Lack of dispersed workforce options limits Canadian businesses when it comes
to top talent
Eighty-eight per cent of Canadians agree that technology should help avoid the need to relocate for work, Microsoft Canada survey reveals
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 17 /CNW/ - Canadian companies must consider alternative working structures and technologies in order to attract and retain top talent, according to the results of a new poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid and commissioned by Microsoft Canada.
The survey reveals that three quarters of Canadians believe that businesses limit their access to the talent pool by not offering dispersed workforce options. In addition, nine out of 10 Canadians agree that they would rather not relocate for a job, according to the report.
The report also found that 87 per cent of Canadians are hungry for technology that will help them get the job done from any location. Additionally, 84 per cent of Canadians polled feel that location can be a barrier from securing the best job, while 88 per cent of Canadians agree that technology should help people avoid the need to relocate for work.
"Canadian workers have historically been bound by the location of their employer. Today though, workers have become upwardly mobile and dispersed across a massive geographical area as the scope of business expands across borders," said Dr. Kevin Stolarick, Research Director, Martin Prosperity Institute, Rotman School of Management. "Companies looking to compete in our global economy need to provide employees with the tools to embrace the globalization of business and communicate and collaborate in real time regardless of location."
Technologies such as Unified Communications are enabling Canadian business to communicate and collaborate in real time, regardless of geographic boundaries. Today, Microsoft Corporation released Microsoft® Lync™, the next generation of Microsoft's Unified Communications platform which enables people to connect in new ways, anytime and virtually anywhere.
For more press only information and resources, visit the Office 2010 newsroom.
Microsoft Lync, formerly known as Office Communications Server, delivers a unified experience for both end users and IT by integrating enterprise voice (telephony), instant messaging and audio, video, and web conferencing into a single, integrated communications experience.
"Over the past five years Microsoft has been on a journey to transform communications through the power of software," said Vineet Parmar, Senior Product Manager, Unified Communications at Microsoft Canada. "With the launch of Lync, Microsoft is enabling Canadian businesses to communicate and collaborate more effectively with employees, customers and partners through a single integrated client across the PC, phone and browser. At the same time, Lync offers IT the ability to help reduce costs by replacing PBX boxes with Lync while providing the choice to deploy on premise, in the Cloud, or a hybrid of both."
Microsoft Lync can make every engagement a virtual face-to-face meeting, because any interaction can include video and audio conferencing, application and desktop sharing, instant messaging, and telephony. Early beta user Creation Technologies, a Vancouver-based Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider, has been using Lync to enhance the level of communication and collaboration across the organization.
"Creation has leadership located across multiple sites in North America and China. Given the diverse nature of our locations, initiating a conference and collaboration session required the use of many layers of disparate technologies. Setting up a session was difficult and cumbersome and getting the technology synchronized took too much time. This lengthened our decision making processes. With Microsoft Lync, we now have a single integrated platform that allows simple conferencing and collaboration, thus eliminating the bureaucracy of location," says Douglas Besse, Executive Vice President and CIO, Creation Technologies.
"With Lync in place we can make better group decisions by getting people together more quickly and efficiently. I can now establish a meeting very easily, seeing full presence and availability. Joining a session is simple, and with a few simple mouse clicks I can share my desktop, share files and allow collaboration very efficiently - no matter where I am or where my colleagues are located at any given moment."
About Microsoft Lync
Microsoft Lync 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2010 will be available for businesses of all sizes to purchase on December 1, 2010. Microsoft Lync Online will be available as part of Office 365 next year, with voice capabilities available in late 2011. Lync Online will include instant messaging, presence, audio and video conferencing, and PC-to-PC voice calls.
Microsoft Lync is the new family brand for the products formerly known as Microsoft Communications Server, Microsoft Communications Online and Microsoft Communicator, and now also includes Microsoft Lync Web App, and Microsoft Lync Online. Learn more about Lync at www.microsoft.com/lync.
About Microsoft Canada
Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Inc. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT"), the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. Microsoft Canada provides nationwide sales, marketing, consulting and local support services in both French and English. Microsoft Canada is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario with MSN.CA offices located in Toronto and eight regional offices across the country. The company supports local communities across Canada by creating innovative technology and partnerships that help people realize their full potential. For more information on Microsoft Canada, please visit www.microsoft.ca.
For more press only information and resources, visit the Office 2010 newsroom.
For further information:
Angelika Rau
High Road Communications
Office: 416-644-2240
Email: [email protected]
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