Microsoft and the Hybrid Work Paradox

In a post on LinkedIn, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says that while most employees enjoy the flexibility of remote work, they also look forward to more in-person collaboration after the pandemic. Microsoft calls this the “hybrid work paradox.”

The post highlights various features in Microsoft’s products that help tackle the challenges faced in hybrid work.

To improve the ease of communication and collaboration between employees, Microsoft gave an example of its “employee experience cloud,” Microsoft Viva. The service can be accessed using Microsoft Teams, and it is basically a personalized dashboard with all relevant company information, announcements, and resources.

Microsoft’s other focus is on the wellness of employees. Citing a study published on the Microsoft website, the company states that breaks are necessary for maximum productivity and employee well-being. As such, Microsoft added a new feature to Outlook that automatically assigns time for short breaks.

The company also introduced Microsoft Teams Rooms, a service that allows for a more realistic meeting experience even while working remotely. Using eye-level cameras and spatial audio, Microsoft aims to make virtual meetings as close as physical meetings.

In Microsoft’s vision of hybrid work, physical spaces occupy an important place and employee safety is paramount when they return to the workplace. To overcome these challenges, companies can use the Microsoft Power Platform app:

Microsoft’s Guide to Hybrid Work

In addition to highlighting product features that enable efficient hybrid work, Microsoft also released two guides to help companies and employees shift to hybrid work.

The first guide, Hybrid Work: A Guide for Business Leaders, is aimed at executives. It contains a summary of Microsoft’s research and tips on how to transition into a hybrid workplace.

The second guide, the Microsoft Workplace Flexibility Guide (PDF), is a guide that was originally intended for Microsoft employees but later made open source. The guide mostly consists of “sample team agreements, templates, and tools for hybrid work.”

Microsoft has placed a lot of focus on Teams, with loads of other Microsoft Teams features planned for 2021.