Microsoft was one among the first corporations to issue a warning to other organizations that the epidemic would permanently alter work practices. Microsoft has embraced remote work in both its products and in practice in terms of how and where its workers get work done two years later. Microsoft is making modifications to Microsoft Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and even Surface hardware today in order to better support the hybrid reality of remote and office work.
Microsoft is improving Outlook to make it simpler to identify if colleagues are intending to attend meetings in person or not as more organizations return to offices and consider a mix of remote and office work. In Q2, a new RSVP feature for Outlook will be available on public preview in the web version of Outlook, allowing meeting participants to choose whether to attend virtually or in person.
In an interview with The Verge, Nicole Herskowitz, vice president of Microsoft Teams, adds, “This is just one component that I believe will really assist employees understand who will be in the office and how to maximize those meeting experiences.” Although it doesn’t appear to be as extensive as Gmail’s work location function, Microsoft Teams general manager Shiraz Cupala tells The Verge that the firm is considering “how do we surface that at a glance view across your day or week.”
Once individuals are in a Microsoft Teams meeting, a number of enhancements are coming to make it easier for distant members to participate. Teams has a new Front Row layout that puts the video gallery to the bottom of the screen so that attendees in meeting rooms may see remote colleagues face to face. For over a year, Microsoft has been promising this new structure, and it is an important component of the company’s vision for the future of meetings.
Similarly, Microsoft is improving the companion device experience for Teams Rooms so that in-person attendees may join meetings with their own device and be prompted to turn on their camera so that distant members can see them better inside the meeting room. “There are approximately 90 million conference rooms in the globe, but only around 8% are video-enabled,” Herskowitz explains. As a result, for most organizations, this is a significant adjustment.
Microsoft is also releasing a new Surface Hub smart camera for video meetings. You can find out more about it right here.
Loop components are another important feature of Microsoft’s vision for the future of work. Microsoft Loop components are self-contained chunks of collaborative Office content that may be copied, pasted, and shared. Imagine taking notes in a Teams meeting and then copying them into an email, but the notes keep updating as other people change them inside emails and Teams.
It’s a strong notion that Microsoft has been touting for a number of years, originally known as Fluid. Loop components, which first appeared in Teams in January, are now finding their way into Outlook mail, connecting Microsoft’s key communication platforms.
Microsoft’s hybrid work strategy would be incomplete without some enhancements to PowerPoint. The new PowerPoint cameo and recording studio elements are currently being merged. Cameo allows you to embed a Microsoft Teams camera into your presentation slides, and recording studio allows you to record yourself speaking to any slide. They’re both intended to improve distant colleagues’ meeting experiences, and the combo will be accessible in Q2.
Improvements to Microsoft Whiteboard in Teams are also coming in Q2. If you’ve never used Whiteboard before, it’s simply a blank canvas for brainstorming, but deciding how to graphically portray your thoughts may be tough. Microsoft has included over 50 new templates to make it easier to start writing down ideas, as well as new contextual reactions for rapid input from coworkers.
Microsoft’s own research data from more than 30,000 individuals at organizations across the world has informed all of these product enhancements. The newest data from Microsoft’s Employment Trend Index sheds light on employee attitudes toward hybrid work.
“Our research shows that over half of individuals are more inclined to put health and wellness over work than they were before the outbreak,” Herskowitz adds. According to Microsoft’s research, 18% of individuals leave their employment last year, and many people think work-life balance, flexibility, and wellness are more important than financial concerns.
The challenge for organizations now is to make offices worthwhile while while embracing more flexible working options. “Leaders must ensure that the workplace is worth the travel,” Herskowitz argues. Many people will have to choose between going to work in an office when it makes sense and working from home, so Microsoft’s modifications to Teams will be a welcome advance in making distant colleagues feel equally as important as those who are there in person.
Microsoft is now preparing to show us how Windows will be shaped for hybrid work. On April 5th, the software company will host an event focused on new productivity and security features in Windows 11 that match the changing realities of office and remote work that many people now experience.
