February 28, 2023 | Reviewed by Sam Scott
This article is for organizations committed to helping their employees thrive both at work and at home.
And we’re going to be honest: if you’re sitting on the sidelines waiting for the world to return to how it was before — or forcing your employees to come into the office without any consideration for their preferences or work style — this article isn’t for you.
The average worker enjoys splitting their time between home and the office. If you’re serious about supporting your employees’ productivity and wellbeing, you must take a hard look at your approach and make the necessary changes to foster a thriving and flexible work environment.
In other words, we encourage you to think deeply about hybrid work.
And if you seek to empower your employees and optimize productivity in a hybrid work environment, you need to consider how your boardrooms support meeting equity.
The Evolution Of Boardrooms
In the past, boardrooms were designed to be formal, imposing spaces with a large table, high-backed chairs, and a fixed presentation screen. But now that we care about the experience of people dialing in from home, the boardroom needs to be much more flexible.
Flexible boardrooms require AV technology. By leveraging hybrid AV solutions that incorporate high-definition displays, video conferencing systems, and wireless connectivity, boardrooms can become more versatile, adaptable, and user-friendly.
With AV technology, boardrooms are transformed into a hub for hybrid teams. This enables employees to connect and collaborate seamlessly, regardless of their location.
What Is Meeting Equity In Hybrid Meetings?
Meeting equity aims to ensure that all meeting participants have equal opportunities to engage and be heard — regardless of their location or the equipment they can access. In other words, it is about ensuring that everyone is on an equal footing when it comes to meeting participation.
Further, meeting equity is closely related to inclusivity. An inclusive meeting is one in which all individuals feel valued, respected, and included, regardless of their location, background, or abilities.
Why Is Meeting Equity Important?
Meeting equity should matter to your organization because engaged employees are happy employees, and happy employees are more productive. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that all team members can fully participate in hybrid meetings and that their contributions are valued.
Remote participants have to feel confident to participate in hybrid meetings. If attendees worry that their contributions will be scarcely seen or heard, they won’t be eager to contribute. But if they feel optimistic that they will be well-represented and truly ‘have the floor’ when it’s their turn to speak, they will be more likely to bring their best.
In the old days (well, a few years ago), it was acceptable to sequester remote participants to a single quadrant of a small screen tucked away at the end of the meeting room. When they spoke — if they spoke — their speech sounded like it came through tin cans because the speakers could not match the volume and clarity of those in the room.
When someone, anyone, is so poorly represented, it is extremely difficult for them to make an impact on the discussion at hand. In an equitable hybrid meeting space, remote participants have as much presence as those in the room.
But it’s not just remote speakers who suffer from poor AV technology in hybrid meetings. Those who are hard of hearing may struggle to engage if the audio definition is poor (volume alone is not the answer), while those with low vision may have difficulty capturing notes from a small screen. When designing or upgrading your hybrid meeting space, please do not take speech intelligibility or readability for granted.
No one should have to battle with technical barriers just to present their ideas to their peers — nor should remote workers or people with disabilities be second-class citizens in the conference room. By promoting meeting equity, organizations can create an inclusive environment where everyone feels heard and valued. This can result in better decision-making, increased productivity, and a more positive and inclusive culture overall.
Meeting equity is about ensuring all participants have equal opportunities to contribute
How To Improve Meeting Equity At Your Hybrid Meetings
Here are some tips for improving your hybrid workspace’s equitability and getting your workforce on board:
Lighting
Bright, even lighting will ensure that everyone’s face can be clearly lit. This is best achieved with diffused overhead lighting. Natural light from windows must be controlled as direct sunlight can introduce shadows and glare. Consider using window treatments or blinds to optimize lighting during meetings.
Furniture
Orient your tables and seating toward cameras and screens to ensure everyone can participate comfortably. The ideal orientation will depend on your meeting objectives, such as whether your meetings are presentation or creation focused. For more on hybrid meeting types, please see our guide to setting up a Microsoft Teams room.
Acoustics
Even when using state-of-the-art microphones and powerful AV technology, your sound quality will suffer from the echo caused by hard, reverberant surfaces. To improve the experience for all participants — but especially those with hearing loss — rooms should be treated with acoustically rated panels and ceiling material to mitigate echo. Your furniture selection can also play a part.
Platform
Many hybrid meeting platforms include options that promote meeting equity, such as click-to-join capabilities and support for an array of devices. By eliminating the need to navigate a complicated login process or possess specific hardware, remote users can participate and contribute to the meeting more easily.
Microphone, Speakers and Audio Processing
Recent years have seen tremendous advancements in microphone technology. There are array microphones that can be ceiling or wall mounted to pick up the speech of anyone within the room, and several products now use AI to optimize voice audio. It is vital that these microphones are specified correctly and that the digital signal processor (the audio system’s ‘brain’) is configured to cancel echoes.
Speaker coverage should be even across the entire meeting space so each in-room participant can hear remote attendees at a comfortable level.
Cameras and Displays
An equitable hybrid meeting room should use larger displays than you may be used to. Remote participants shouldn’t be relegated to a small box anymore — they should be as close to ‘life size’ as possible. That way, their facial expressions and body language will be apparent to other participants, and they can establish their presence in the room.
Cameras should be placed at eye level to capture seated discussions from a natural orientation. Additionally, an equitable meeting room should optimize the use of intelligent framing and pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) functionality so that anyone speaking can be clearly seen. This is especially helpful for remote participants who are hard of hearing and benefit from reading lips.
Further, you should investigate your collaboration platform’s room layout options. Features such as the ’front row’ layout in Microsoft Teams are designed to improve the sense of connection and collaboration among all participants.
Educate and Evangelize
Once the meeting rooms are commissioned, the last critical step is to promote the use of your hybrid workspaces and technology. You can do this by regularly reaching out to staff, hosting demos and training, and leading by example. By ensuring that all employees are aware of your organization’s hybrid meeting capabilities, your workforce will be better equipped to participate fully and optimize your investment.
Lastly, it's important that someone at your organization stays up-to-date with your collaboration platform’s latest features and capabilities. Microsoft Teams adds new features to enhance the hybrid experience seemingly every week, and your company will benefit by continuing to educate your staff on what’s possible.
Focus On The Right Goals
Meeting equity is qualitative. And while studies have shown links between inclusivity and productivity, we don’t recommend basing this initiative on performance metrics. Instead, you should aim to achieve the following goals:
Every meeting participant feels valued, whether they are at home or in the office
Participants are no less likely to contribute when attending remotely
All participants can easily discern visual and audible information from all sources
Consider surveying your team periodically with these three goals in mind.
By promoting meeting equity, organizations can ensure that all participants, whether in-person or remote, are seen, heard, and valued. And if you’d like help implementing AV technology that will increase productivity and foster a positive work environment, contact Chroma today.
FAQs
What is meeting equity?
Meeting equity is the idea that everyone should be able to participate equally in meetings, regardless of whether they are in-person or remote.
What is the difference between meeting equity and inclusivity?
Meeting equity and inclusivity are closely related. Equity is about overcoming structural or technical barriers to participation, while inclusivity is about valuing and empowering participants.
Why is meeting equity important?
Meeting equity is important to organizations because engaged employees are happy employees, and happy employees are more productive.
How can you improve meeting equity in hybrid meetings?
You can improve meeting equity by optimizing your hybrid workspace’s lighting, furniture, and acoustics, implementing effective AV technology, and educating your workforce.