Having worked in the world of video conferencing for close to a decade now, I sometimes forget how lucky I am to be able to work in a ‘Collaboration Wonderland’, where I have access to solutions which make it easy to connect with just about anyone, anywhere, anytime without the cost and time associated with travel and being out of the office. Not all employees have access to this technology, however, that makes my experience possible.
But then I look at our channel and I am delighted to learn there are symbiotic partners in our ecosystem who are solving collaboration problems in a different, yet extremely complementary manner. There is a gap when it comes to helping our customers understand how technology and the workspace play together, and conversations and decisions around improving employee quality of life and reducing costs and expense should not be happening in silos.
The question all Canadian businesses must ask is whether they still consider technology and the workspace as two separate entities.
In that spirit I invite businesses across Canada to join us for a five-part Workplace Webinar series as we explore how to create the workplace of tomorrow – from understanding how employees impact your workspace to incorporating technology into your environment, and sharing how we made this transition at Cisco.
Register for our May 22nd webinar on Connecting Design to Business Success.
In the first two webinars of our series – available here and here for download – we examined how businesses can look at the kinds of workers and work styles that exist amongst their employees, create the workplaces of tomorrow by implementing solutions in their offices that complement and enhance evolving work styles, and how those styles are influencing office design.
To better explain the co-relation between how we work is changing where we work, I suggest you listen to our second webinar. As powerful devices and collaboration technologies make working from anywhere possible with business-grade video and tools, employees expect a workspace that reflects this. For instance, companies like Mayhew are now able to create workspaces where Cisco collaboration solutions can be seamlessly integrated to maximize the productivity of each work style.
It was this reality that the guests of our first webinar, Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft, Directors at the D.School (Design School) of Stanford University andco-authors of Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration, made clear when discussing the workplace of tomorrow. They shared how workspace design and technology can be brought together to create environments where employees communicate, work, play, learn and innovate.
Our next webinar is one I’m particularly excited for, as we move from a theoretical discussion around why we need to evolve to the workspace of tomorrow and start the address the how of making it a reality. This is where the rubber hits the pavement, and businesses start to create a workspace that makes sense for the 21st century.
Register for our May 22nd webinar on Connecting Design to Business Success.
Why start with understanding design? Because effective workspace planning requires an understanding the various types of workspaces and the designs you can incorporate into them.
And I’m proud to say that we have one of the best in the business joining us for this discussion. Lisa Fulford-Roy, VP of Client Strategy for Workplace, Strategic Accounts and Consulting at HOK Architects, will explain how a business can ensure your design makes the most effective use of space, and that your collaboration tools are being adopted and successfully incorporated into day-to-day work.
I also invite you to build your own workspace of tomorrow in our Project Workplace tool. This easy-to-use and interactive website gives businesses a behind-the-tech look at different workspaces so you can find the solution, and design, that fits your business.
Looking for a design that can accommodate more than 10 employees? Or one that is perfect for one? Project Workspace has it covered. Try it today and share your thoughts on it below.
By Kevin Janke
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