Wi-Fi accessible even on the train or in the plane, ever more powerful phones, a wide choice of mobile phone solutions, etc. videoconferencing For several years now, new technologies have seemed to be powerful enough to make it possible to work from anywhereor almost. So this year has been a real-life test to see whether or not this hypothesis can be confirmed. "The advantage of this crisis is that today everyone knows how to use Zoom or Teamsat the very least. And even more exotic solutions... Technological maturity has taken a real leap forward in the space of a year", says Michel Font, founder of the consultancy Nelta, which specialises in career support for talented senior managers and executives.
Unsurprisingly, the video-conferencing broke audience recordsHowever, as the virtual experience drags on, publishers have had to expand their solutions to combat employee fatigue. For example, the Otter.ai automatic transcription tool has been integrated into Google Meet, Zoom and Cisco Webexwhich automates the reporting of meetings thanks to artificial intelligence.
This use of new technologies has also helped to foster teamwork despite the distance, as shown by the following examples Pierre Sangrones at Axa: "The use of online collaboration and co-creation tools within our teams has increased significantly in recent months. We use Klaxoon with an online digital co-creation 'board', a system of electronic post-it notes that allow you to generate ideas in all directions. Before, we all had to get together in the same room with lots of different equipment, so that everyone could generate and share their ideas. Today, a tool like Klaxoon makes this possible remotely. We've been able to create schedules for several months with the whole department, i.e. almost 100 people, which would have been virtually impossible to do face-to-face with everyone."he continues.
The launch of the Microsoft Viva also demonstrated the new importance attached by the digital giants to the teleworker himself, rather than to teleworking in a purely functional approach. The new tools presented on 4 February give a new place to the employee well-being in the home office. The Viva Insight module, which is integrated into Teams, is designed to help employees manage their working time more effectively, by including breaks and time for discussions with colleagues. The tool is also aimed at managers, helping them to manage their teams more effectively from a distance, and even to reorganise their offices to switch to "work from home" mode. hybrid.
Virtual offices and remote team building
The last few months have also thrown the spotlight on hitherto more confidential solutions for maintain a degree of cohesion between teams that can no longer meet in the office. Following the example of Work Adventure or Gather Town, the platforms of virtual offices have tried to alleviate the office blues - a feeling that will probably have surprised many employees... These ersatz company headquarters are not unlike Second Life, with each employee opting for an avatar who then wanders around a virtual office that is more or less similar to its physical equivalent, and can thus interact with his or her peers during formal meetings in the meeting room, or - and this is the whole point of these platforms - during unexpected encounters in a corridor. The aim is to replace the exchanges that take place around the famous coffee machine, where better ideas sometimes emerge than in the best-organised meetings. Not forgetting applications that may appear to be aimed at the general public, but whose collaborative approach has not escaped the attention of companies that want to maintain interaction between employees and encourage team spirit, while offering a little lightness and relaxation in a climate that can sometimes be heavy. Just like the game Among us, whose professional clientele is probably no stranger to the title of most downloaded game on iPhone in 2020...
