On Workplace 3.X: Humly

Anders Karlsson, Chief Executive Officer at Humly
(Image credit: Future)

AVT Question: Please share insight and best practices for ensuring meeting equity for all employees and how to deliver the best collaboration experience regardless of location.

Thought Leader: Anders Karlsson, Chief Executive Officer at Humly

Companies of all sizes have returned to a vastly changed workplace. Most employers have adopted hybrid schedules that split the workweek between the office and the home. The office is now primarily a place for collaboration, and schedules often align to bring specific people and teams together on the same days to inspire production through collaborative activities. 

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The technology infrastructure is undergoing a transformation to support these changes. We see more interactive whiteboards and UC platforms that strengthen collaboration between workers both on and off the physical premises. On the physical premises, the hybrid lifestyle has increased the demand to book meeting and gathering spaces. That higher demand can increase frustration amongst workers limited by meeting room availability. The result is a gradual rise in tension that reverberates through the modern workplace—an altered environment that workers are still learning to navigate.

There are the newfound challenges of moving between desks due to shifting schedules. These changes require innovative hardware and software solutions that help people book spaces well in advance, notify remote workers of meeting room locations, notify workers of available desks, and ultimately bring harmony to the modern workplace." —Anders Karlsson, Chief Executive Officer at Humly

Humly’s core mission has always been to create solutions that establish harmony in the workplace, from accommodating visitors with check-in and wayfinding systems to helping workers schedule meetings with networked solutions. That mission now places a stronger emphasis on reducing friction points created by the new dynamics of hybrid work schedules. The traditional five-day work schedule required minimal coordination between colleagues. Everyone was at the office, and workers were generally aware of meeting schedules and room availability. 

That tradition has faded with hybrid schedules. Often, businesses staff heavily mid-week, and finding a space to gather on short notice is difficult. The most well-planned hybrid schedules won’t guarantee all colleagues will be on premises for a meeting. There are the newfound challenges of moving between desks due to shifting schedules. These changes require innovative hardware and software solutions that help people book spaces well in advance, notify remote workers of meeting room locations, notify workers of available desks, and ultimately bring harmony to the modern workplace.

Cindy Davis
Brand and content director of AV Technology

Cindy Davis is the brand and content director of AV Technology (AVT). She was a critical member of the AVT team when the title won the “Best Media Brand” laurel in the 2018 SIIA Jesse H. Neal Awards. A storyteller at heart, Davis enjoys facilitating and engaging in deeper conversations about the complex topics shaping the evolving AV/IT industry. She develops and moderates AV/IT roundtables and co-hosts the AV/IT Summit. Davis explores the experiential ethos of the modern workplace and higher ed campus to provide insight into the drivers that will impact decisions. For more than 25 years, she has developed and delivered multiplatform content for AV/IT B2B and consumer B2C publications, associations, and companies. Recently, she has become obsessed with the role of AI in the workplace.