company news. Both options have streamlined setups and built-in control boxes. The Wall, which ships in three preconfigured sizes — 110-inch 2K, 146-inch x2K and 146-inch 4K — can also brighten up a conference room and give meeting participants the ability to play videos and presentations that wow everyone.
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Kiosks, such as the Samsung Kiosk with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise support, can check people into the office simply and securely while providing meeting and logistical information as well as internet access in a touchscreen form factor. At the same kiosk, employees might order lunch ahead of time and have it waiting for them when they’re ready for a break.
All of these digital signage options let you configure and deploy messaging 24/7 from wherever you are, boosting employee collaboration and productivity. It’s possible thanks to Samsung VXT CMS, which helps you set up your displays, create content and manage everything from a single screen. In fact, content creation is a snap thanks to the available templates and images built into the CMS that can incorporate images, fonts and other company-specific material.
3. Energize your space and teams
Now that you’ve enticed your employees through the door — it’s time to energize your space and teams. This means creating the ultimate collaboration experience with interactive displays and customizable workstations outfitted with smart, curved, high-resolution monitors designed for any need.
Employees won’t miss laptops to home televisions when they have interactive displays such as the Samsung Interactive Display to use instead. High-resolution monitors such as the 49-inch Viewfinity S95UC Dual QHD 1000R Curved Monitor with HDMI and USB-C or the 34-inch ViewFinity S65UA Ultra-WQHD Curved Monitor with USB-C reduce eye strain and let employees maximize desk space, while the curved shape improves productivity.
Using Samsung Displays in conjunction with Logitech video conferencing solutions gives employees a seamless way to connect with colleagues, customers and prospects. These setups simply blow away any home office setup, making it feel like the person you’re talking to is sitting right next to you.
Getting the best of both worlds
While there may still be days when your employees will need or want to work from home, a technology solution that improves upon what they have there may mean the difference between a happy worker and a resentful one. Giving them the best technology — from jaw-dropping LED video walls in your lobby to interactive displays purpose-built for collaboration to flexible workstations equipped with productivity-boosting monitors — may even make them feel like their home office is inferior, and the office superior.
Learn more about leveraging technology to improve office teamwork. And consult this free white paper about creating high-impact visuals inside and out with LED displays.
