Let a Teleconference Meeting Help You Beat the Summer Heat

Do you remember when summer was all about freedom, and you had a flexible schedule to actually enjoy the sunny weather? As an adult, you spend summer trying to beat the heat during your rush-hour commute. What if you could soak up some vitamin D on your back porch during a teleconference meeting, or answer customer calls at the beach? In other words, what if you could enjoy summer like a kid again and still get work done like an adult?

In the digital age, perhaps the better question is, why can't you? And why can't your employees? Teleworking is a great way to give employees a little flexibility and freedom to enjoy the summer. But what's in it for the company?

1. High Morale

Flexibility goes a long way toward improving morale. No one wants to spend the summer trapped inside under fluorescent office lighting or sweating in the car. And for parents, work/life balance is even tougher when their kids are out of school and they want to spend more time with them. Even if your employees only work from home a few days a week, that's two days they save an hour or more in the car — time better spent with their families or enjoying the lovely weather.

2. Increased Productivity

Of course, you're paying your team to work on much more than their tans, but multiple studies have shown employees are more productive away from the office, and these teleworkers are often willing to work longer hours — especially when those hours are flexible. According to a 2015 study by Stanford University, employees who work from home are more productive than their office counterparts.

3. A More Engaged Team

Happy workers make for a happy workplace, and research shows they're happier when they're not actually in the workplace. According to the 2017 "State of the American Workplace" report from Gallup, optimal engagement boost occurs when employees spend three to four days in a five-day workweek working offsite. Flexibility also helps retain those engaged employees and attract new ones. In Gallup's survey, 54 percent of office workers say they would leave their jobs for ones with more flexible hours.

Sunny Skies and Cloudy Communications

That all sounds good in theory, but collaboration is vital for businesses, and some managers find it hard to imagine how their teams could be effective without seamless communication. However, in the digital age, you don't have to work close by to work together closely.

Remote working has been growing in popularity for decades as companies try to cut costs and respond to worker demands for greater flexibility. What is new is the cloud-based technology that enables virtual workers to be just as connected to the office as those who are actually there. Cloud applications let remote workers collaborate on documents in real-time by accessing important business information and systems via mobile devices, from any location.

With cloud business phone solutions, employees can also use the office communication platform from anywhere. So, whether they're participating in a teleconference meeting with the whole team, video teleconferencing with a colleague to collaborate on a project, or calling customers, they can do it all using the same tools and phone numbers they would use if everyone were in the office.

As the summer months descend and the temperature gets hot, consider letting your employees work remotely soak up the sun. You'll all benefit.

Do you want to learn more about how a teleconference meeting can boost productivity and morale for your team this summer? Speak to a Vonage Business representative.