When Formula 1 slows you down, turn to video!

[Weileng Tan (Weileng_Tan)]

Last weekend saw the seventh year running of the night time Formula 1 Grand Prix hosted in the city centre of Singapore. It’s the time of the year, when the city centre road map gets a major makeover for at least a full week as diversions are put in place around the street circuit. I’ve worked in the Singapore CBD for most of my career so I can say I’ve “been there-done that”, having to walk a long way, or getting stuck in traffic detours to arrive frazzled and grumpy at the office when the diversions are in place.

This year however, I took the proactive approach by planning my schedule to ensure that I could take all of my meetings over videoconferencing and from my home.

The difference from previous years however was my ability to use Polycom’s CloudAXIS. This enabled me to also provide web browser-based video conference access to people external to my secure corporate IT network – external agencies, suppliers and partners for example. It meant nobody had to travel, yet we benefited from participating in a full enterprise grade video call!

Here’s a great video explaining exactly what CloudAXIS enables you to do:

Therefore, I got to complete some of the most important planning meetings ahead of the year end round up and coincidentally, avoided the haze that loomed over Singapore this week.

Upon realising that I was working from home, I was asked by a couple of journalists here this week if PSI levels (air quality measurement) have to hit a certain point before we can adopt flexi-work during haze periods. I explained that at Polycom, we are not dependent on a fixed PSI level to kick in before we employ our flexi-work arrangement. Whether it is a high PSI or a low PSI level, Polycom employees are empowered through video collaboration technology to make work work for them any time of the year. The beauty of Polycom’s BCP (Business Continuity Planning) is that employees are able to act or react accordingly to the haze situation at their own discretion. Learn more about "The Singapore Haze": Advice for organisati​ons looking at Business Continuity Planning by Nick Hawkins.

Flexi-work arrangement is not reserved for Polycom Singapore. Polycom employees across the globe have a choice to choose their work location, and to collaborate using any device, or any network.

As a working parent it’s hard enough to juggle family and work, not to mention sudden events like the haze (which also potentially affects our health) or planned events that aren’t within our control, such as the Formula 1. I am extremely grateful for a video-enabled flexi-work culture!

Read Weileng’s other blog post’s here.

Meeting whilst working from home, regardless of location!