Embracing the Hybrid Workplace

The world changed radically a year ago, as the workforce made the shift to remote work en masse. In the months ahead we’ll face another big shift, as physical workplaces begin to reopen and our relationships with those spaces and with each other evolve into a new reality of work. We are challenged to create a hybrid-native paradigm, where we meet and collaborate with colleagues sitting around both the conference table and the kitchen table.

This new hybrid workplace model brings a host of unknowns and technical challenges. How will office spaces evolve? How will technology support authentic connections that bring in-person and remote colleagues together? What new devices may be needed? We’re entering another disruptive period in the evolution of work, and the tools people use will continue to change along with the way people use them. To meet this movement successfully, organizations will need new ideas, hardware, and services that help them run their teams. A growth mindset will be critical because the learn-it-alls will do better than the know-it-alls.

At Microsoft, we are constantly learning about the evolution of work and sharing our findings for discussion on how we can collectively improve our tools, processes, and culture. This includes the 2021 Work Trends Index we published last week. We see the unified communication and content management tools in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and all the elements of Microsoft 365 working together to deliver connection, collaboration, and productivity in this new world of work. Together, they comprise a platform that can drive innovation in software, hardware, and even our physical spaces.

Hybrid = anywhere, anytime, anyone — with inclusivity and sustainability

COVID-19 has been a catalyst for us to step back and look systematically at the types of meetings people have and what they’re for — whether it’s education, decision-making, collaboration, or more casual morale-building kinds of gatherings — and make them as efficient and effective as possible. Here is how we see this evolving.

• Anywhere – We are evolving both meeting software and hardware with our Microsoft Teams ecosystem for more inclusive and engaging meetings from anywhere to reduce fatigue and increase inclusion. Over the next few months, we are delivering new features and hardware that the team is incredibly excited about.
• Anytime – We are seeing how important it is that meeting time is more intentional for both effectiveness and wellbeing. Much of collaborative activity should occur outside the meeting, such as co-authoring in Office or triaging projects and issues with tools like Microsoft Planner and Lists, as opposed to reading through slides in a meeting or discussing things where everyone is already in agreement. Teams is unique in embracing synchronous and asynchronous collaboration so that collaboration can mostly go on when it is convenient for each participant and meeting time can be focused on getting a shared perspective and driving open decisions.
• Anyone – We are continuing to increase the ease of collaboration and flexibility of security in Microsoft 365 including Teams for collaboration with customers and partners. You will see more from us in the coming months, from controls on meetings, to external document collaboration, to Shared Channels with Microsoft 365 Connect later in the year.

We have learned how critical sustainability and wellbeing is to this, and the research is detailed in the Work Trends Index above. This led to the creation of our new Microsoft Viva employee experience platform built on Teams, SharePoint, and the rest of Microsoft 365 which we announced last month.

Revamping your planning and meeting culture

We also know we need to share best practices and culture for creating more efficient and effective meetings. Recently, Omar Shahine (head of product for OneDrive and SharePoint) worked with me and other team leaders to revamp how we use our meeting time. He just posted his thoughts about this work on LinkedIn, and it's a really thoughtful exposition on the power of getting clear about roles and processes.

One big goal for Teams is to enable more engaging and efficient meetings. To be clear, we don't equate that with having more meetings. Rather, we’re focused on helping people use the power of Microsoft 365, apps, and workflows that integrate with Teams to create a productivity suite tailored to their culture and environment. Finding that sweet spot is key for every organization and its people to thrive in a hybrid workplace.

We bring the tools together seamlessly so that the intersection of productivity and meetings can strike the right balance. But it’s up to every organization to find the right blend for their environment, needs, and the purpose behind their meetings. The opportunity is here now to reinvent your processes based on the new reality we’re facing and the capabilities of these tools.

Preventing overload

It is clear video is indispensable to human connections including reading body language, showing empathy and engagement, and building trust. But we do not always need to turn video on for every meeting.

We also look to experts in industry and academia who study the relationship between people and the technologies they use. The most recent example was some research conducted at Stanford University on the stresses of teleconferencing and how to mitigate them. At Microsoft, we’re fortunate to have experts like Jaron Lanier and Jaime Teevan to work through the complexities of how humans interact with technology and help us try new ideas in how video, audio, content is presented.

Many times, video is better because of that human connection. But as the Stanford research showed, audio can be more relaxing and, in some ways, more productive.  Audio is also powerful for asynchronous collaboration. I run a lot and love to use that time listening to something, including meetings I can’t attend real time, like a recent Monthly Business Review, which was conveniently accessible on Stream. It's efficient because I'm accomplishing two important things at once, but it also gives me a break since I’m just a listener. I can flag things that come up and follow up with those stakeholders later.

Video and audio both have a role in a hybrid-native world and having the option to make the best choice for your circumstances ensures the best experience.

Learning together

As we make progress around the world managing COVID-19 and increasing vaccinations that we hope will accelerate in the coming months, we are about to head into an exciting new phase of hybrid work. We have published our research, evolved our tools with Teams, SharePoint and Viva, and shared our own changes in processes and culture. But we will have much to learn and try together. I am excited hear your feedback on our roadmap and what new approaches are working for your teams and organization.