Stop for a moment and think about your video conferencing experiences. You are waiting for the meeting to be started, thinking if you should’ve left the camera off or muted yourself. You feel that your hair looks kind of messy, and your vocal cords are definitely not awake yet. Yes, we’ve all been there.
But, when you think about it, video conferencing has changed our world dramatically, and the business world was no exception. To a variety of extents, everyone has experienced the remote work model during the pandemic, and a considerable number of people are still working remotely.
What kept people together during remote working was video conferencing tools. Right after the pandemic, there has been an increase of 535% in daily video conferencing traffic in 2020. Over the course of two years, slowly but steadily, the way we work has shifted from the traditional sense.
Video Calls Changed the Concept of ‘Meeting’
For starters, the concept of meeting transformed utterly. Before video conferencing became the new “WhatsApp” for companies, meetings used to be held in offices, where people spent hours on “not so elaborate” topics.
These meetings required extensive planning and extras, such as food and beverages, to keep the meeting going. Talkative people or seniors also dominated those meetings. But with video conferencing, everyone had a chance to have a saying on matters. The meetings stopped lasting for hours because people became more planned in their arrangements and additional expenses stopped being an issue.
Online Meetings Cut the Expenses
Video conferencing saved us from a ton of expenses. For employers, it enabled getting rid of major expenses such as office rent, utilities, office supplies, and nourishment. It made hiring new people easier because constraints such as office room or location disappeared. It allowed employees to keep connected to their colleagues without spending money on transportation or food. It means there are no more travel expenses.
With video conferencing, employees also found the opportunity to create the best environment to keep focused during meetings.
Video Conferencing Changed the Way People Dress
Another change that video conferencing brought to the business world is how people dress for work. Remember the days when you had to wear a suit and tie with at least eight hours waiting for you to endure? It’s all gone now, thanks to video conferencing. Sure, there are still specific points that you should pay attention to when joining a video conference, but the ropes are much looser. It might sound circumstantial, but feeling comfortable in your clothes can affect your productivity majorly. Getting rid of tight dressing rules helped teams to form more genuine relationships with each other.
Video Conference Rooms Changed the Way People Present Themselves
Another thing video conferencing nurtures is showing your personality more effectively in your job. How, you might ask? Well, first of all, that tiny screen that you’re being seen is the unique personal environment you present at work. You can decorate it with fancy backgrounds, you can show your favorite mug, or you can wear your home chic clothes. Such little details help us stay more grounded on our own foundation, reflecting our job contribution. If you’re more about saying it than showing, then you can allow yourself to voice your ideas more openly during video conferences. It’s not always easy to speak about something when you’re in a room with many people.
In a place where you feel comfortable such as your home, it’s usually easier to express yourself. Showing your presence in a job is essential, and video conferencing helps businesses in that aspect.
Video Conferencing Changed the Job Interviews
The hiring process has also gone through several changes thanks to video conferencing solutions.
Before the pandemic, most of the interviews were held face-to-face, and in-person interviews had their own dynamics. You have to look slick, control your behavior, and chase away all the tension due to being very close with your potential boss. However, in interviews held via video conferencing, you can feel at ease on so many levels. You don’t have to look as polished, and you definitely won’t feel the pure pressure of being in the same room with your interviewer. You can be more of yourself, a special bonus during hiring processes. The benefits that video conferencing provides for the hiring process also apply to employers. During a video conference, it’s easier to focus on the interview instead of the person. It helps businesses hire different people from various locations and help them create more diverse teams along the way.
Video Conference Boosted Working From Home
But what video conferencing changed in the business world is the momentum it gave to the rise of the remote work era.
Really, without a sheer boost of video conferencing, remote work most probably would have fizzled out when the pandemic started coming to an end. We wouldn’t talk about most of the topics we’re discussing today if the business world had never shifted towards the remote work model. In the broadest sense, video conferencing changed how we perceive productivity, creativity, office hours, work-life, corporate culture, business set-up, and many more. It has opened new horizons about how the future of work would evolve, a topic that seemed to have gained little to no attention before the pandemic. In short, video conferencing gave us the necessary push to sustain a healthy work environment in this fast pacing world.
To get started with a video conferencing software that will give you all the benefits above, Schedule a Demo and experience if OCTAPULL meets your demands or not.
