Maintain Your Post-Pandemic Productivity (While Working from Home)

Jun 17, 2021 8:02:35 AM / by Kevin Roberts

Woman working on laptop in her home office

Born out of necessity, many companies temporarily closed their office doors during the pandemic to help protect their staff and customers. Now, as we begin to transition back to a business-as-usual work environment, these questions remain: Does the future of business have to take place in an office? If not, what does the future look like - work from home, work from anywhere, or a blended office/remote model?

The answers depend on a number of factors, but let’s take a closer look at the benefits of continuing with a remote workforce.

Computer showing an increasing graph and money going into a piggy bank

Benefits of a virtual workforce

A recent study of 16,000 workers conducted by Stanford found that productivity actually increased by 13% in just 9 months! To support these findings, a research study published in the SOHO Workers Report showed that efficiency actually increases as remote workers typically take fewer sick days than their in-office colleagues. As a result, employers benefit from cost-savings while employees enjoy the perks of not having to commute and experiencing a higher quality of life from a flexible – not to mention more comfortable – work environment.

Even some of the world’s most successful companies have decided to implement some sort of remote work program on an indefinite basis, including Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook. 

Several people on a video conference call

Live & on-demand video communication

Video technology is integral to the seamless transition from in-office to remote work. Business owners and employees alike have realized that productivity and communication can not only be maintained using professional video technology but even maximized. As such, a growing number of organizations have enlisted Worldplay’s customizable Vidflex video platform to host, manage, control, distribute, live stream, catalog and monetize video content, all on a branded and secure online video platform.

To build virtual connectivity for regular business operations, a video platform serves as a secure communications hub to host AGMs, Town Hall meetings, conduct virtual shareholder and board meetings, facilitate employee onboarding and training, provide video help centers for customers, stream virtual conferences and host and manage a corporate video library. From a revenue generating point of view, businesses can rent or sell services or programs using video content, or monetize through Pay Per View or video subscription models. 

For businesses such as performing arts to corporate media centers and non-profit organizations to sports associations, video has become an essential tool to drive communication forward cost-effectively and efficiently. By building an online video platform, these organizations can:

  • Sell tickets to live & on-demand performances, conferences and events
  • Distribute marketing messages and internal communications
  • Generate revenue through the use of pay-per-view, on-demand subscription services, sponsorship and ad monetization
  • Easily build and organize your large video library with user-friendly galleries and sliders
  • Create a secure, branded video website free from distracting logos of public streaming sites and competing content
 

Businesses and organizations using Vidflex™ technology to remodel and adapt to today’s virtual business environment include:

Laptop showing Canadian Tire's Jumpstart platform

Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Program, Canada's leading not-for-profit organization that helps kids from all backgrounds stay active, has gone virtual amidst COVID-19 social distancing restrictions; now called “Jumpstart’s Play from Home: March Break Camp!” Vidflex hosted the 2021 Jumpstart program, which delivered a fitness activity series to youth via live and on-demand video.

This free program was offered in March and April to children across Canada and consisted of an online camp that featured four week-long programs of “fun and engaging programming aimed at keeping kids active and engaged at home” during spring break. Throughout the program, viewers from all 10 provinces logged on to the virtual platform to participate in various activities.

Additionally, all of the activities offered with French closed captioning to be inclusive of all children, regardless of their primary language.

All families needed to participate in the program was a viewing device like a tablet, phone or laptop, and an internet connection! Furthermore, the privacy of children was strictly protected by ensuring that the video stream did not require them to be on camera.

In selecting Worldplay's Vidflex platform for their event, Canadian Tire Corporation's Jumpstart program further validates the importance of building a digital community to promote virtual connectivity and engagement - especially during a time when children need to stay active and engaged.

Laptop showing Figure It Out Baseball's platform

Figure It Out Baseball, based in Altoona, PA, uses Vidflex™ to offer both free and premium videos to baseball and softball enthusiasts. With a substantial library of podcasts, training videos, and strength programs, this sports association connects coaches, parents, and players to enrich the baseball and softball community.

Laptop showing the Edmonton Fringe platform

Edmonton Fringe Theatre hosted its free, 11-day “The Fringe that Never Was” festival in August to celebrate diverse art forms and gather virtually to connect as a community. Through video, attendees were given access to live streamed performances, interviews, and variety shows.

Megan Dart, Communications Specialist for Edmonton Fringe Theatre commented, “We’ve been using the Vidflex™ platform since early spring and we LOVE it. It’s been such an incredible asset as we transition our creative efforts to engage with a broad audience. We’re really excited to see how we can grow our skills and expand our offerings on the platform.”

Laptop showing CIVX platform

TELUS & Worldplay partnered to power the CivX 2020 Virtual Conference to provide British Columbia with a virtual summit of the province’s leaders in education, media and government. With approximately 200 municipalities in participation, the CivX Virtual Conference had a goal to “Re-image Local Government” through informative panels and keynote speakers discussing the current and future state of the B.C. Event participants were both educated and learned from one another as to how communities can remain resilient amidst current social, political and economic challenges and subsequently use innovation to recover from the pandemic’s extensive impact. As an added bonus, attendees also had the opportunity to engage with event sponsors in a “Virtual Booth”.

Laptop showing Telus' Spark platform

Vidflex™ helped Calgary’s TELUS Spark Science Centre and Edmonton’s TELUS World of Science to go online with Virtual Summer Camps programs. The programs allowed both science centers to continue providing fun and engaging Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEM) summer camps amidst COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. The organizations’ video platforms continue to offer online STEM program learning.

Laptop showing ScotDance's Live Fundraiser platform

ScotDance Canada enlisted the participation of its members to reach a goal of fundraising $30,000 to support the Kids Help Phone and Food Banks Canada. With the help of Vidflex™, the national community of Scottish Highland dancers banded together to virtually showcase their Highland dancing talents, featured in popular or recognizable local landmarks across the country. Successful in their fundraising efforts, the dance group surpassed its goal by $20,000, raising a grand total of $50,000.

Laptop showing Cochrane Alliance's platform

Cochrane Alliance Church created its own branded video website using the Vidflex Faith video platform to host and distribute a variety of videos that would be free from conflicting content, inconsistent branding, and distracting advertising — as is common on large public video sites. In 2020, despite in-person gathering restrictions, the church optimized its reach to attract over 32,000 video viewing sessions, as well as 11,916 unique online visitors from 56 countries.

Laptop showing Horizon College's platform

Using an educational setting/ theme, Vidflex™ has provided a video platform for Horizon College & Seminary in Saskatoon, SK that gives them a more robust online learning management system. Now, they can easily share seminars, sermons, and online tutorials with their academic community. Also, the institution can communicate with its students and stakeholders to keep them updated on news and events. ­

Choose a work environment that works for you

Whether your company decides to keep employees working from home or prefers to implement a blended office/remote schedule, a customizable and private online video platform can keep your staff connected while building your digital community.

Visit our website to learn how we can help build your video-powered virtual office.

Tags: Video Management, Corporate, Community

Kevin Roberts

Written by Kevin Roberts

Kevin is the Content Specialist at Worldplay, where he develops informative content about online video management and digital marketing.

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