How hi-tech connections will help business and staff benefit from new normal’s flexible office-home approach to work

Surveys show hybrid workplace led productivity to nearly double, while 80 per cent of Asian workers feel good work-life balance boosts health and well-being

Use of virtual reality, new apps and other audio-visual technologies can enhance video-conferencing to help employees working remotely stay ‘connected’

Paid Post:EPOS

Reading Time:4 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Rapidly evolving advances in video-conferencing technology – including the use of virtual reality – are helping to improve the impact of online business meetings. Photo: Shutterstock

Morning Studio editors

Published: 11:29am, 10 Mar 2021Updated: 12:27pm, 14 Jan 2022

Since the mass work-from-home experiment began last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, employees around the globe have come to appreciate the benefits of avoiding the daily grind.

No longer forced to commute or clock in at the office for their typical 9 to 5 routine, they suddenly found themselves with greater flexibility in managing their time.

Yet now, as many workplaces start to reopen, it has come as no surprise that people feel reluctant to give up their new-found freedom and return to the office full-time. So, what does the future hold for workplaces around the world?

A group of expert speakers will share their insights on the topic at a virtual conference this month, titled “The New Age of Hybrid Work”, organised by EPOS, the provider of high-end audio solutions for enterprises and gaming.

Many Asian staff think a flexible hybrid working routine, where they carry out their duties both from home and in the office, will improve their work-life balance. Photo: Shutterstock

A survey recently carried out in Asia by Adecco Group Asia, which provides professional staffing services, found that most employees in the region prize flexibility and believe this hybrid workplace routine – allowing them to carry out their duties from home and also in the office – will benefit themselves and their company.

Moreover, the study showed nearly 80 per cent of them said that it is important to them that employers provide a good work-life balance and help them to maintain their physical health and fitness in the post-Covid world.