As companies across Australia continue to experience high levels of remote working, it’s worth examining the rise of the virtual meeting and how to answer three critical employee needs.

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, people spent up to 80 per cent of their time involved in collaborative work. To understand the evolution of remote work amid the outbreak, Microsoft’s Work Trend Index is painting a picture of current trends, and meetings are top of the list. Time spent in Microsoft Teams meetings increased by over 1,000 per cent in March 2020 alone. The insights uncovered by the rise of the virtual meeting combined with best practice tips, help to answer three critical employee needs while remote working: human connection, real-time collaboration, and unhindered productivity.

NEED 01 Human connection

Seeking connection to others is a natural human instinct and there are scientific reasons why.

Researchers like Dr. Fiona Kerr, Founder and Director of The NeuroTech Institute in Adelaide, have found that eye contact and physical connection with another human increases dopamine and decreases the stress hormone cortisol. Her research shows that you can even physically calm someone down simply by looking them in the eye.

NEED 02 Real-time collaboration

NEED 03 Unhindered productivity

A powerful combination

With the rise of the virtual meeting, many employee needs haven’t changed. They still need human connection, the ability to collaborate real-time in natural ways, and the confidence their productivity won’t be hindered by distractions and hurdles. Microsoft Teams combined with Surface for Business devices are a powerful combination to deliver on these needs, whether it’s in the physical office or while remote working together, apart.

To learn more about Microsoft Teams and how it can bring your team closer whilst working apart, contact us to see what solutions we can offer to you and your team.