The old way of working has been disrupted, but businesses still need to get things done. Here’s how the right products can help.
The shift to remote working was an unexpected challenge that almost every business faced in 2020, and based on recent figures, we shouldn’t expect it to go away anytime soon.
According to the Property Council of Australia, office occupancy in major CBDs is still well below pre-pandemic levels. In Melbourne, the occupancy rate was just 13 per cent at the end of 2020, and less than half (45 per cent) of CBD offices in Sydney were occupied in December. While more office workers in Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide have returned to the CBD, occupancy remains stalled below pre-COVID-19 levels.
This is likely due to the fact that many people realised they quite enjoyed not having to commute to work during the pandemic and continued working from home even after restrictions were lifted. According to a survey conducted by the University of Sydney’s business school, more Australians now want to work from home an average of two days per week, and 75 per cent expect to see increased support for remote working from their employers.
Tools to stay productive
It’s clear that the future of work is going to be flexible, with many workers splitting their time between the office and home, so even small businesses need to ensure they have the right tools to help their staff stay safe and productive no matter where they’re plugged in. Laptops, ergonomic office chairs and video conferencing software are non-negotiables, but what about smart projectors?
Whether meeting with clients, brainstorming, or simply making data-based decisions on a daily basis, teams often need to present data and content to a group of people. One of the simplest ways to do so is by using a smart projector, such as BenQ’s Smart Projector for Business. Unlike a standard data projector, a smart projector can wirelessly connect to most phones – no HDMI cables or laptops necessary – and it has a USB reader to instantly read Microsoft Office files. And, compared to an LCD screen mounted on a wall, it’s easy to move from room to room as needed.
“The office, huddle space and now home office need to be more nimble and efficient than ever. Even though employees have been shown in some cases to be more productive when working from home, they still need the right tools,” Sanjay Handa, Business Manager for ANZ at BenQ Australia, says.
Here are some of the other ways BenQ’s Smart Projector for Business can be used in the new normal of flexible working.
In the office: Huddle spaces, without the huddle
Modern offices are designed to support collaboration in a variety of different settings, from standard meeting rooms to smaller breakout rooms or huddle spaces. But in a post-COVID-19 world, huddles are probably off the cards. Rather than asking people to squeeze around a laptop, or pass a tablet back and forth, a smart projector is a great way to present information to a group while maintaining social distancing because the size of the display can easily be enlarged for everyone to read – even if they’re spread out.
BenQ’s Smart Projector for Business is simple to operate, with an app-based interface that will be familiar to anyone with an Android smartphone, and it’s easy to switch to different presenters or devices, so meetings can be truly collaborative.
“The need for office huddle spaces has undoubtedly increased. But it doesn’t look the way it used to. Having a large group of people in the one room just isn’t going to fly in 2021 and possibly beyond. Empowering any room to be a huddle space where presentations and video conferencing is easy is a big priority,” Handa says.
Working from home: Can everyone see my screen?
The real test for any productivity tool, however, is how easily it can be used when working from home. Because BenQ’s Smart Projector for Business doesn’t require any software to be installed or expertise to set up, it’s well suited to the new normal of remote working, where the resident tech expert in the office is no longer sitting a few metres away. And because it works over wifi, home office workers won’t need any special cables to connect to their devices.
It can also be paired with a webcam to make video conferencing more dynamic and productive. And while most people don’t have the space for large monitors to pore over data and charts in their home office (aka, the dining table), they almost certainly have a wall that can be turned into a screen big enough for everyone to see. This might make sharing screens on Zoom, and possibly the most uttered phrase of 2020 (Can everyone see my screen?), history.
“So many businesses are still buying projectors for their offices, and for good reason. The question we like to ask is ‘why buy a dumb projector when you can have a smart one?’. But the technology needs to be easy to use, otherwise it’ll be more of a hindrance than a help. Smart Projector has a very easy to use interface and if you’ve ever used a smart device before, you’ll feel right at home,” Handa says.
To find out more about BenQ’s Smart Projector for Business, click here.
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