The way we communicate at work is changing: 66% say a human connection is vital #FutureofWork

Prezi, the visual communications company known for its zoomable presentation platform that is widely used in academia and business across the globe, today released its Future of Video at Work Index, delivering an in-depth analysis of how video is used in the modern office. 71% of UK office workers are either presenting, watching or creating video communications at work demonstrating the prevalence of the technology. 

The Future of Video at Work Index was conducted by Censuswide Research on behalf of Prezi to better understand how employees are using video in the workplace within the changing work styles and environments including flexible and remote working. Prezi and CensusWide Research co-designed the questionnaire and surveyed the behaviors and attitudes of 2,011 office workers in the UK. 

The Future of Video at Work Key Findings:

• Two thirds of UK workers confirmed a “human connection” (i.e. seeing a person speak rather than just hearing them or reading information on a screen) is vital when sharing important work content via conference calls
• Physical face to face meetings still beat video communications as the most effective method to engage with each other (88%) but not by much. Two thirds (66%) said they were engaged when presented to remotely via video conference
• One third (33%) think that video communications have improved their ability to get the job done
• Over half of respondents (58%) agreed that the ability to give presentations is important to their career growth
• Nearly two thirds (61%) said that if their business provided them with the opportunity to learn or further develop their video content creation skills, they would take them up on it
• Nearly two thirds (61%) say they are the most attentive in a video conference call presentations for work late morning (9:30am-11:59am). They are least attentive in late afternoon (2:30pm-5pm)
• On average, respondents said their workplace was saving £41, 422.44 per annum by using video conferencing taking into account factors such as travel expenses, overall productivity and time wastage

Peter Arvai, co-founder and CEO at Prezi said:

“The way we work is changing and fast. Companies are becoming more progressive and innovative in how they keep their workforce engaged and productive. Technology is helping enable a more effective workforce that can work more flexibly and remotely.  As a result, the way we communicate and stay engaged is evolving and face-to-screen has become a primary type of video communication. We believe it deserves more immersive, visual tools and there is clearly a demand for it. We have launched Prezi Video to enable just that.” 

Addressing changing work communications, employee behaviour and their needs

The Future of Video at Work Index identified some key statistics::

• Nearly two thirds (65%) of UK office workers are watching live video (in a professional context) at work and nearly one third (32%) are creating live video at work 
• Over two thirds (67%) agreed they would learn more from video conference call presentations when they include both visual content (e.g., graphics, presentation deck) and video of the presenter
• Two thirds of respondents (66%) agreed they could pay attention to a video conference call presentation for a longer period of time if it had visual content (e.g. graphics, presentation deck) versus just a video of the presenter.
• Nearly all (85%) said they find presentations that show both a video of the presenter and graphics / a presentation deck on the same screen more engaging

Additional findings highlight the lighter side of video communications

• More than a third (37%) of UK office workers admitted that they have been on a video conference and turned the video off because they did not want other participants to see them
• 30% say they have eaten food while watching a video conference call for work
• 14% of us say they dress more comfortably from the waist down (portrait mode)

Report Methodology: The Future of Video at Work Index was conducted by Censuswide Research on behalf of Prezi, to understand how employees are using video in the workplace within the changing work environment of flexible and remote working. Prezi and Censuswide Research co-designed the questionnaire and surveyed the behaviors and attitudes of 2,011 office workers across the UK.