Episode 12: LogMeIn President & CEO Bill Wagner

“The Future of Work: How LogMeIn is Navigating the Changing Landscape” LogMeIn President & CEO Bill Wagner explains his company’s remote meeting technology that’s behind popular videoconferencing apps, and how remote work is changing our lives and business practices in many ways, before a November 4, 2020 meeting of The Economic Club of Florida. 






Show Notes




Chances are that you worked from home in 2020.  That’s likely to continue, or at least the option to do so, regardless of how fast the coronavirus pandemic passes in 2021.  Bill Wagner should know.  He’s the President and CEO of LogMeIn, providers of the remote meeting technology behind many of the popular videoconferencing apps we now use routinely.




Remote work is changing our lives and business practices in many ways.  Wagner shared with the Club how the very remote work environment that his Boston-based software company enables its users to enjoy, has led his own company’s employees to become “remote-centric.”




Wagner said only 7% of his employees were full-time remote workers before the pandemic.  By the third week of March 2020, 100% of them were remote, something that will remain that way at least through the end of April 2021.  An employee survey revealed that post-pandemic, only 5% want to be in the office five days a week, 30% want the option of remote-only, and 37% want the option of mixing both.




What’s even more interesting is the general survey of its customers that LogMeIn conducted.  Wagner said that 77% of worldwide businesses are using flexible work schedules, with increased employee well-being and productivity from remote work.  The survey found that remote workers are 13% more productive, work longer hours but are happier doing so, take fewer sick days, and employee retention is 50% higher.  It also calculated remote work will eliminate 360 hours of commuting in a year on average, too.




As of today’s address, going on nine months into the pandemic, some companies have employees working from home and some others have a hybrid matrix of remote and in-office work.  But there are others who are realizing they just don’t need the office space and overhead.  What Bill Wagner is talking about is really the potential “workplace of tomorrow” that in essence he says, has already arrived.




Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode




Bill Wagner Biography
(http://www.documents.teledirections.c...)



LogMeIn Inc.
(http://www.logmein.com/)



Bill Wagner Presentation (http://www.documents.teledirections.c...)    




LogMeIn’s Move to a Remote-Centric Company (  / logmeins-move-remote-centric-company-willi...  )  




The Economic Club of Florida podcast, provides an extended platform for discussion to educate, engage, and empower citizens on important economic, political, and social issues.  Based in Tallahassee, Florida, the Club has featured distinguished speakers on engaging topics of national importance since 1977.  To learn more, including how to become a member, visit www.Economic-Club.com (http://www.economic-club.com/)   or call 850-906-9226 or email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .  Date of recording 11/4/2020.  © Copyright 2020 The Economic Club of Florida, All Rights Reserved