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41
magazine
Workplace
Making distance disappear is a major
challenge for businesses that operate
across multiple locations. Despite
advances in technology, meetings of
dispersed teams can be problematic,
as those who are working remotely
won’t have the same experience
as colleagues together in the same
room.
Steelcase calls this ‘presence
disparity’ and warns that it can
undermine the benefits of having a
diverse, distributed team and hurt
productivity. If it isn’t addressed, the
overall collaboration experience can
easily become unpleasant and taxing for
all participants.
Steelcase adds that, as the pace of
work has intensified, people often find
themselves in a ‘mixed presence’ work
mode – they are physically present in
one conversation, while being virtually
present in another, often texting,
emailing and posting etc. Distractions
abound, workflow gets bottlenecked and
misunderstandings, misinterpretations
and conflicts escalate. As chaos and
frustration ensue, progress slows or gets
totally derailed.
While more and more organisations
are adopting videoconferencing,
Steelcase says that not enough realise
the need to design spaces and video
experiences that are easy to use,
available to a wider range of employees
and successfully recreate the experience
of being together.
Conference rooms are the
spaces most commonly used for
videoconferencing. Yet, according to
Steelcase, typical conference rooms,
which can also be difficult for face-to-
face meetings, are far from ideal for
video-conferencing. People are locked
into seated postures at a long rectangular
table, which makes it impossible for
everyone to be on camera, and because
of the camera angle and limited floor
space, it is disruptive whenever someone
stands or walks around.
Instead, Steelcase advises
organisations to integrate video
collaboration into a range of working
environments. Its researchers have
identified six strategies that businesses
should consider when adopting
videoconferencing:
Steelcase researchers have
identified the solution to
‘presence disparity’
Closer collaboration
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has
achieved a 20% increase in capacity at its
offices in London and Cambridge without
compromising the personal space of its
475 employees.
In a three-phase refurbishment between
2012 and 2014, KI and Office Extra
transformed RSC’s headquarters at Thomas
Graham House, Cambridge and its London
offices in Burlington House, Piccadilly.
To improve space utilisation and support
flexible working practices, KI replaced RSC’s
large corner desks with UniteSE benches
with integrated storage and fixed computer
monitors. A sense of privacy was maintained
by fitting desks with contrasting H-series
perspex screens.
In Cambridge, RSC chose maple desks and
electric blue screens throughout, except for
the IT department, which has white desks and
lime green screens.
For London, it standardised on walnut
desks on white frames with orange perspex
screens, bar the facilities department, which
opted for the same colour scheme as the
Cambridge IT department.
Bob Shimmens, Building and Facilities
Manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry, is
delighted with the results. He said: “Despite
increased densities, the end users feel they
have more personal space and there have
been improvements in communication and
the overall environment thanks to the colours
used. The new design has given the building
a real lift.”
• 020 7404 7441
1
Consider camera and microphone
placements carefully. Develop a layout
that allows all users to be on-camera and
clearly audible. Include multiple screens
so participants can see each other and
their content at the same time, making
sure people can move and stay on-
camera without disrupting the flow of
interaction.
2
Create zones that allow people to
move fluidly between group work and
privacy. People in collaborative teams
make quick switches between these
modes throughout the day. Glass walls in
a room can create acoustical separation
while supporting continued visual access.
3
Design the environment to encourage
movement and a range of postures so
that participants stay energised and
engaged.
4
Think about both sides of the
experience. Provide similar environments
in all locations and equipment with the
same tools and level of control.
5
Consider how spaces can help build
trust. For instance, having a continuously
open real-time video connection just
outside a team room that acts like an
open window between two locations can
promote social exchange as people come
and go.
6
Plan for a range of team sizes and
videoconferencing exchanges. One-
on-one interactions, paired work and
collaboration among subsets are as
important as a full-blown session.
Distribute as many choices as possible –
e.g. videoconferencing kiosks adjacent to
the team space, nooks within it and even
mobile solutions – to leverage real estate
and encourage use of the technology.
KI finds the right formula
Not enough
realise the
need to
design spaces
and video
experiences
that are easy
to use.
