REDMOND, Wash., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. on
Monday announced findings from its first-annual Work Trend
Index. Titled "The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work — Are We
Ready?" the report uncovers seven hybrid work trends every business
leader must know as we enter a new era of work.
The report indicates that business leaders should resist
the urge to see hybrid work as business as usual. It will require
the rethinking of long-held assumptions.
"The choices you make today will impact your organization for
years to come. It's a moment that requires clear vision and a
growth mindset," said Jared Spataro,
corporate vice president for Microsoft 365. "These decisions will
impact everything from how you shape culture, to how you
attract and retain talent, to how you can better foster
collaboration and innovation."
The findings suggest that this past year has fundamentally
changed the nature of work:
- Collaboration trends in Microsoft Teams and Outlook suggest
our networks have contracted, but hybrid work will revive
them.
- Time spent in meetings has more than doubled globally, and over
40 billion more emails were delivered in February of this
year compared with last.
- Work has become more human. Nearly 40%
say they feel more comfortable bringing their full selves to work
than before the pandemic, and one in six have cried with a
colleague this past year.
They also show that we are on the cusp of a workplace
disruption:
- 73% of workers surveyed want flexible remote work
options to continue.
- Remote job postings on LinkedIn increased more than
five times during the pandemic.
- Over 40% of the global workforce is considering leaving
their employer this year and 46% are planning to move
now that they can work remotely.
In short, addressing flexible work will impact who stays, who
goes and who joins a company.
To help organizations through the transition, the 2021 Work
Trend Index outlines findings from a study of more than 31,000
people in 31 countries and analyzes trillions of aggregate
productivity and labor signals across Microsoft 365 and LinkedIn.
It also includes perspectives from experts who have studied
collaboration, social capital and workspace design at work for
decades.
The report uncovers seven hybrid work trends every business
leader needs to know as we enter this new era of work:
- Flexible work is here to stay.
- Leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up
call.
- High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce.
- Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energized.
- Shrinking networks are endangering innovation.
- Authenticity will spur productivity and well-being.
- Talent is everywhere in a hybrid work world.
In addition to uncovering what's at stake with the future of
work, the Work Trend Index identifies five strategies for business
leaders as they begin to make the necessary shift:
- Create a plan to empower people for extreme flexibility.
- Invest in space and technology to bridge the physical and
digital worlds.
- Combat digital exhaustion from the top.
- Prioritize rebuilding social capital and culture.
- Rethink the employee experience to compete for the best and
most diverse talent
"During this pandemic we've observed a swift acceleration of
certain pre-COVID trends. But perhaps one of the most exciting
trends is this rise in remote work," said Karin Kimbrough, chief economist, LinkedIn. "As
opportunity is democratized with remote work and talent movement,
we'll see a spread of skills across the country, and this is the
time for business leaders to take the opportunity to access
different skills and talent not previously available to them."
The full findings can be viewed at Microsoft's Worklab, a
digital publication about the future of work.
About WorkLab
WorkLab is a Microsoft digital publication devoted to
illuminating the future of work, grounded in research and the
lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic. By bringing together
science-based insight and thoughtful, compelling stories on how
work is changing, WorkLab's mission is to start larger
conversations about the future of work and help customers in the
process.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an
intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every
organization on the planet to achieve more.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corporation