The last ten years have irrevocably altered the way the workforce functions. Where it used to be about face-to-face communication and little else, the introduction of digital networking, social media, smartphones, and so much more have all contributed to a modern workforce that looks nothing like it used to.

As a consequence, the way you do business and work with your employees has had to change too, and needs to continue to change. It’s no longer a guarantee that you’ll be able to gather all of your workforce into a single conference room for a meeting. Instead, you need to future-proof and find ways for your employees to stay in communication and participate in meetings while still working remotely.

Meeting Room Design Should Help You Stay Connected

When you’re designing a meeting room with a mobile workforce in mind, it’ll be beneficial to remember some key things:

• Make communication a priority
• Be technologically prepared
• Equip your workforce with the proper tools.

A mobile workforce may not share the same room with you, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less vital to your company’s growth and success. If you prioritize communication with them, prepare your conference rooms with the tools necessary to include them remotely, and plan ahead for potential issues, you can help set up a system that will be just as conducive to your mobile workforce as it is for  your on-site employees.

Embracing the Mobile Meeting

As you hire employees who work remotely and aren’t tied down to a desk, you need to find ways to ensure that those employees aren’t left out of the loop. They may not exist in the same environment as you 24/7, but they’re still a meaningful piece of your company and need to be included and engaged with the rest of the workforce whenever and however possible.

The best way to do this is by regular meetings. While these meetings will have to look different than they would if you could simply  gather everyone in a conference room, they are necessary, and there are a number of routes you can use to set them up.

If your office is well-equipped with screens, you can realistically hold a meeting with mobile workers from just about anywhere. So where and how you hold these meetings will depend on the context of each one.

If you’re holding a conference with a number of your employees, then gather them in a space with screens and cameras so your mobile workforce can join in visually and vocally.

The important thing is making sure you and your office are equipped with the technological tools necessary to host such meetings. Computers usually have cameras for easy video calls, and most TV’s even come packaged with similar capabilities, or have the option to add them on separately. Whatever options you choose, it’ll be important to double check their specifications to guarantee that they can be used how you need them to be.

Creating Private Meeting Rooms

Communicating with a remote workforce via video and voice can be distracting for other employees in the office. This is why it’s crucial to create private conference rooms that can facilitate the type of prolonged and long-distance communication that’s necessary for successful remote work.

Consider equipping your meeting rooms with sound-buffering panels so as not to distract other employees during a meeting. You can also add decorative window films to the glass walls and doors of your meeting room to increase privacy and minimize distractions.

However you design your meeting room, use the right mix of technology and style to make it a comfortable and productive environment.