For many organizations, the return to the office is about much more than desks, parking spaces, and updated workplace policies.

When employees return after months or years of working remotely or in a hybrid environment, they also return to a communications environment that may not be ready for the way people work today.

Employees are bringing laptops into conference rooms. Teams and Zoom meetings are becoming part of everyday office life. Open workspaces create new noise challenges. Shared meeting rooms need to support people both in the room and joining remotely. And equipment that seemed perfectly adequate a few years ago may no longer fit the way your organization communicates.

That is why a return-to-office initiative is also a good time to take a fresh look at your communications infrastructure.

Rather than simply buying new headsets, webcams, conference phones, or displays, organizations should first ask a more important question:

What does our workforce need to communicate effectively when they return?

The Return to the Office Has Changed the Way We Communicate

The traditional office was built around a relatively simple model: employees had a desk, a telephone, a computer, and occasionally a conference room.

That model has changed.

Today, an employee may spend part of the day:

• Taking a Teams or Zoom call from their desk
• Joining a meeting from a shared conference room
• Moving between offices and collaborative spaces
• Using a laptop instead of a traditional desk phone
• Participating in meetings with remote coworkers or clients
• Working in an open environment where background noise is a concern
• Sharing workstations or meeting spaces with other employees

Technology supporting those activities needs to work together.

When it doesn't, employees notice immediately.

Poor audio, unreliable connections, difficult-to-use conference rooms, missing cables, incompatible headsets, and inadequate microphones can turn what should be a productive meeting into a technology troubleshooting session.

Start With the People, Not the Products

One of the most common mistakes organizations make when preparing for a return to the office is starting with a product list.

They ask:

“How many headsets do we need?”

“How many webcams should we buy?”

“Which conference speakerphone should we purchase?”

Those are important questions, but they should come later.

A better starting point is understanding how your employees actually work.

Consider different employee groups.

Employees Working Primarily at Their Desks

These employees may need a professional headset that works reliably with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, their computer, or their desk phone.

For some, a wired USB headset may be the simplest and most dependable solution. Others may benefit from wireless or Bluetooth connectivity that allows them to move around the office.

The right choice depends on the environment and how the employee communicates—not simply on which headset is most popular.

Employees in Open Offices

Open workspaces introduce another consideration: noise.

A headset that works well in a quiet home office may not provide the same experience in a busy office.

Employees may need better microphone noise cancellation, improved hearing protection, or active noise cancellation to help them concentrate and communicate clearly.

This is where product selection should be based on the actual working environment.

Employees Using Shared Workspaces

Hot desks and shared workstations create their own challenges.

Employees may need equipment that is easy to connect, disconnect, sanitize, and configure. Standardization becomes particularly important because employees should not have to figure out a different connection method every time they sit down.

Employees Working in Conference Rooms

Conference rooms have perhaps the greatest potential for communication problems.

A laptop sitting in the middle of a conference table is not necessarily a conference room AV system.

Depending on the room size and purpose, organizations may need:

• Professional microphones
• Speakers
• USB audio devices
• Video cameras
• Room displays
• Wireless presentation systems
• Room control systems
• Conference room computers
• Appropriate cabling and connectivity

The goal isn't to fill every room with technology.

The goal is to make the room easy to use and reliable.

Don't Forget the Small Things

One of the lessons we frequently see in communications and AV deployments is that the smallest components can create some of the biggest frustrations.

An organization may purchase an impressive conference room camera only to discover that the appropriate USB cable isn't available.

A new laptop may not connect to an existing display without an adapter.

Employees may receive Bluetooth headsets but discover that their computers require a different connection method.

A conference room may have excellent equipment but no convenient way for a guest to connect.

These aren't necessarily major technology problems.

They're deployment and compatibility problems.

That is why a communications assessment should look beyond the major equipment categories.

Adapters, cables, docks, connection accessories, power requirements, and compatibility should all be considered before deployment.

Standardization Can Make the Return-to-Office Experience Better

Another question worth asking is:

How standardized is your communications environment?

If ten employees have ten different headsets, five different connection methods, and several different conferencing platforms, your IT department may spend more time troubleshooting equipment than supporting employees.

Standardization doesn't necessarily mean that everyone needs exactly the same product.

Different employees have different needs.

Instead, organizations can create standard equipment categories.

For example:

• Standard wired headset
• Standard wireless headset
• Standard executive headset
• Standard conference room solution
• Standard huddle-room solution
• Standard webcam
• Standard laptop connectivity kit

This gives employees choices while still giving IT and purchasing a manageable technology environment.

Microsoft Teams and Zoom Change the Equation

Today's communications infrastructure also needs to account for collaboration platforms.

Microsoft Teams and Zoom aren't simply applications employees use occasionally anymore. For many organizations, they are fundamental communication tools.

That means headsets, microphones, cameras, conference room equipment, and connectivity accessories should be evaluated for compatibility with the platforms your organization actually uses.

A headset that works with a computer isn't necessarily the same thing as a headset that provides the best experience for a professional Teams or Zoom environment.

Similarly, a webcam may technically function in a conference room without providing the camera coverage, microphone pickup, or speaker quality the room actually requires.

Compatibility is only the beginning. The real question is whether the equipment supports the way people communicate.

Conference Rooms Deserve Special Attention

If your organization has been operating with a hybrid workforce, conference rooms may be one of the first areas to expose weaknesses in your infrastructure.

Imagine six employees sitting around a conference table while three coworkers join remotely.

Can everyone hear the remote participants?

Can the remote participants hear everyone in the room?

Can they see the people speaking?

Is the camera positioned appropriately?

Can someone walk into the room and start a meeting without calling IT?

These questions matter because hybrid meetings create two audiences:

The people in the room and the people who aren't.

A successful conference room needs to serve both.

Don't Assume Your Existing Equipment Is Still the Right Equipment

A return-to-office initiative is also an opportunity to evaluate what you already have.

Some organizations discover that they have perfectly good equipment that can continue to be used.

Others find equipment that is outdated, difficult to support, incompatible with newer platforms, or no longer appropriate for the way employees work.

Before replacing everything, consider conducting an inventory.

Look at:

• Existing headsets
• Desk phones
• Conference phones
• Cameras
• Displays
• Microphones
• Speakers
• Room systems
• Docking stations
• Adapters
• Cabling
• Push-to-talk or specialized communication equipment
• Existing warranties and support agreements

The objective shouldn't be “replace everything.”

It should be “understand what we have and determine what still makes sense.”

That distinction can make a significant difference in both budget and deployment.

The Right Equipment Depends on the Environment

There is no universal “best” headset, webcam, conference speaker, or room system.

A headset that is ideal for an executive may not be appropriate for a busy customer service department.

A conference room designed for four people requires a different solution than a boardroom designed for twenty.

A quiet private office has different acoustic requirements than an open workspace.

And an organization with specialized communications requirements may need equipment that goes well beyond standard commercial office technology.

This is where working with an experienced communications or AV advisor can be valuable.

Instead of starting with a catalog, start with the environment.

A Better Way to Prepare for the Return to Office

Before making your next communications equipment purchase, consider walking through these questions:

1. How are employees actually communicating?

Are they primarily using Teams, Zoom, desk phones, mobile devices, or a combination?

2. Where are they communicating?

Private offices, open workspaces, hot desks, conference rooms, huddle rooms, or all of the above?

3. What problems existed before the return to office?

Don't assume those problems disappeared. In many cases, they'll become more noticeable when more people are back in the building.

4. What equipment do you already own?

Determine what can be reused, what should be upgraded, and what has reached the end of its useful life.

5. How standardized is your environment?

Look for opportunities to simplify equipment and reduce support requirements.

6. What will employees expect?

People have become accustomed to the convenience of working remotely. Returning to an office shouldn't mean returning to difficult-to-use technology.

7. What will IT be expected to support?

Every new device adds another potential support requirement. Choosing equipment thoughtfully can help reduce that burden.

Think of Communications Equipment as Workplace Infrastructure

Return to office is often treated as a facilities project.

But communications technology is part of the workplace infrastructure too.

Employee experience can be affected just as much by a headset that doesn't work, a conference room microphone that can't pick up everyone at the table, or a display that won't connect as it is by the physical workspace itself.

That's why the best return-to-office technology strategy isn't necessarily the one with the most equipment.

It's the one that provides employees with the right equipment, in the right environment, with the least amount of friction.

Before You Buy, Let's Talk About What You Actually Need

A return-to-office initiative is a significant investment. It can be tempting to start with a spreadsheet of products and quantities.

But a better approach is to first understand the communication requirements of your employees, your spaces, and your organization.

At Call One / Hello Direct, we take a consultative approach to communications and AV equipment. We can help you evaluate your current environment, identify compatibility and usability issues, and determine where updated headsets, conference room equipment, video solutions, or accessories can make the biggest difference.

You don't necessarily need more technology. You need technology that works for the way your people work.

If your organization is preparing for a return to the office, let's start with a conversation about what you're trying to accomplish—not a product list.