Elly Yates-Roberts |
Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index Pulse Report has highlighted a disconnect in the attitudes of workplace leaders and employees towards hybrid working.
The report – which surveyed 20,000 people from 11 countries – notes that employees enjoy the flexibility and freedom of hybrid working, while business leaders would like to see a return to office-based routines. In fact, 87 per cent of employees report that they are productive at work, but 85 per cent of business leaders say that the shift to hybrid work has made them less confident of this fact.
However, the report also provides insights into how organisations can bridge this gap to improve working experiences and successes for all. According to Microsoft, it aims to end paranoia about hybrid work productivity, embrace the fact that people go into the office for each other, not because of an employer policy, and reinvest in learning.
“Thriving employees are what will give organisations a competitive advantage in today’s dynamic economic environment,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO at Microsoft, in a recent blog post. “We’re announcing new innovations across our employee experience platform Microsoft Viva to help leaders end productivity paranoia, rebuild social capital and re-recruit and re-energise their employees.”
These new features in Microsoft Viva include Viva Pulse, to enable leaders to get regular feedback on their team’s experiences; Viva Amplify, to empower communications with teams and leaders; Leadership Corner, a space where employees can interact directly with workplace leaders; and People in Viva, a new capability that uses artificial intelligence to provide insights into team members’ interests, knowledge and goals.