As the future of work is rapidly transforming, it’s more important than ever for businesses to invest in their most valuable assets – their workforce. A crucial part of this investment includes purchasing the right office equipment that empowers people to do their best work and designing the best collaboration strategy to meet different workstyle needs.
When it comes to having a remote or hybrid workforce, it has become increasingly evident that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, new Poly research into knowledge workers in eight countries has identified six key workstyle personas that make up most businesses.
These personas represent valuable and actionable insights about employees. They all have unique preferences when it comes to how they work, where they work, and what technology best suits their needs.
The six personas we identified are:
• Office Communicators – Traditionalists who prefer an office-based workstyle and feel most productive at their office desks. They have limited collaboration needs.
• Office Collaborators – With a more progressive office-first workstyle, this group is highly collaborative and picks up new technologies efficiently. Most work in open office areas and are very comfortable with remote collaboration tools.
• Remote Collaborators – Since they feel significantly more productive at home vs the office, these team players rely heavily on collaboration technology. They are tech-savvy and use multiple devices to stay connected to co-workers and clients.
• Flexible Workers – This group has a highly flexible workstyle and can get the job done wherever they are. They shift between multiple locations and seamless transitions are essential for their success.
• Road Warriors – True to their name, Road Warriors get work done on the move. They like gadgets that are handy and can be carried along while they are on the go and work seamlessly while they are constantly traveling.
• Connected Executive – With a very collaborative and mobile workstyle, these emerging leaders are the most tech-savvy of all the personas. They embrace innovation and feel productive working from anywhere.
Workstyles in India
The proportion of personas varies significantly across different geographies. India has a very high proportion of Office Collaborators (34%), and by far the highest number of Connected Executives (24%) as compared to other countries.
The Connected Executive is most reliant on communication technology. With the highest headset (81%) and video usage (76%) of all the personas, they regularly juggle between multiple devices and communicate through a combination of phone calls, text messages, and in-person meetings. This can also be attributed to the nature of work that we do in India, which is very service-led.
The need for individualised solutions
Understanding and mapping these personas is important as companies consider the future structure of their workforce and the technology they intend to invest in. Matching workstyles to devices and technologies increases productivity as well as the ease of mobility and transitions for workers moving between two or more locations.
As more businesses permanently adopt hybrid working models, optimising productivity through collaboration will be a major focus. This will affect everything from the kinds of devices and equipment purchased to the size and layout of offices.
The research we’ve carried out shows that one size really doesn’t fit all when it comes to equipping tomorrow’s workforce. People need individualised solutions to suit their specific needs, with personalisation of application settings, interfaces, and other capabilities. It’s also likely that many people will switch between different workstyle personas throughout their careers, and taking a flexible and adaptable approach to technology is key.