Hybrid work = hybrid life
Balanced productivity no matter how or where you work, with life intact
Hi Peer,
“If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double. So you gotta let me know. Should I stay or should I go?” - The Clash
With a lightly different context, these days, you may be considering where and how to work, whether to “rock the Casbah” - to continue working from home or go into the office.
It’s no doubt work has changed AND is changing. So, you may be asking yourself, “Should I stay, or should I go?” and/or both? 🤔
The good news is that there are tools, guidance, and research to help make these choices. My hope, no matter what decision(s) you, your colleagues, and your company make, is that you are enabled and empowered to do your work from anywhere, across any device, in full-productivity mode with your wellbeing and sanity in check.
Hybrid work with Microsoft 365 and Teams
I mainly wanted to share a version of a presentation I recorded, one that’s backed with words of wisdom from Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, contains analysis from the Microsoft 365 marketing team, demos of Microsoft Viva, links to helpful resources, and a personalized talk track of what I’ve learned and experienced myself.
📺 “Hybrid work with Microsoft 365 and Teams” + an introduction to Microsoft Viva, presented by Mark Kashman.
The below video highlights the value and experience of Microsoft Teams blended with innovation from Microsoft Viva, the employee experience platform (EXP) that empowers people and teams to be their best, from anywhere.
As mentioned in the above video, Microsoft published its annual Work Trend Index with findings that people “want more flexible remote work options, but at the same time, also saying they want more in-person collaboration.” It’s a work itch that’s hard to scratch. The IT reality is to support and provide both. Consistent, secure access to documents and people is paramount, the Calamine lotion if you will, with flexibility intact for how and when people work.
A few weeks after the pandemic took hold, like many others, I made a few “work at home” updates. It became a place I spent a lot of time in, and still do. I took over the guest room, rearranged a few things, invested in a bigger monitor, an ergo chair, and a headset for calls and webinars - enough to make the home side of hybrid work more workable. And our IT team - including our engineering teams - doubled down on establishing the ability to work from anywhere. Our own modernization of work got a big' ‘ol pandemic push, and the pivot of enabling adequate employee experiences pivoted fast.
"All employees have a work site, a work location, and work hours. A hybrid workplace assumes a mix of workstyles across all three dimensions for our employees as well as within our organizations." - Excerpt from "Hybrid Work: A guide for business leaders"
Through research, and reality, we know people need to find ways to stay productive from wherever they are, while organizational leadership needs to remain certain that their infrastructures and data remain secure.
Final thoughts…
There exists the multitudinous dichotomy. I enjoy not having a commute. Yet, I miss seeing my peers and friends in the community. I like taking podwalks during lunch breaks. Yet, it does take more time, maybe more meetings, to resolve issues with the lack of face-to-face or the ad-hoc water cooler drive by.
Hybrid work brings benefits to hybrid life. And some of downsides are hard to shake.
Of course, every organization will have a unique approach – adjusting their plans to what works for their people, their culture, and their business. And individuals will raise their hands to assert preferences, issues, and ideas. In the mix of working it out, shaping and reshaping policy, hybrid work evolves.
There are a several resources to get up-to-speed - all interesting and helpful resources to chew on as you decide next steps:
Satya Nadella on LinkedIn, "The hybrid work paradox"
Visit the Microsoft WorkLab website - exploring the science of work and ingenuity
Cheers, Mark “working from anywhere” Kashman
P.S. (Pun Sharing)
Get your eye rolls ready to bake… one pun from me, @mkashman 🙄, and one from the world:
