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How To Tool & Support The Remote and Hybrid Workforce

This PSFK guide is a remote worker productivity report on on supporting employees with systems and tools to maximize productivity and increase collaboration.

Executive Summary

As remote work transitioned from being an occasional perk to an operational necessity, businesses were forced to quickly adapt to ensure their employees could thrive in the new context. In order to maintain high levels of productivity and keep colleagues and teams feeling connected and supported, organizations needed to provide new resources and innovate their practices for a new setting.

Report Overview

In this remote worker productivity report, the PSFK iQ team examines the tools being utilized across sectors to streamline employee connection, engagement, and workflow.

What You’ll Learn In This Report

  • Discover the power of virtual reality, interactive platforms, and digital communities to foster workplace collaboration that rivals that of in-person meetings.
  • Explore trends shaping a hybrid approach to workplace structure moving forward, and supporting case studies that demonstrate the great possibilities that can come from flexibility, understanding, and support between employers and employees.
  • Understand the digital technologies that facilitate better collaboration and communication.

Who Prepared This Report?

This remote worker productivity report was developed by the same PSFK research department that since 2004 has provided trends-led innovation consulting advice to Apple, BMW, Facebook/Meta, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and Volkswagen.

Key Topics

Collaborative Social Impact

Pausing previously scheduled content and programming, brands are instead redirecting time and budgets toward collaborative community-building projects. As consumers take note of the companies providing measurable social impact, purpose-led brands will be top of mind post-pandemic.

Community Platforms

Brands are building stronger communities by establishing digital and physical platforms and activations that help foster the relationship among customers and encourage participation, empowering consumers to co-create the rules and even inviting them into the R&D process. It includes hosting programmed events to build confidence in a purchase or product use in an engaging manner. It also includes peer-to-peer platforms where consumers can interact and exchange with each other.

Impact Platfroms

Demonstrating shared values with their customers by investing in the social impact and environmental initiatives and offering customers a way to directly influence which initiatives the brand supports.

Featured Examples

Microsoft Mesh platform allows coworkers to virtually collaborate and interact

While creativity and collaboration were once moments thought to be reserved for in-person meetings and interactions, new virtual and #augmentedreality offerings are supporting companies in providing many of the same opportunities to #employees regardless of location. Through these immersive, mixed-reality platforms, companies are providing workers with digital spaces that replicate the attributes of in-person work and connection, thus streamlining processes like brainstorming and product design, while ensuring colleagues remain on the same page.Microsoft recently debuted its Microsoft Mesh platform, an app that enables its AR #HoloLens platform and VR Windows #MixedReality platform users to interact with others as well as 3D content in one place. Within Microsoft Mesh, users of the platform–which is accessible via HoloLens 2, various VR headsets, phones, tablets and more–show up as avatars that can communicate and collaborate with each other and view the same projected objects in the virtual space.https://lnkd.in/gkiJMhp

LEGO releases seven 30-minute White Noise tracks to help workers destress while working at home

To help workers reduce stress or unwind while working from home, LEGO has released a playlist of seven 30-minute tracks. The ‘White Noise’ playlist features recordings of the brand’s bricks being played with in different ways meant to help adults concentrate, relax and even fall asleep. Anyone interested can access the relaxing playlist across 15 streaming platforms, including fan favorites Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Music.

YouTube ambiance videos use ASMR style cues to bring the environmental factors of public spaces into people's homes

A burgeoning genre of YouTube videos pairs video settings, like libraries, cafes and restaurants with soothing soundscapes from rain to background chatter. Deemed ambiance videos, the content is created specifically to replicate the relaxing nature of background noise and ambient environmental factors many are missing while stuck in their own homes. Be it workers seeking the elements they had come to know and love in public space like coffee shops, or the average consumer looking for a virtual room to escape to, these ASMR style videos have something to offer for various needs and ambiance-related desires.

Powering The Hybrid Workforce

This PDF download includes:

  • A look at tools and systems being put in place to support employees as they adapt to hybrid forms of work
  • 7 trends exploring innovative practices being used to maximize engagement and productivity in the workplace, as well as foster connection and collaboration
  • 27 trend-supporting exemplary case studies

Published on: Apr 30, 2021

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