Microsoft has learned a lot about how to implement a hybrid work model over the past couple of months, and today the company shared new resources to help its customers adapt to this new normal. A lot of companies around the world have been forced to transition to a more flexible approach to work since the beginning of the COVID-19, and Microsoft itself is still in the processing of implementing a hybrid work model for its 160,000 employees.
“Just like you, we’re learning as we go—studying data, listening to our employees, and responding with agility to what works and what doesn’t. Because a growth mindset is the key to charting a path forward in any moment of uncertainty,” explained Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365.
Microsoft is sharing two new resources for companies interested in transitioning to a hybrid work model: The Hybrid Workplace Flexibility Guide is a step-by-step manual for decision-makers with different core flexibility scenarios. The second document is titled Hybrid Work: A Guide for Business Leaders, and it explains Microsoft’s approach to Hybrid Work with actionable steps to get started today.
Video conferences should be a core element of any transition to hybrid work, and Microsoft’s vision of the future of meetings is now centered on remote workers. “When it comes to meeting spaces, we’re turning our pre-pandemic design philosophy on its head and designing for the people not in the room,” Spataro explained.
In the video below, you can get a glimpse at the future of Microsoft Teams Rooms devices, with giant Teams displays connected to companion devices in the meeting room. Microsoft imagined intelligent cameras placed at eye-level to improve eye contact for all participants. The company is also experimenting with spatial audio to let attendees hear people’s voices from their position on the screen.
“Hybrid work represents the biggest shift to how we work in our generation. And it will require a new operating model, spanning people, places, and processes”, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained in a separate LinkedIn post. Thanks to services like Microsoft Teams, the Microsoft Power Platform, or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, the Redmond giant appears uniquely positioned to help other companies navigating this shift to hybrid work, and this is just the beginning.
“At Microsoft, we are embracing a growth mindset as we approach this transition and will continue to share what we are learning about this fundamental change in the way we work,” Nadella said today.
