3 Workplace of the Future Trends for 2022

It’s been almost two years since the onset of the pandemic, which has greatly accelerated certain processes, especially when it comes to the workplace. Hybrid work environments have become the new norm, making remote collaboration technologies and digital experiences more important than ever before.  

Being part of all-in-one video collaboration hardware manufacturer DTEN, Rick Corteville and Doug Remington are closely acquainted with this area. I sat down with the two of them to talk about future workplace developments and the key trends that are optimizing collaboration and productivity for businesses this year.  

Trend No. 1: Consistency for the Employee

Over the last two years, people have adapted to working remotely; which also meant getting used to using platforms like Zoom or Teams as a way of communicating with colleagues. Now, as employees start to trickle back into the office, companies need to make sure they can provide them with a consistent experience across both the home and office environments. 

“No one is interested in having to learn a new system to access their office or desk. Any additional steps workers will have to take will become a barrier keeping them from getting to work and start being productive,” notes Rick Corteville, CMO at DTEN.  

DTEN have been keeping that top of mind with their product portfolio. The company’s products are 100% Zoom-certified, which means users can navigate them effortlessly, being already familiar with the interface. In addition, the products are multi-functional, so they can cater for various use cases across the hybrid workspace.  

“A good example is the ME Pro, our 27 inch display. The ME Pro can be used for multiple purposes other than as a personal collaboration device for individual employees. For example, it can also serve as a kiosk to check in employees using a remote receptionist,” Corteville shares.    

“Another thing we’re really excited about is the ME Pro’s ability to leverage Zoom’s Workplace Reservations, allowing people to find available desks or conference rooms and reserve them”  

Trend No. 2: Increased Ease of Collaboration

Another trend inspired by the rise of the Hybrid Office is an increased requirement for simple collaboration solutions, to help maximize employee productivity. DTEN’s made sure to go the extra mile and make their products touch-enabled, allowing a highly-intuitive collaboration experience. 

“People are used to thinking of remote collaboration in terms of video conferencing, which is what DTEN has helped enable since our founding. But we are seeing this space continuing to evolve to include other features, too,” Corteville notes. 

“We’ve been working with Zoom to further enable their Whiteboard experience, so users have ways to collaborate even if there isn’t an AV component to the meeting. We see this need across many verticals such as Education, Government and Healthcare, as well as general corporate organizations both big and small.” 

Trend No. 3: Meeting Equity

With more and more meetings now involving both remote and in-office participants, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to ensure everyone remains engaged. One way to improve engagement is making sure that everyone feels they have an equal seat at the table. 

Doug Remington, General Manager, EMEA at DTEN, explains: 

“People joining remotely from a personal meeting space are represented by a full head shot in the cube of a video conference. But if someone is at the back of a meeting room with multiple participants, they may be poorly represented.” 

“If you someone doesn’t feel equally-represented, they’re less likely to participate and contribute to the discussion,” Remington continues.

“By using technology to reframe each user so they can get an equal view, we can help address this issue”  

DTEN has made sure to keep this “meeting equity” in mind when it comes to their cameras’ technology. As of January, the release of Zoom’s Smart Gallery functionality for Windows has brought this popular Zoom feature to DTEN’s entire D7 product range. 

The company’s D7 range also supports multi-camera streaming for up to three different camera views simultaneously, easily controlled from the Zoom Room interface.  

“This means even more versatility to ensure the optimal views can be captured for almost any meeting format,” Remington explains. 

“Ultimately, the days of everyone on a whole team being in the office at the same time are gone,” Corteville concludes. “We believe that the type of technology we’ve been focused on is really going to help optimize collaboration and increase productivity in this unique situation.”  

For more information on DTEN’s product portfolio, visit their website.