Microsoft shares its vision for the future of Teams meetings and hybrid work

Microsoft has learned a lot about implementing a hybrid work model in recent months, and last Friday the company shared new resources to help its customers adapt to this new standard. Many companies around the world have been forced to switch to a more flexible way of working since the beginning of the COVID-19, and Microsoft itself is still implementing a hybrid work model for its 160,000 employees.

“Just like you, we learn gradually: we study data, listen to our employees and respond flexibly to what works and what doesn’t. Because a growth mindset is the key to paving a path forward at any time. uncertainty”, explains Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365.

Microsoft shares two new resources for companies interested in transitioning to a hybrid work model: The Hybrid Workplace Flexibility Guide is a step-by-step guide 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 conferencing should be a core element of any transition to hybrid work, and Microsoft’s vision for the future of meetings is now focused on remote employees. “When it comes to meeting rooms, we turn our pre-pandemic design philosophy upside down and design for the people who aren’t in the room,” Spataro explains.

In the video below, you can catch a glimpse of the future of Microsoft Teams Rooms devices, with giant Teams screens connected to associated devices in the meeting room. Microsoft imagined intelligent cameras at eye level to improve eye contact for all participants. The company is also experimenting with spatial audio to let visitors hear people’s voices from their on-screen position.

“Hybrid work represents the biggest shift in the way we work in our generation. And it requires a new business model that includes 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 seems uniquely positioned to help other companies navigate 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 we will continue to share what we learn about this fundamental change in the way we work,” Nadella said on Friday, April 21, 2021.

Source: unmsft