Employees in general are great assets to a workforce. Obviously some are better than others, some have more unique skills, and some have different personalities as well as levels of effort that they bring to the table. One thing is certain, however, more companies in recent times are demanding more from their employees than ever before. When you combine that with the fact that the youngest generation entering the workforce prefers flexibility and work life balance over higher pay and benefits, you need to find out how some technologies can truly be seen as an asset to allow you greater access to more qualified candidates.
Legitimate Health Consequences of Travel
The individuals who say that they love to travel are few and far between. The fact is our bodies actually treat traveling and long commutes in general as more of a stress than anything else. When you find people who commute longer to work on a typical basis than those who do little to no commuting at all, the people who commute more actually live less. As the Daily Mail wrote, the health consequences of longer commutes can also lead to increased obesity, higher blood pressure, heart disease and even taking a toll on personal relationships and families.
The key is not to get rid of traveling altogether, because that wouldn’t make sense from any business’ point of view. You clearly need to be able to get your people in front of the faces of key clients and partners, or else you wouldn’t be sending them out in the first place. The response of many companies has been to start putting people in front of their clients by using video conferencing software and applications. By allowing for the same personal contacts and connections, you can literally do all of the internal operations as well as external communications and sales, without ever having to leave the office. The travel trips are minimum, and the sales trips are reserved for special occasions. Plus, with the right video conferencing software, a business even has the added benefit of allowing their employees to work from home. With video conferencing software at the ready, they can truly minimize commuting time and still have the capability of being right in front of a stakeholder’s face on screen in only a few seconds.
Helping to Acclimate a Younger Generation
If you happen to employ individuals that are making long commutes or are supposed to be spending a significant portion of time traveling, you could literally be putting their health at risk. It isn’t just a minor thing either that you can brush under the rug, because you need to consider the millennial generation in general and how they all act. If these younger (and talented) workers want flexibility and a work life balance that works for them more than any other generation ever has before, the truth is you can’t afford to force long travel hours on them. Your talent pool will dry up quicker than you could possibly think and you will lose the benefits that a younger generation brings as well. Or, you could take the time to think outside the box and allow them to use that very technology they know and love as a substitute for constant travel and being on the road when it comes to communication.
With the abilities of video conferencing, you also get something that you can’t afford to miss. As Entrepreneur magazine reports, your younger workforce will want to bring as much to the table as she or he can. By allowing them the ability to use new processes, cutting edge technologies, and be more efficient as well, you are offering your employees a benefit that is far more fulfilling than a few extra dollars in a paycheck would be. The millennial generation seeks out the ability to fit into an organization and be a part of a higher purpose. By giving them technology and letting them run with it, you enable them to do truly take ownership in their role and gain real job satisfaction.
Additional Possibilities for Your Employees
A great benefit that is often overlooked as well is the potential that video conferencing brings. Not only can you truly keep your employees off of the road when it comes to sending them out, but you can also enable them to experience work from anywhere, anytime. As Vegas Inc’s piece states, the younger generation of people will continue to push for flextime and work from home opportunities. This is something that is made that much simpler because of technology like video conferencing.
Top video conferencing experts at Blue Jeans have stated the benefits of having a video conf call is not just from company conference room to client. It can be installed, performed, and utilized efficiently from any workstation in general, so why not allow employees the ability to work from home? This may not be a trend many business owners are completely keen on yet, however, the ability to do so is still an asset. Whether an employee feel under the weather, needs to check in over a vacation, or even wants to catch up on a few things over the weekend, the opportunity is there.
Whatever the plan for an organization actually is, the best strategy is to incorporate some sort of technology into the future. And, when you consider the needs and desires of young people, it only makes sense to see why businesses are adding flexibility to their models, and what amounts to be a luxurious fringe benefit with video conferencing in the standard operational plan. Anytime a company can add more efficiency and flexibility while also taking away stress from their workforce, they have struck gold. Maybe that’s the reason so many companies are turning to new technologies to help them update the business plan.
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