“Technology decision making is often carried out in isolation from the user,” says Amy Cronshaw, CEO and founder of a brand new consultancy practice, Beyond Workplace Consulting. “Our approach is to apply design thinking methodology, bringing the focus back to the needs of the people. If you first work out how your teams interact and approach their working day you can then assess the different technologies that will enhance the employee experience. The technology should be there to aid a process not to be the focus of it.”
Cronshaw has launched her business to help organisations migrate their existing operations to a virtual working environment in the wake of the pandemic which, according to *Gartner, “will result in 48 per cent of employees operating remotely for a proportion of their working week”. Beyond Workplace uses what it describes as a ‘tailored technology strategy’, which applies design thinking methodology focused on the needs of staff and their overall employee experience, to help companies build a virtual community for a diversified workforce.
“Whilst some organisations may use audio or video conferencing to keep in touch, those vital ‘water cooler chats’ have all but disappeared,” she said. “This makes it a more important time than ever to invest in technology that keeps your workforce connected and allows you to support their wellbeing and productivity.”
The enabling role of AV solutions has come to the fore during the lockdown months, as remote communications, networking, and workflow tools helped to keep many businesses operating, as well as bringing families and communities together as the world stayed at home. The accelerating impact it has had on many businesses in shifting to remote and hybrid home/office environments is expected to be one of the key lasting effects in what many describe as a ‘new normal’ of the professional workspace.
“We hope, in this time of uncertainty, we can help companies to forge the future of their workplaces,” Cronshaw added. “Everyone has experienced an unprecedented amount of change in the recent months; Beyond are here to help you create and deliver a strategy that ensures you are providing the best working environment for your greatest assets, your people.”
