Crafting the ideal small meeting room for hybrid work
Defining a Small Meeting Room for Hybrid Work
Small meeting rooms offer more versatility than many companies realize. They can range from dedicated huddle rooms to “focus space” meeting rooms and traditional office areas repurposed into meeting rooms equipped with plug-and-play technology. What distinguishes a small meeting room for hybrid work is the careful consideration of how to bridge the divide between in-office employees and their remote counterparts. While a conventional small meeting room may only require a desk, chairs, and a whiteboard, rooms designed for hybrid work need access to collaboration technology, video cameras, audio systems, and more. Prioritizing inclusivity is essential when adapting a small meeting room for hybrid work. As noted by leaders like Microsoft, while many hybrid rooms offer excellent experiences for in-office employees, remote team members often feel excluded from the conversation. An effective hybrid room must ensure every participant has a voice, can contribute to discussions, and feels fully immersed in the experience.
Even before the pandemic, the small meeting room was gaining traction as companies explored the advantages of agile, innovative huddle spaces. Now, with the workplace evolving towards agile, flexible, and hybrid work styles, the demand for small meeting rooms is on the rise once again. With approximately 65% of employees expecting to work remotely at least part-time, many companies are downsizing their office spaces, transitioning from large boardrooms and multi-office setups to simpler environments, and dividing them into zones for various types of work. In this shifting landscape, meeting rooms remain essential for bridging the gap between dispersed employees and fostering collaboration. However, designing a small meeting room for the era of hybrid work necessitates a blend of creativity and strategy. Here’s how companies can adapt their existing small meeting rooms to support the future of work.
Adapting Your Small Meeting Room for Hybrid Work
The specific approach to adapting your small meeting room for hybrid work will vary depending on various factors. You’ll need to consider the room’s size, the number of employees collaborating at any given time, and the nature of their work. Here are some key steps to optimize your new hybrid meeting space.
Step 1: Assess Your Hybrid Meeting Room Requirements
Before investing in equipment and furnishings, conduct thorough research. Measure your small meeting room and determine how many people will use it simultaneously. If you have more remote employees than in-person staff, a simple “hub” with a few chairs and a display might suffice. If small groups in the office need to collaborate with external employees, you may require a slightly larger space with a desk and a whiteboard. While most “small” meeting rooms accommodate up to six people, their design can vary based on the intended use. For example, you might have separate rooms for private calls and focused work, as well as huddles and one-on-one meetings, or brainstorming and breakout sessions. Alternatively, you could utilize a single room for all small meeting requirements and leverage plug-and-play room kits to adapt the space as needed.
Step 2: Reimagine the Small Meeting Room Layout
In the past, smaller meeting rooms often resembled larger conference rooms, with size being the primary distinction. However, in a small meeting room for hybrid work, the traditional layout may not foster inclusivity for remote workers. Global research indicates that many people remain dissatisfied with hybrid collaboration spaces, largely due to their layout. Consider alternative configurations that may be better suited to hybrid work, such as:
Portrait to landscape: Rearrange the room so that employees face the longer wall, allowing for a larger display and ensuring everyone on camera can be seen and heard. Corners to curves: Replace rectangular tables with curved or rounded options centered around a meeting room display and camera. Rectangular layouts can obscure participants on video calls, while curved shapes provide better sightlines for all attendees. Implement sound masking: Address potential distractions both inside and outside the meeting room by exploring sound masking and soundproofing solutions to promote focus.
Step 3: Evaluate Your Small Meeting Room Software
Software plays a vital role in any hybrid meeting room setup. Firstly, ensure you have collaboration and video conferencing software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex. If your employees prefer different collaboration tools, ensure your meeting room hardware can accommodate all options to maintain productivity. Additionally, consider other collaborative tools your team may require to share information and content in a hybrid setting. Do you need solutions for digital whiteboarding, file sharing, and screen sharing? Lastly, consider small meeting room management software. If you have one or more meeting rooms and remote employees, you’ll need software like Logitech Sync to monitor your hardware and deliver updates and patches promptly. If managing multiple meeting and focus rooms concurrently, booking software can prevent scheduling conflicts and ensure optimal resource allocation.
Step 4: Explore Display Options
Since video plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between hybrid workers, displays are essential in your small meeting room. Depending on the room’s size, you may opt for a large display or video wall covering a significant portion of the space. Larger screens provide remote workers with a stronger presence in the room. Alternatively, if you want remote workers to feel fully engaged, consider multiple smaller displays or tablets equipped with 360-degree cameras positioned around the room. For instance, each remote participant could have a dedicated “Neat Frame.” For simultaneous content sharing and collaboration, you might use one large display for video streams and multiple tablets for in-office employees to interact with shared content. If unsure about the ideal setup, consult your team for input.
Step 5: Prioritize High-Quality Video Solutions
In a small meeting room for hybrid work, the video tools you use will likely differ significantly from those in larger conference rooms. Field of view is a critical consideration for small rooms or huddle spaces. Ensure your camera features a wide-angle lens to capture everyone in the room simultaneously. Intelligent cameras with AI capabilities can be particularly beneficial. They can automatically detect speakers and adjust focus, even when moving around the office. Some software solutions enhance the video experience further, such as Zoom’s Smart Gallery, which uses AI to create a classic “gallery view” for remote team members.
Step 6: Ensure Superior Audio Quality
In addition to video, ensure your meeting space features high-quality audio solutions. Hybrid rooms require microphones capable of capturing audio in a 360-degree range to minimize clarity loss for people seated across the table. Moreover, the room should have speakers that deliver clear audio with minimal background noise. If space is limited, consider using video bars, which combine speakers, cameras, and microphones into a single plug-and-play solution. Alternatively, provide employees with headsets for a focused, distraction-free environment.
Step 7: Streamline Setup and Foster Agility
For organizations holding frequent smaller meetings and brainstorming sessions, creating dedicated huddle rooms or conference spaces may not be feasible. Instead, empower employees to transform any space into a meeting room instantly. Room kits are ideal for this purpose. These kits, offered by companies like Microsoft and Zoom, are tailored for small meeting rooms, containing everything from cameras and audio equipment to screens and displays. They offer a plug-and-play experience, minimizing technical setup and facilitating ad-hoc meetings effortlessly. Consider other methods to simplify the meeting setup experience, such as providing users with voice-enabled room controllers or supporting multiple devices, from laptops to smartphones, for enhanced BYOD flexibility.
Step 8: Implement Strategies for Success
Once you’ve finalized the design of your small meeting room for hybrid work, focus on implementing policies that promote effective collaboration. Establish inclusive protocols ensuring all attendees, whether remote or in-house, have equal opportunities to participate. Offer various methods for joining meetings, including video conferencing, audio call-in, and messaging options. Explore new and emerging technologies to enhance your small meeting room’s effectiveness. For instance, extended reality technologies can transform a small meeting room into a versatile space. With virtual reality headsets, employees can collaborate seamlessly in real-time with contacts worldwide. Adapting Your Small Meeting Room for Hybrid Work Transforming a small meeting room for hybrid work doesn’t have to be daunting. However, it requires companies to reconsider several aspects. Carefully evaluating your meeting room layout and technology choices is essential to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. As workplaces continue to evolve, meeting rooms should evolve alongside them. Embrace an agile approach to office design, introducing new focus spaces, extended reality technologies, and intuitive solutions that empower and engage your workforce. Better meeting rooms lead to improved collaboration, paving the way for greater innovation and productivity.
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