“Technology must not get in the way of what we’re doing,” said Snorre Kjesbu, SVP and general manager of WebEx devices at global software firm Cisco. “We should never win the Oscar for main actor. We should win it for best supporting actor.”

That technology should be a background act may seem like an unusual statement from someone whose job is to develop world-class collaboration tools, but Kjesbu is clear on the role he believes tech should play in our working lives. “Technology should be there to support whatever is happening in the meeting,” he said. “It should be there to make sure that the people can go about their daily business.” 

Video conferencing is mission-critical for businesses now, Kjesbu said, which means it has to be both exceptional and invisible. “Ninety-eight percent of meetings will have at least one remote participant, which basically means that every meeting has a remote participant.”

In a fireside chat during From Day One’s recent virtual conference on the arc of change in 2024, I spoke with Kjesbu on the place of tech in our working lives, the new role of the office, and the future of remote collaboration.

Reaching Distance Zero

Productivity, satisfaction, and success is a matter of building a connection among workers that is as natural as possible. For Kjesbu, the goal is a state he describes as “distance zero,” the feeling of being in the same room, even when the connection is digital.

When the tools his team develops are the invisible undergirding to human connections, the job is well-done. “The day when we are not noticed–because it’s just working–that’s when we’re doing the right job. That is what we strive for,” he said. “With every meeting having at least one remote participant, how do we make sure people get the feeling of being in the same place? We call that distance zero.”

Magnet, Not Mandate

Despite the ubiquity of remote work, many employers are itching to fill their offices again, and some have resorted to issuing ultimatums. To attract workers back to the office, Cisco aims for “magnet over magnate.” If the workplace is a worthwhile place to be, people will show up for the right reasons; no requirement needed.

There are three ingredients to a magnetic workplace, said Kjesbu. First, people have to come back for the right tasks–ones that require collaboration and creativity, like product design, marketing, or mentoring. Whatever can be done remotely, should be done remotely. Don’t make your staff sit in freeway traffic to review a spreadsheet in an empty conference room.

Second, the office has to offer a great environment. “The venue you go into must offer something more than your home,” Kjesbu said. “A lot of us have comfortable homes and a nice desk where you don’t have to jump in the car to beat traffic, so you must make sure that the venue has the qualities that give you energy. It means that you have the right technology to be able to do that.”

And third, you need good coffee. Metaphorical coffee, that is. Kjesbu relishes the serendipity created while waiting in line for coffee at the office–informal moments that turn into conversations about personal lives or challenging work projects. “People will approach me in a way that they will not do if things are scheduled. They will have conversations–maybe about kids or grandchildren or pets–but more often than not, there will be unsolicited discussions about technology, design, and business.”

Actual coffee helps too. Cisco has a barista that slings drinks three days a week. Even in Silicon Valley, most people can’t replicate an in-house barista. 

Collaborating in 2024 and Beyond

In the coming year and beyond, Kjesbu believes that artificial intelligence (AI) will be hugely influential in our remote and hybrid working lives. 

He and his team are working on new AI-powered projects, including programs that read facial expressions to deduce the tone and sentiment of a meeting. There are digital whiteboard tools for real-time collaboration and features that suppress background noise so effectively that someone could take a video call from a coffee shop, sitting right beside the espresso grinder, and still be heard loud and clear. 

Other tools will understand the content of meetings. Even if you step away from a video call to sign for a package at the door, the program will capture the most important bits you missed–like notes most relevant to you or action items you’ve been assigned–and feed you a real-time update when you return

“I think that what we will see is that AI will have a big impact,” he said. “It will help you improve the meeting by being able to understand context and make sure there is natural conversation.”

Kjesbu is fully aware of how companies use video tools for remote work, and he’s under no illusion that Cisco’s products will be the only ones around. Nor is that his goal. The fact is that companies use a variety of tech systems, and their clients and partners do too. 

For Kjesbu, the goal is interoperability, “[it’s] absolutely essential,” he said. Companies have to move seamlessly among Cisco’s own WebEx as well as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, and more.

For HR and people operations, the future of collaboration tools promises greater insight into how, where, and when employees work best. Leaders will better understand how many people attend a meeting, the types of meetings that occur, plus the content, tone, and outcome. This new tech will make it easier to improve, helping employers create an environment that is a magnet for collaboration, not a mandate to sit in an uninspiring office.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

(Illustration by Alisa Zahoruiko/iStock by Getty Images)