The Future of Flexible Work with the Microsoft Stack
One of the biggest changes that businesses have seen since Covid is the change to flexible and remote working.
Remote working has bought with it numerous positive changes for employees such as a better work life balance and the ability to work wherever is best for them. However, it’s important to have the right tools in place within your organisation to ensure your employees working remotely are doing so as efficiently as they would be in an office.
Microsoft is at the forefront of providing key productivity tools for hybrid working and in this article we take a look at the future of flexible work with Microsoft Stack and how you can take advantage of Microsoft’s products to be able to help facilitate flexible work in your workplace.
The Rise of Flexible Work
More and more companies are embracing flexible work patterns and this doesn’t seem to stopping anytime soon.
As flexible working has developed, so have the tools available to ensure flexible working is efficient, reliable, and achievable — keeping your employees happy while your business thrives.
One of the best tools available to companies looking to move into a flexible working environment is the Microsoft Stack. From the inner foundations to the surface level, The Microsoft Stack is a software bundle that works seamlessly with each other, to ensure flexible working is as productive, if not more so, than being in an office.
Industry-standard software such as Microsoft Places, Teams, 365, and Viva, are all included in the Microsoft Stack and are game-changers in the industry for the future of flexible work.
Overview of Microsoft Places
Microsoft Places is the ultimate workplace planner for hybrid working environments. Places connects your employees no matter where they are — from organising when and where team meetings will take place, to sharing your availability with other colleagues, Places takes flexible working to the next level.
Here’s an overview of some of the tools Microsoft Places has to offer —
· Scheduling: Employees can easily share their location schedules with colleagues, letting you know who’s in the office, and when. Places’ built-in AI makes scheduling meetings a breeze, suggesting the optimal time, date, and location to fit every participant's needs.
· Hybrid RVSP: When planning meetings, all participants can choose whether to attend remotely or in person, allowing the organiser to plan and coordinate meetings accordingly.
· Workspace Booking: Places allows employees to easily book meeting rooms, desks, and workplaces through the app, so all areas of the office are used effectively.
· Integration with Microsoft 365: Places can also be used within other Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams or Outlook for scheduling and sharing across your team.
· AI-Powered Insights: With powerful AI capabilities, Places gives you excellent insight into your workplace, such as statistics on workplace bookings, workplace usage patterns, and occupancy rates.
Microsoft Places solves one of the biggest challenges showcased with hybrid working — employee collaboration and productivity. With Places, your employees can be more productive and connected than ever, even in the comfort of their own homes.
Enhancing Collaboration with Microsoft Teams
One of the most essential applications included in the Microsoft Stack is Microsoft Teams - whether they're working collaboratively, having group meetings, or sharing information, Teams is the ideal hub for any company.
Microsoft Teams works by creating ‘teams’ — a virtual group of channels that can only be accessed by those invited. You can form teams for many purposes, such as business-wide communication, smaller groups or projects, or private teams to keep sensitive information locked away.
With real-time communication and file-sharing features, information is easy to share and meetings and calls can be hosted at any time, letting employees optimise their workflow no matter where they are.
Enabling business collaboration tools also brings a whole new dimension to Teams - allowing several employees to work on the same file, at the same time, while showcasing notes and changes. Employees can then brainstorm together and work together, in real time, whilst all working from different locations.
Boosting Productivity with Microsoft 365
Within the Microsoft Stack, Microsoft 365 is easily the most vital part, encompassing applications like Microsoft Word, Excel and OneDrive.
Many Microsoft applications are essential in everyday business. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are perfect for file creation, OneDrive helps your storage stay connected, while Outlook allows you to stay connected with your tasks and emails. However, once integrated with 365, a whole new realm of possibilities opens.
Quicker file-sharing and editing, in-app smart searching for research, real-time collaboration with colleagues, Copilot AI reminders and functionality, and plenty more features are all included within the Microsoft 365 package, elevating your productivity even more.
Supporting Employee Wellbeing with Microsoft Viva
If your business is moving into the world of flexible working an essential part to consider is the wellbeing of your employee, which is where Microsoft Viva comes in to help.
Being built into Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva ensures employees are heard, helping everyone in your company thrive through new technical challenges and experiences faced with flexible working.
Viva focuses on four main areas for its digital employee experience — workplace wellness, knowledge sharing, communication, and training. By splitting itself into smaller offshoots, i.e. Viva Connections and Viva Insights, Viva can focus on the small details of employee’s needs when working flexibly.
Adapting Viva to employee’s specific needs is entirely possible, with customisability options employees can integrate their own solutions, allowing Viva to be used to its full potential throughout your whole company.
How We Can Help
Flexible work is a vital part of the modern business world, and is here to stay, so adapting to it for best of your employees and your organisation as a whole is crucial. The Microsoft Stack is the easiest and most efficient way to do this.
If you’re looking to get started with Microsoft Stack reach out to our expert team today so we can get you started on your journey to hybrid working and increased productivity within your business.