MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 22, 2016) - BlueJeans Network, the global leader in cloud-based video communication services, today released global research findings revealing that businesses are at risk of alienating their next generation of tech-savvy employees if they do not change their approach to new 'live' technologies.
Although 85% of employees use video as part of their everyday lives, only 28% say their employers are proactively encouraging them to use video at work to communicate. The majority (72%) feel that live video has the power to transform the way they communicate at work and 69% believe that increased use of video conversations would help employee retention at all levels within the organization.
The research, conducted amongst 4,000 employees across the U.S., UK, Germany and France, also found that only one in seven (14%) employers were considered good at providing communications tools at work that mirror what employees use at home. Almost two-thirds (63%) assert that their employers could make better use of live video, pointing to culture, collaboration and training as examples. Furthermore, 63% say that younger employees now expect to use live video as a communications tool when they enter the workplace.
"Consumer adoption of video is ubiquitous now and we've seen that employees are clamoring for the business world to follow suit. Yesterday may have been all about email, fax and the phone, but today it's all about that face to face connection you get through video," said Lori Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at BlueJeans Network. "The research shows the millennial workforce or 'selfie generation' have already integrated video into their daily lives and if businesses don't recognize it as a key channel of communication, it risks not only leaving potential business on the table, but also losing out on the top talent that will fuel the workplace of the future."
The research from BlueJeans Network also found:
- Talent magnet: 51% said they would prefer to work for a company that embraces live video as a way to communicate and 73% believe hiring of new staff could be transformed with video, changing relationships between employers and candidates as well as between bosses and employees at a cultural level (75%)
- Longing for live: 72% of employees admit they have higher expectations of information being readily available than they did two years ago, and 82% see live video playing a useful role within their organization over the next two years whether in training, troubleshooting customer issues or product collaboration
- Transforming meetings and inboxes: Seeing people rather than just hearing them is seen as a key benefit of video communication (60%). Furthermore, 68% see live video saving time spent in unproductive, long face-to-face meetings in the next five years, while over half (54%) see it significantly reducing the volume of email traffic
The findings show that there is a genuine appetite for live video, which is only set to increase over time. Employees see it as part of their daily, personal lives but do not seem to be actively encouraged to use live video in the workplace, despite the obvious benefits available to organizations.
Workers across the four regions surveyed are united when it comes to wanting to use live video as a workplace tool. Although the number of businesses dismissive towards live video are in the minority, a greater number of employers could be more proactive about encouraging the use of live video, as opposed to simply allowing it to be used.
Specific to the U.S., almost 80% of U.S. employees find collaboration and sharing to be one of the most important ingredients to a successful company. Moreover, over a third view the shared experience video conferencing provides as one of the top benefits, a viewpoint not echoed by the UK and Germany who see the biggest benefit as not having to travel as often. When asked about the best use for live video in the U.S., trainings were cited as the most popular (42%), which radically differed from France who found troubleshooting customer issues (31%) as their favorite way to use video.
For more information on the power of live video, download the BlueJeans Love Live report at https://bluejeans.com/lovelivevideo
About BlueJeans Network
At BlueJeans Network, we create video experiences that people love, and are also trusted by the IT organizations of the world's leading brands. Video communications are an immersive experience that enable employees to work more collaboratively and make businesses more efficient. BlueJeans offers interactive, multi-directional visual communication services through a cloud-based platform that is trusted by the Fortune 100. This gives peace of mind to IT leaders and unleashes the workforce to be their best, wherever they are in the world. BlueJeans Network is a private company headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information go to: www.bluejeans.com or follow the company @BlueJeansNet
Research Methodology
A total of 4,000 employees, aged 18-65+, took part in the survey. They were selected from a range of job roles and levels, representing several industry sectors. The companies they work for range from 100 to 1000+ employees, across the US, UK, Germany and France.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Kristin Farrell
Highwire Public Relations
kristin@highwirepr.com