Telepresence Jumpstarts Video Collaboration

By Claire Schooley

Telepresence is the life-size, true color, no latency video meeting technology that creates a “wow” reaction from participants, especially those who have experienced some traditional videoconferencing that gave poor picture quality, out-of synch audio/video, and added no sense of presence to a meeting.  Here are some factors that make telepresence different:

• Video provides high quality 1080p pictures with hidden cameras placed to achieve eye contact no matter where people are seated around the conference table.
• Audio is full duplex with microphones and speakers that allow sound to come from the direction of the speaker.
• The environment is purpose-built with lighting arrays, speakers, and cameras all configured for the optimum experience.  Conference tables, chairs, and even the wall paint are the same at all sites to convey a uniform sense of presence.
• Managed service and support assure that this expensive system is going to work. Many organizations buy a concierge-type service model so participants just need to push a button to start the videoconference.

These kinds of telepresence rooms show up most often in board rooms and CEO conference rooms. The early traction of telepresence has been in connecting the global offices within an enterprise. However, the future lies in the external interoperability among different businesses and even competitors that use telepresence solutions from different vendors. This is only easily possible today among some vendors. Just as you can use your telephone to call people without thinking about the telephone carriers, companies need to have the same flexibility from telepresence providers.

While telepresence rooms have created the big stir, many companies can not afford such an expensive investment and don’t need such a large video presence.  This is where Telepresence is driving the advent of smaller HD conference room solutions, office units, and even desktop units that give the same high quality images and sound but don’t have quite the same ambiance as the large telepresence room. All units integrate so employees can take part in a multipoint call no matter what size unit they have. 

As my colleague Alex Cullen points out in his recent report, “The Top 15 Technology Trends EA Should Watch”, there has been plenty of buzz around the technology but business leaders are still unfamiliar with it. However, as the telepresence movement re-ignites interest in videoconferencing especially upgrading to HD units, these are the major reasons for the renewed interest in videoconferencing:

• Travel is expensive and it also eats up work time. Once companies make the culture shift to using videoconferencing whenever possible rather than travel, the savings on travel costs is the largest cost saving factor in determining ROI. But the video quality must give users a “you-are-there” experience to be successful.
• Today’s global reach of companies means that workers on the same team are often located in many different countries. Videoconferencing allows them to do things like view a product packaging together, decide on the best colors, and in the end be more productive.
• The new generation of workers is comfortable with video and welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with a stronger sense of presence.
• One of the strongest growth areas is desktop videoconferencing. Spurred on by high quality HD desktop units, large companies are evaluating what knowledge workers will benefit most from this technology.
• In the future with complete B2B and B2C interoperability you can expect:
• Accelerated commerce, globalization and outsourcing
• Less business travel which will impact financially airlines and hotels
• Expanded places where knowledge workers can live and work
• Major changes in business, education, medicine, branch government interaction, and entertainment

Pilots for many of these are underway now. For example, financial institutions are conducting wealth management or mortgage discussions with customers through bank to home videoconferencing. With the explosion of broadband to the home, there’s no reason to go to the bank when you can talk with a mortgage officer from your home HD unit. Medical experts located in facilities miles away can remotely review charts, and examine and talk with the patient remotely, and make a virtual diagnosis. And what about this one -- go out to a virtual dinner with friends located in a different city. Share conversation and discuss the food through the restaurants’ telepresence units!  (I would miss the bouquet of the wine from my friend’s selection.)

US Government Expects Large Number of Baby Boomers To Leave the Workforce

By Claire Schooley

A government report published September 3, 2009 (and reviewed in a Washington Post article titled “Federal Government Needs Massive Hiring Binge”) reports on a detailed study of US Government positions that will become open requisitionss as Baby Boomers retire over the next four years. This concern about large numbers of government retirees is not new but this study makes some stark predictions that are eye-catching.

Top 10 Areas of Government Hiring in Next Four Years

Professional Field	Total Employees as of Sept.30, 2008	Percentage Eligible to Retire in 2009 to 2012	Projected Hires for Mission Critical Jobs, 2010 to 2012
Medical and public health	113,157	34%	54,114
Security and protection	107,631	26%	52,077
Legal	75,420	41%	23,596
Compliance and enforcement	117,645	30%	31,276
Admin. and program management	71.895	48%	17,287
Accounting and budget	64,660	52%	16,644
Information technology	56,463	47%	11,549
Business and industry	42,740	54%	10,765
Engineering	60,932	38%	10,642
Transportation	32,029	15%	10,560

Source: Partnership for Public Service

Retirement-age Baby Boomers are not like other generations. They fought and changed societal norms, government policies and business practices in the 1960s. Wherever then go and whatever they do, Baby Boomers leave a large wake in their path, and retirement and aging issues are no exceptions. As a result, the U.S. Government (and other governments as well in Europe and industrialized Asia) has to be ready for different approaches to retirement from this generation. Of course, some Baby Boomers will not retire because of financial concerns, the need for good health care coverage, or a heartfelt desire to continue to contribute doing work they like. Others will ask for part time or seasonal work as they gradually ease into retirement or even start that business that they’ve dreamed about. Still others will request more flexibility in work hours including working from home a day or two a week. But eventually Baby Boomers will retire and the Government must plan for:

• Creation of mentor relationships between Baby Boomers and Millennials—born between 1980 and 2000-- (and possibly Gen x) workers so institutional and tacit knowledge is not lost.
• A redefinition of jobs as employees retire. Business processes-- including new uses of technology--may redefine job roles so one-to-one replacement of retirees by new workers is not the norm.
• Succession planning so that a pool of employees is prepared to step into the retirees’ roles. Succession planning and career development functionality within talent management suites can assist with this task. The Washington Post article also states that the US Government may start hiring in areas like health care, security, and legal. Most likely Millennials will make up a large percentage of these new hires. This means the Government must think about the Millennial characteristics in order to recruit and then retain them as workers. Millennials want to see:
• Career growth opportunities that allow flexibility from the beginning (not flexibility they earn after years of employment). Examples include mentoring programs, secondment, opportunities to live abroad, etc.
• Learning and career development opportunities to increase existing knowledge and help with advancement, like training programs, certification opportunities, etc.
• Team collaboration supported as a way of doing work effectively and efficiently, including strong collaboration, video conferencing and Web 2.0 tools that support interaction between far flung team members.
• Up-to-date technology to speed up the work process; some of today’s applications seem hopelessly out of date to Millennials. Even with an unsettled economy and the high unemployment rate, the Government will find itself competing with the private sector to discover those workers with the special talents they need. To address those needs, today’s employers, and especially the government, need to be very familiar with the two largest generations in the workforce, the Baby Boomers (78 million) and the Millennials (76 million) and their vastly different characteristics, work desires, and expectations. To ignore these differences spells trouble in the changing workforce.

Podcast: The Millennials, The Next Power Generation In The Workforce

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In this podcast, BP&A Senior Analyst Claire Schooley discusses the rise of the millenial in the workforce — and strategies for most effectively using their skills.

We look forward to your questions and comments.

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The Generations React During Our Teleconference on “Gen Y and the Future of the Workplace”

By Claire Schooley

TJ Keitt, Heidi Lo and I presented a Forrester Teleconference about the Millennial or GenY on September 2, 2009. The multi-generational chat was by far the most active I’ve seen during a Teleconference with over 100 entries in an hour. TJ and I presented for a half hour and then opened the phone lines for voice questions. Heidi handled the tweets. Having two co-presenters helped us to participate in the chat. Because the pace of chat was so fast with so many conversations, participants were reacting to comments of others rather than just responding to a presenter comment or question. It was dynamic and truly community generated.

The premise of the teleconference was that the youngest generation in the workforce (Gen Y or Millennials) is neither revolutionizing the workforce (yet) nor acting as entitled employees. Some of the highlights of the participant interaction follow:

• “It’s hard to get a job because as a new grad we can’t meet the ‘years of experience’ requirement.” Recommendation: Apply anyway. Be tenacious and prove that you can do the job. One Baby Boomer participant is about to start a company that mentors new employees at corporate customers to address this “experience” requirement. Another GenYer suggested using your social network to reach the hiring manager. Another said that that GenXers in an organization can be excellent mentors for the GenYers.
• Participants all liked mentoring and believed that it helped to break down walls and correct misconceptions among the generations. GenYers say they enjoyed and learned a lot from mentoring relationships with Baby Boomers who are retiring. It’s also a way to pass on tacit knowledge to the next generation.
• Social networks are generally frowned on in business—according to the participants. GenYers felt executives are very uncomfortable and still uncertain about how these networks can be effective in the work environment. One participant had pushed for LinkedIn a few years ago and got resistance but once the recession hit, LinkedIn became popular, accepted, and used by all generations. LinkedIn members perceived this network as a real help to them in their job search . . . now it had meaning and a purpose that everyone could understand.
• Participants felt loyalty has changed across all age groups. Employees today believe they must watch out for themselves and their future. Job mobility is expected from the Gen Xers and Yers. A Baby Boomer said the elimination of many corporate pension programs fueled mobility while Gen Xers and Yers don’t even expect or think about such programs—it’s outside their personal experience.
• Entrepreneurship is common among Gen X and Y. Many participants said they have friends who operate side businesses; have left the corporate world to start their own businesses; or are freelancing. Social technology allows peer-to-peer interaction and work from any location. This is changing approaches to business and the way people work. i.e. The disappearance or demise of newspapers is a threat to traditional journalism, but bloggers are becoming the new journalists.
• As technology changes, Gen Xers and Yers say that they are comfortable.They also believe their generations adapt well,and that they are often the drivers for changes. They use technology for convenience and to increase productivity.
• Collegial environments and learning opportunities provide job satisfaction to GenYers. Young participants said they learn—even from the menial tasks in a company—but also expect more challenging learning leading to advancement.
• Learning, career paths, and advancement opportunities are important retention features. The younger participants specifically mentioned these three areas as important to keep them working for a company.

Advice from younger generations for Baby Boomer managers and executives:

• Gen Yers are your future leaders. You need us. Make your organization attractive to us but expect that we will bring change.
• Understand the Gen Y culture. Don’t try to mold us into “old school” employees.
• Expect that Gen Yers will challenge some of your business practices – we’ve been taught to question and think for ourselves. Don’t try to stifle our questions; listen to us; if our suggestions won’t work, help us to understand why not.

Share your experiences and thoughts on Gen Yers (Millennials) and add to this discussion.