Solid Collaboration Tools Essential to Remote, Hybrid Work

Remote work has plenty of upside for government employees, 58% of whom report working at home five days a week, according to a recent Cisco survey. Being able to work from anywhere on a flexible schedule has had the greatest impact on job satisfaction, the federal, state and local government respondents said.

Virtual collaboration is a bit less satisfying. For remote workers, the biggest challenges involve audio and video quality, which make it harder to contribute in meetings where some participants are in the office. Most public sector workers report using two virtual conferencing platforms, and almost 40% say they are very engaged in virtual meetings. 

Satisfaction is high with agency collaboration tools, with 86% reporting they were somewhat or very satisfied with their organization’s tools. Respondents gave high marks to tools that work as expected, have a simple user interface and enable effective collaboration. Least important qualities were seamless engagement, high-definition visuals and hassle-free operations. 

State and local government tech decision makers said they struggle to balance secure access with good user experience, maintain a stable network connection and manage all the devices on the network – conditions that will persist as more workers go back to the office at least part of the week.

The survey was conducted by Market Connections.