EMBRACING THE NEW WORLD OF WORK 4.0 HUMANISE WORK ...... 20 Humanising the employee experience ...... 21 CONTENTS Nurturing your people and culture ...... 23 Fostering diversity and inclusion ...... 24 1.0 NEW WORLD, NEW WAYS OF WORKING ...... 3 Supporting wellbeing and accessibility ...... 24 Customer story: University of Nottingham: 2.0 A CHANGE IN THE AIR ...... 6 Enriching the learning experience for all ...... 26 Understanding your concerns ...... 7 Remote working ...... 8 5.0 FUTURE WORK ...... 27 Changing times, Changing attitudes ...... 8 Embracing AI and automation ...... 28 Recognising the need for Making the most of knowledge management ...... 29 digital transformation ...... 9 Enabling smart offices and meetings ...... 30 Maintaining and building profitability ...... 10 Smart offices ...... 30 Fit for the future ...... 11 Smart meetings ...... 31 With every challenge comes opportunity ...... 12 Customer story: Shakespeare Martineau: Customer story: ARUP: Preparing for the future today ...... 32 Digital transformation at speed ...... 13 6.0 BUILD RESILIENT TEAMS ...... 33 PRODUCTIVITY IN A HYBRID WORKPLACE ...... 14 3.0 Creating a culture of continuous learning ...... 34 Giving people the freedom Managing your talent for success ...... 35 to be more productive ...... 15 Moving forward with crucial workforce insights ...... 36 Digitising your business ...... 16 Finding and nurturing skills for new roles ...... 37 Making your digital workspace work ...... 18 Customer story: University of Lincoln: Cloud migration and boosting productivity ...... 18 Creating a resilient learning environment ...... 38 Customer story: CNTW: Transforming the way healthcare teams work ...... 19 7.0 MAKING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION A REALITY ...... 39
Embracing the new world of work | 2 01NEW WORLD, NEW WAYS OF WORKING
For years, we’ve heard about the digital transformation set to sweep through the world of business and beyond. Some were sceptical. But now it’s happening – at speed. It took a global pandemic to spark this acceleration, but it’s already touched every level of society, including government, industry and individual consumers.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 3 While this remarkably rapid and exciting shift is taking place, the shadow of economic unpredictability looms large.
It’s radically reshaping infrastructures, practices, On top of COVID-19, there are other major On the ground, many businesses are taking a relationships, even cultural attitudes, and some economic factors to take into account. With serious hit to productivity due to supply-chain changes, such as the reliance on remote working, Britain and the EU locked in complex trade disruption and new workplace safety and hygiene seem irreversible. negotiations, the true impact of Brexit is still practices. According to a CNN news report3, offices unknown. This could influence future investment are going to have to make costly changes to be However, while this remarkably rapid and exciting decisions. The UK has also seen record levels of virus-safe and ready for a full workforce return. shift is taking place, the shadow of economic indebtedness. In May 2020, debt rose to 100.9 unpredictability looms large. percent, the first time it’s exceeded 100 percent Dig a little deeper and we see that during this time 2 of upheaval and hyper-accelerated change, many 1 of GDP since the early 1960s. A recent BBC report revealed that the IMF is organisations have simply sought to replicate forecasting a growth rate of 5.9 percent for how they previously worked in the office in the UK economy during 2021. However, given a virtual environment. But is this the optimal the current economic climate, any predictions PROJECTED GROWTH FOR way for organisations to operate in the are more uncertain than usual. ‘new normal’? 2020 1.9 % BELOW FORECAST4 IMF World Economic Outlook, 2020 Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 4 There’s also an increasing recognition that new workplace policies may be here to stay. Our research has found that while 83 percent of UK managers expect to have more flexible work- from-home policies post-pandemic, 72 percent As a tentative recovery takes shape, we believe of UK employees and managers report a desire to this crucial moment offers the workplace some continue working from home, at least part-time. unique opportunities for innovation and creativity. Just a handful of statistics using Yet on the other side of the coin, increased Microsoft internal data from the first half of remote working raises a particular concern. 2020 gives a sense of the direction of travel: 72% Sixty-two percent felt less connected to their of UK employees and team working from home.5 5 billion Microsoft Teams meeting managers report a In short, we’re seeing some remarkable shifts in minutes in a single day desire to continue working patterns. So this e-book aims to explore the ‘New World of Work’. It’s a huge subject and Video used twice as much working from home we’ll tackle it by asking four key questions: in Teams meetings ‘For remote working to be a success, How can organisations best drive 1 billion Windows 10 devices, the first thing we need to change is 1 how we think about it’ blog, 2020 productivity in a hybrid workplace? up 30 percent year on year How can we humanise our 2 employees’ experience of work? What might tomorrow’s reimagined 3 workplace look like? What’s the best way to go about 4 nurturing resilient teams?
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 5 02A CHANGE IN THE AIR
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 6 Understanding your concerns Dealing with the pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge. And the crisis has highlighted some crucial issues and pain-points.
Taking care Doing the right thing The pandemic has demonstrated a pressing Organisations are also mindful that they need need to look out for people. That can include to address issues of compliance, trust, identity, everything from introducing flexible working safety of information and privacy, effectively and best practices, to considering creative ways manage employee lifecycles, and implement to maintain employee satisfaction and wellbeing. the correct health and safety measures. Protecting productivity Meeting customer needs Leaders looking to maintain the commercial Customers and service-users including vigour of their organisations are increasingly consumers, university students and hospital seeking to harness the power of data and patients expect an ever-higher level of service. workplace analytics, and improve cross- Harnessing digital tools can help organisations organisational communication. satisfy that demand swiftly and safely.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 7 Remote Changing times, working Changing attitudes
Most UK managers expect to implement One of the more remarkable things to come out concern for front-line workers is a fear of catching more flexible work-from-home policies, of the pandemic is a marked attitudinal shift on COVID-19, remote workers worry about the even after the pandemic has passed. Many the part of employers and employees alike. Both breaking down of work/life boundaries and employees are equally keen to embrace have expressed a desire to see greater emphasis the tendency to put in longer hours.6 remote working. This new mindset may on wellbeing, inclusiveness and a sense of permanently reconfigure the workplace. community at work. The question is: how can we support this desire to If so, new challenges will swiftly emerge. refigure the workplace, so that it boosts inclusivity, This new attitude may have been driven, at least diversity and creativity, while enabling employees Learn more about Productivity in in part, by some serious concerns that have to work in a fulfilling, productive and safe way? a hybrid workplace surfaced during the pandemic. Thirty percent of workers report increased burnout. While the key Discover how you can Humanise work
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 8 87% of executives say they have skills gaps in their business
Beyond hiring: How companies are Recognising the reskilling to address talent gaps, need for digital McKinsey & Company, 2020 transformation
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed So how can we help organisations and employees moment for the digital transformation of business. gain the skills they need to achieve more in the Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says, “We’ve seen changing world of work? two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.”7 Companies recognising the need for increased agility are also looking to invest in resilience. But research reveals an alarming UK digital skills Those that fortify their people, places of work gap. While a recent Lloyds Banking Group report8 and processes with digital tech are likely to states that 11.7 million people lack the digital skills recover faster and emerge stronger than others. needed for everyday life, a 2020 McKinsey survey9 found that 87 percent of executives say they have See Build resilient teams skills gaps in their business.
We’ve seen two years’ worth of “digital transformation in two months. Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft, April 2020 ” Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 9 Maintaining
and building Digital transformations build long-term profitability resilience and increase profitability
In a recent Boston Consulting Group survey, 65 percent of executives said they anticipate increased investment in digital transformation. And for good reason. The report states that:
Companies that use digital “levers can expect their PERFORMANCE AGILITY ENABLEMENT STABILITY profit margins to increase, 12% to 20% 40% to 50% 20% to 30% Up to 60% less IT on average, by 12 percent faster speed higher workforce error and rework4 1 additional EBIT to market2 productivity3 to 20 percent. They will (in 6 to 9 months) generate as much as 50 (about half of it (in about 3 months) (about half of it percent of the additional within 12 months) within 6 months) profits in the first year, thereby generating the Source: BCG analysis and case experience. resources needed to 1 According to BCG’s Performance Improvement through Digitization 2019 study, based on analysis of 40 digital resilience levers. fund the rest of the 2 Enabled by applying advanced analytics to economic indices and establishing a control tower for high-frequency demand forecasts. transformation journey.10 3 Achieved with AI and smart working tools such as chatbots, workflow automation, and decision-support systems. 4 From BCG experience in the insurance sector, achieved by designing cybersecurity in a uniform way for all applications and platforms.
The Digital Path to Business Resilience, BCG, 2020 PERFORMANCEPERFORMANCEPERFORMANCE” AGILITYPERFORMANCEAGILITY AGILITYENABLEMENTAGILITYENABLEMENTENABLEMENTSTABILITYENABLEMENTSTABILITY STABILITY STABILITY Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 10 12% to 20% 12% to 20%12% to 20%12% to 20% additional EBITadditional1 additionalEBIT1 EBITadditional1 EBIT1 abo t half of abo tit half of abo t it half of abo t it half of it within month within month within month within month Exploiting the latest technology can make smart Fit for meetings a reality the future
Companies that embrace innovation are likely to be far better prepared to face future challenges. That enlightened approach can manifest itself in many ways.
Weaving AI into your organisation can transform the way people work. Using a common platform to store and share content can help organisations extract more value out of their knowledge. And exploiting the latest technology can make smart meetings a reality, where participants can collaborate and contribute effectively and safely, wherever they’re working.
Look ahead to Future work
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 11 With every challenge comes opportunity
As organisations recover, they have a precious Whichever direction organisations take, there’ll be This cultural change, supported by company chance to reimagine the way they operate. an increasing need for tools that enable people to leaders and enabled by tech, has the potential Those that do, stand a better chance of work wherever they are – at an office, remotely, or to give businesses both the resilience and gaining and maintaining a competitive edge. on the move. Technology is key. A recent Forrester competitive muscle to thrive in a decidedly Study11 reveals that, “86 percent of survey unpredictable world. Some may embrace the flexibility of temporary respondents with Microsoft 365-powered Surface spaces, such as remote-working environments devices deployed agreed that their organization When, where, and how we work is fundamentally and hotels. Offices may become occasional is better able to support a remote workforce, changing. And Microsoft is in a position to track drop-in venues for customer meetings, creative compared to 71 percent of respondents using the trends that are reshaping the future of work. 12 workshops and team-building opportunities. non-Surface devices.” In a recent keynote address , Jared Spataro, CVP of Microsoft shared the latest But it’s not just about the physical workspace research. It reveals that while the global shift to and hardware. Businesses also have the chance remote working has brought positives, such to boost productivity with AI that can harness an as increased empathy between teammates, organisation’s knowledge via the cloud. And with challenges like elongated working hours and more remote working, there’s an opportunity to meeting fatigue need to be addressed. draw on a deeper pool of talent drawn from a wider geographic area.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 12 Customer Story The first challenge was keeping people ARUP: DIGITAL “connected and able to work with their clients. Luckily, we had already made TRANSFORMATION the decision to shift to Teams. AT SPEED Rob Greig, Group CIO, Arup, September 2020 ”
For over seven decades Setting a new direction Arup also needed to facilitate access Arup is now running 45 percent of to the high-performance specialist all workloads in the cloud. And for Arup has been at the Initially, Greig met with pockets of applications critical to its work, and Greig, there are fewer barriers to forefront of design resistance, but pressing on his team relieve pressure from its traditional cloud adoption and innovation. and engineering. mapped out 3,000 servers and 400 infrastructure. Shifting to Microsoft As he puts it, “Once you have that applications that could either be 365, Teams, SharePoint and culture of rolling forward, you start When COVID-19 struck, lifted and shifted to the cloud or Dynamics 365 achieved just that. to get that momentum and the its existing cloud transformed. By the end of 2019, business starts to think of the ways transformation journey they were moving 10 workloads Windows Virtual Desktop was it can benefit from being digital to the cloud per month. And then another asset. Greig was initially by default.” was vastly accelerated. COVID-19 hit. reluctant, but one of the engineers did a demo for him and said, ‘this Explore the full Arup story. Rob Greig, Group Responding fast is as fast, if not better, than the CIO thinks cloud workstation I have on my desk As Greig remembers, “The first in my office’. transformation is the challenge was keeping people foundation for digital connected and able to work with their clients. Luckily, we had transformation and his already made the decision to team were challenged shift to Teams.” with the task.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 13 03PRODUCTIVITY IN A HYBRID WORKPLACE
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 14 Rapid advances in cloud-based technology The crucial role that hardware has to play Giving people make it easier than ever for employees to shouldn’t be underestimated either. A recent stay connected and productive. Forrester Study14 states that, “88 percent of the freedom to be survey respondents indicated that Microsoft While Microsoft Office apps on Microsoft 365 365-powered Surface devices had helped more productive allow remote workers to access resources, share their employees become more collaborative, and work together with others, Microsoft Teams compared to 79 percent of respondents without acts as a vital virtual central hub that enables all Surface devices.” workers to collaborate. It’s underpinned by Microsoft Sharepoint, a secure content store. Many organisations, such as Lloyds Banking Group, have taken strategic control of their Using cloud-based technology can also help to modernisation journey by exploiting the address those clear and rising concerns about potential of Microsoft Managed Desktop. isolation. For instance, collaboration tools within Delivering end-to-end device management and Microsoft 365 such as Outlook, Teams and security monitoring, it helps you focus on your Stream actively encourage communication digital transformation while keeping everyone 13 and meaningful interactions. productive, secure, and up-to-date. As John Chambers, Chief Information Officer says, “As part of our digital transformation we’re creating a modern digital workplace and I am really excited about the impact of this new technology.”15 As part of our digital transformation we’re creating“ a modern digital workplace and I am really excited about the impact of this new technology. John Chambers, Chief Information Officer,” Lloyds Banking Group, 2020
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 15 Microsoft Power Platform, including products such as Microsoft Power BI, Microsoft Power Automate, Microsoft Power Apps and Microsoft Virtual Agents can give you the ability to analyse data, build solutions, and place innovation at the Digitising your heart of your organisation’s DNA. business A single-view dashboard shows owner, usage level, connections, licensing and more. And you Forward-thinking businesses are rapidly adapting and can easily automate essential processes using no automating to: or low code apps.
Cope with the pressures of remote working SharePoint Syntex also uses advanced AI and machine teaching to capture, classify and manage Overcome disruption, for example when information, helping you turn content into knowledge, improve security and compliance, people have to use new and unfamiliar tools and cut down on time consuming manual tasks.
Simplify laborious paper-based processes While digitising your business can also help streamline and protect your operations, customer Plug gaps in systems with additional service is another area that can be significantly functionality improved. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 you can learn from every transaction and respond with Ensure that vital collaboration continues meaningful interactions.
Swiftly addressing these issues is crucial, and fortunately When the health crisis hit, many organisations, like there are solutions out there that can simplify the whole the Care Quality Commission (CQC), had to move digitisation process. fast. It needed to support the NHS, other health and social care providers, and patients. So it used Dynamics 365 Customer Voice to quickly deliver an emergency response that was highly secure, robust, scalable, and accessible.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 16 We plan to use machine It allowed them to survey more than 10,000 Of course, while many of us are working from home care providers. They then processed home, countless others are out in the field. learning“ and AI in the data using Dynamics 365. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist empowers Dynamics 365 to provide technicians to collaborate more efficiently by CQC is already looking ahead. As Mark Sutton, working together from different locations. insights about where to Chief Digital Officer says, “We plan to use machine Available on HoloLens, Android or iOS devices, focus our attention, and learning and AI in Dynamics 365 to provide it allows them to share their real-time view with insights about where to focus our attention, experts, and access critical information whenever to share meaningful and to share meaningful analytics with providers it’s needed. and the public”. See the full CQC story. analytics with providers It may be a cliché, but at times of rapid change, and the public. With periods of disruption likely to continue, knowledge can be powerful. While interrogating Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain data can help you gain crucial business insights, Management is another useful tool. It gives Mark Sutton, Chief Digital Officer, CQC, 2020 analytics and AI can help people understand what total visibility of your supply chain. So you they need to focus on, access the information they ” can keep it resilient and capable of dealing need, and measure their use of time to improve with rapid fluctuations in supply and demand. their effectiveness and personal wellbeing.
By leveraging technology you can implement processes that increase efficiency, reduce costs, and drive scale and customer reach. Documenting internal processes, measuring key performance indicators, and incorporating automation enables you to plan, learn from, and make more informed decisions.16
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 17 Cloud migration Making your digital and boosting workspace work productivity
Cloud migration can help your organisation act faster, innovate, and focus IT operations An effective digital workplace thrives on innovative on what matters most. Key to enabling and and proven technology. Tech that employees love encouraging the ’work anywhere’ approach, using, because it lets them communicate, collaborate, it allows you to: and create with agility.17 Scale workloads, applications and networking capacity on demand Empower your employees to drive business goals, Digital workplace, Microsoft to meet business needs Stay secure and resilient across Microsoft 365 is an integrated cloud platform Another milestone in the evolution of hybrid work environments that encourages productivity, engagement, computing is Windows Virtual Desktop, a and collaboration through a smart, efficient desktop and application virtualisation service Optimise costs at a time of operating system, mission-critical enterprise- running in Azure. It enables secure remote constrained IT budgets grade security tools, and seamlessly integrated working by allowing users to access their workplace-productivity apps such as Teams, desktop and apps from anywhere via a Migrate data with confidence to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.18 virtualised Windows 10 experience optimised leverage cloud analytics services for Office 365 ProPlus. With Windows 10 multi- and gain business insights session, you can run multiple concurrent user interactive sessions easily with the same Migrating to the cloud also gives your deployment for more cost efficiency. And employees constant, secure access to vital many customers are already licensed to use productivity tools such as those available Windows Virtual Desktop via their Windows through Microsoft 365: Teams, Outlook, 10 Enterprise licenses. Word, OneDrive and more.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 18 Customer Story We knew the technology could help CNTW: TRANSFORMING “keep staff working, even if they were THE WAY HEALTHCARE having to isolate or shield themselves. Darren McKenna, Director of Informatics, Cumbria, TEAMS WORK Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, 2020 ”
Cumbria, Delivering services, Keeping Northumberland, maintaining standards connected Tyne and Wear NHS Initially, the Trust invested in To help communities stay in contact Revell Cornell, Infrastructure Foundation Trust is one Microsoft Teams to explore how with frontline services, the Trust also Manager has the last word: “The much staff travel time and expense installed Surface Hub 2S as all-in- main impact of the Teams, Surface of the largest mental could be saved each year. But when one digital whiteboards in a number Hub collaboration during COVID-19 health and disability COVID-19 struck, Teams had the of locations. Remote workers used is the ability for staff to carry on Trusts in England, potential to play a greater role. Surface Go 2 as a lightweight laptop providing amazing care to patients.” with tablet functionality, and providing services to The priority was to ensure people Surface Pen capabilities for easy See the full CNTW story. 1.7 million people. remained safe while delivering data capture. services to the same high standard. Like many healthcare Kirsty Charlton, Clinical Manager of With staff using Teams to the Trust’s Autism Services says that communicate with patients and providers, it’s faced Teams offered a rapid solution: “We each other, the Trust has been huge disruption in the knew the technology could help conducting around 1,100 Teams wake of the pandemic. keep staff working, even if they meetings per day since the were having to isolate or shield pandemic began. themselves.”
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 19 04HUMANISE WORK
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 20 Humanising the employee experience
The experience of the past few Maintaining a connected experience Most recently, we’ve introduced a new feature called Teams Together. It uses an AI months has revealed some Sometimes, it can be all too easy to focus on segmentation model to place participants positive benefits of working organisational efficiency and productivity. together on a shared background and shows remotely, including less But this is a human challenge with a simple face and body movements to enhance question: how can you support your interaction. It’s designed to make it easier to commuting, increased employee employees so that working remotely isn’t manage sessions, and reduce the cognitive load productivity and improvements a lonely experience? when engaging for long periods onscreen. in performance. And numerous One answer is to set up a cloud-based home reports suggest that a growing office with Microsoft 365. Features like Office number of employees will want apps, Teams and OneDrive give people the power to stay connected with colleagues to continue working remotely in through chats, calls and meetings, a post-pandemic world. access emails, calendars and files, and securely save their files. To some extent, remote working has connected people on a more personal level. The occasional glimpses into other people’s lives may have made us more empathetic and understanding. But there are growing concerns about isolation and a sense of disconnect. Counteracting this and protecting the wellbeing of employees is a challenge we are keen to recognise.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 21 Other new features include custom layouts, Having the right hardware is crucial too. The which allows people to make presentations Forrester Study19 mentioned earlier reveals that, more engaging, even gaining the ability to include a presenter’s video feed transposed onto the foreground of the slide they’re showing. With breakout rooms, organisations can easily split 86% of survey respondents with Microsoft 365-powered participants into smaller brainstorming Surface“ devices agreed that their organizations successfully or workshop sessions. And then there’s recap, giving participants instant access improved employee experience, compared to 76% of to transcripts, recordings and any files respondents using non-Surface devices. shared during a meeting. The Total Economic Impact™, Forrester Consulting, 2020 But what about the fact that remote working can sometimes lead to longer working ” hours? Microsoft MyAnalytics gives people Surface devices were also described as: the opportunity to view work patterns and manage their time to enhance their sense of wellbeing.
Within Microsoft 365 Dynamics Human more flexible to the changing nature of the ‘workplace,’ Resources, we also have a range of specific allowing employees to remain productive whether HR solutions to strengthen links with your “ employees and maintain a nurturing working from their office, a communal space, environment. a coffee shop, or their couch. The Total Economic Impact™, Forrester Consulting, 2020”
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 22 Nurturing your people and culture
With endorsement from the board, organisations have the power to make the hybrid workplace a success. But to get there, teams need to embrace new technology through adoption and change management methodology. That won’t happen overnight. It calls for proactive management.
Senior management can help by speaking with one voice and focusing on three key areas: leadership, culture and technology.
Leadership Culture Technology It’s important to devise a strategy that helps People are the beating heart of any Having the right technology platform can people work effectively regardless of location, organisation. An effective culture gives them nourish a strong community culture. enables collaboration, encourages creativity the means to be productive, and the power to and maintains a sense of cohesion and shared innovate, adapt and progress. purpose. Regular and clear communications from leaders can help keep people feel valued, ‘in the loop’ and an important part of an organisation’s mission and culture.
When these three areas work in concert, it encourages the sort of improved co-operation that’s possible through Teams – a single, safe space in which employees can chat, call, meet and generate ideas.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 23 Fostering Supporting diversity and wellbeing and inclusion accessibility
In April 2020, the IDC produced an influential Inequality and reduced social mobility are Work-related stress has a negative effect on survey – The Impact of Employer and often driven by lack of quality education wellbeing. And it has economic repercussions Employee Engagement.20 It reveals that and work opportunities. But the increasingly too, with many working days lost to illness. focusing on diversity and inclusion has a digital workplace, with its need for different profound impact on creating a ‘people-first’ skill sets and flexible working, can contribute Leaders can support the mental health of their culture in which employees feel part of one to overcoming some of these problems. employees by promoting a culture of sharing team shaping business outcomes. and learning, and by empowering employees to manage their work-life balance. Establishing a standardised approach to employee engagement increases employee During the pandemic, this issue has become even commitment and productivity, lowers costs, Whatever the post-COVID-19 more urgent, with workers reporting increased and generates higher profits. And an digital workspace looks like, burnout, and many experiencing a rise in work 22 increasing amount of research on the inclusion and accessibility can chats between 5pm and midnight. effects of overall Environment, Social, and be driven by a simple mantra: Support can take many forms. Line managers Governance (ESG) measures, emphasises can monitor workloads and take action if needed. the positive financial implications of ‘doing ‘leave no one behind’. 21 They can also stress the importance of regular good’ as a company. breaks and holidays, screen downtime and ignoring work emails out of hours.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 24 Perhaps paradoxically, tech has a role in A culture that promotes individual wellbeing Microsoft 365 comes with accessibility supporting wellbeing. Within Microsoft 365, and accessibility is naturally going to be more built-in to give people with different abilities employees can access the MyAnalytics diverse and inclusive. Tech has a role to play the freedom to create, communicate and dashboard, while individual users can use it to see here too. Microsoft products and services are collaborate. For instance, Office 365 their own activity levels and get automated help designed to empower people with vision, applications work seamlessly with screen to improve their focus and wellbeing. hearing, neurodiversity, learning, mobility readers and keyboards on most devices, Tell Managers can detect broad themes and trends or mental health disabilities. Me lets you quickly access commands without across their organisations. At all times, data navigating the command ribbon, and Office privacy is paramount. Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 apps have Lens helps you transform text on a printed page built-in and third-party accessibility features, into digital content that can be read aloud. Remote workers have also lost some of those which let users choose how to interact with breaks in the day that allowed them to recharge. their screen and work effectively, whether And in a world increasingly being shaped by they have a disability, personal preference, AI, it too is being harnessed to amplify human So next year we’ll be adding a feature to Teams or simply a unique work style. capabilities and support people with disabilities. that lets people schedule a ‘virtual commute’, For instance, the University of Texas is working to give them a productive start in the morning with Microsoft Research on an Ability Initiative and a chance to disconnect in the evening. to improve the accuracy of automatic image And because 70 percent of people feel that descriptions of photos captured by meditation could help them reduce their stress people with no or poor vision. levels, we’ve partnered with Headspace to bring users a curated set of mindfulness experiences and science-backed meditations.23
And in a world increasingly being shaped by AI, it too is being harnessed to amplify human capabilities and support people with disabilities.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 25 Customer Story UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM: To say we are at the beginning of “this journey is an understatement.
ENRICHING THE LEARNING Dr. Luis Neves, Faculty of Engineering and Digital EXPERIENCE FOR ALL Learning Director, University of Nottingham ” Limited by ageing The university began its cloud Reinforcing access and Cloud Solution Specialist points out, migration traditionally, but had to equality “With Azure, we can now spin up a hardware, the University swiftly adapt when COVID-19 struck. 64-core virtual machine to help of Nottingham needed Nick Mount, Digital Learning Another challenge the university them advance their work.” a scalable, long-term Director for the Faculty of Social faced was unequal access for Sciences says, “It was clear from students with inferior computers. Researchers can also benefit from computing solution the get-go that Microsoft Teams So the university turned to Windows Azure Cognitive Services. It offers that could empower and the rest of our Microsoft Virtual Desktop – a desktop and speech-to-text capabilities that infrastructure were going to app virtualisation service running enable them to transcribe audio new ways of learning, to text in more than 30 languages. researching, and be absolutely central.” on Azure. teaching. Innovating in the era of Dr. Luis Neves, Faculty of It’s clear that the university has already found the move to Azure remote learning Engineering and Digital Learning It soon focused on Director says, “Windows Virtual advantageous. But the best is yet “In terms of delivering real-time Desktop is an equaliser, because it to come. “To say we are at the Microsoft Azure and remote learning sessions, Teams grants every student access to the beginning of this journey is an Microsoft 365, with really showed its mettle,” says Dr. Neil same computing power.” understatement,” says Dr. Neves. particular emphasis Hughes, Digital Learning Director Delivering scalability Learn more about the University of and Director of Modern Language Nottingham’s journey. on Microsoft Teams. Teaching, Faculty of Arts. “I’ve been Researchers at the university used to able to move to a more interactive be limited by the processing power lecture format, with some students of their computers. But as Ross more engaged than they were Shonfeld, Technical Manager and during normal face-to-face sessions.”
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 26 05FUTURE WORK
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 27 In the current crisis, selling to customers has Embracing AI become a digital rather than a face-to-face skill. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales empowers and automation organisations to provide an end-to-end digital buying experience across every stage of the How can incorporating innovation and AI into customer journey, from demand response to your organisation enhance its value and enable transaction. Businesses can adjust to fluctuations everyone to use technology in a meaningful way? in demand by scaling their sales resources, arming Exploiting the potential of AI can:24 digital sellers with training/skilling and next best action enablement resources. In addition, with Help optimise business processes unified relationship data across the full customer to improve efficiency, cut costs lifecycle, organisations can utilise artificial and generate new revenue intelligence to generate actionable insights to create more meaningful customer connections.
Empower employees and increase In times of uncertainty, front-line workers, productivity by reducing time spent customers, and citizens reach out in higher on repetitive tasks, as well as volumes seeking guidance, reassurance, and facilitating machine teaching and clarity. Microsoft Dynamics for Customer Service reinforcement learning provides built-in intelligence, automation, and mixed reality to ensure teams are properly Improve customer service with end- resourced to provide real-time support. to-end customer management, and Collectively, these technologies empower your service teams to act as the trusted front line of real-time behaviour prediction and your company – by providing meaningful insights data monitoring and connected experiences from anywhere, at any time.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 28 The most effective way to create, share, use Another day-to-day way to share knowledge Making the most and manage your organisation’s knowledge is through Teams. As millions of us discovered is through a multi-disciplinary approach. That during lockdown, you can use it to easily share of knowledge means using a common platform to store and files and store them by Chat or Team group. share your content – from HR handbooks to management data-security policies. And there’s another knowledge management tool that lets you integrate your entire Microsoft SharePoint is a globally popular knowledge network: Project Cortex. solution. You can use it simply as a medium for intranet sites. But organisations can also It uses AI to deliver ‘just-in-time’ knowledge adapt and build useful things with it – from within the apps you use every day. It scans basic content repositories for teams to and analyses content across teams and systems, large-scale systems that track sophisticated extracting important information, and auto- business processes.25 organising content into shared topics like projects, products, processes and customers. So you can access knowledge topics from Teams, Outlook and Sharepoint, anywhere, anytime, within a consistent Microsoft 365 user experience.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 29 Enabling Smart offices smart offices Azure Digital Twin allows you to model your physical space digitally. You can then add the real-time location and meetings of people in that physical space, and what devices they’re using. Hooked up to Microsoft Internet of Things (IoT) devices through the cloud, it creates a Physical meeting totally joined-up experience: spaces aren’t going to disappear. But with Employees admitted from lobby to office people working across areas via facial recognition – no ID cards multiple locations, Visitors auto-checked-in on arrival and not just a single room, connected to wireless network they’ll need to be Kiosks on each floor use IoT sensors to show visitors room availability in real time more carefully Wayfinding app shows visitors how to get managed, responsive to their room to user needs, and Employees book a room with a single click conducive to collaboration.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 30 IoT sensors linked to Azure Digital Twin allow facilities managers to auto-control Smart meetings office temperatures, lighting and ventilation – enhancing personal comfort, simplifying To help create workspaces where people The ability for our teams management and cutting costs. See how can collaborate effectively and safely, “to seamlessly connect to Microsoft is turning its HQ into a smart campus. both remotely and from the work site, it’s important to enable an experience meetings, share content, As the pandemic fades, and organisations where every attendee is a first-class work through issues in gain the confidence to return to the participant. As organisations continue workplace, Azure IoT can help safeguard the transition back to the office, shared whiteboarding sessions the work environment, by reducing the risk space devices like Microsoft Teams regardless of location of transmission with contactless interfaces, Rooms and Surface Hub will be critical proximity monitoring and thermal screening. tools in delivering the ultimate hybrid through Microsoft Teams workplace experience. And with Power Platform, you can use a set and on Surface Hub ensures of apps and dashboards to determine the You can deploy Microsoft Teams Rooms we can keep cargo moving readiness of workplace locations, identify into spaces of any size, from very small COVID-19 hotspots, and keep employees huddle areas to extra-large conference at all times, regardless safe with self-service tools and screening. rooms. And with new Surface Hub 2S, of circumstances. you can make the most of an all-in-one digital whiteboard, meetings platform, and collaborative computing device that brings people together, no matter where Fabio Catassi, Chief Technology Officer at MSC they’re working. Mediterranean Shipping Company ”
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 31 Customer Story Without those devices, much of the SHAKESPEARE MARTINEAU: “firm wouldn’t have been able to PREPARING FOR THE work from home securely. FUTURE TODAY Dal Virdi, IT Director, Shakespeare Martineau ”
The experience of top “It was really important to facilitate deployment, users were given A COVID-19-secure agility across the firm,” says IT permissions to securely log on to environment for the future UK law firm, Shakespeare Director, Dal Virdi. “Microsoft the firm’s Azure tenancy to access Martineau, reveals how Surface gives our staff the freedom and download scripts they could Almost everyone in the firm now innovation, exploiting to work in a way that suits their lives then run to automate the new has their own Surface laptop, Arc whilst maximising productivity.” upgraded build on their Surface mouse and personal headset, and the latest technology and laptops. offices are being reconfigured to be creating a collaborative When COVID-19 hit, fee earners pure hot-desking environments that used their new Surface laptops to Better Teams working are clinically clean. working environment operate at home. “Without those can strengthen an devices, much of the firm wouldn’t Another challenge for all law firms is Shakespeare Martineau’s roll-out organisation’s ability have been able to work from home client confidentiality. So enabling of Surface devices has delivered securely,” continues Virdi. internal users to access key improved morale, increased to overcome future Microsoft apps had unexpected productivity, reduced downtime, challenges. The new Surface laptops also benefits. As Virdi explains, “Because an increase in billable hours and enabled the team to optimise the of the security concerns around enhanced client satisfaction. Seeking to provide user experience, by deploying other video conferencing platforms, people with the right Microsoft 365 apps, including many clients will only use Microsoft See the full Shakespeare Martineau Teams and OneDrive. To support Teams for calls and collaboration.” customer story. working tools, the company started to identify the technologies it needed.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 32 BUILD06 RESILIENT TEAMS
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 33 Creating a culture of continuous learning
People drive your business, and it’s important to support them in as many ways as possible. Beyond facilitating remote work and new safety processes, that includes An effective culture not helping to re- and upskill your employees. only“ gives people what they need to work in the here and now, but also the power to innovate, adapt and The most successful organisations will be the ones that progress for the future. “transform both technically and culturally, equipping their people with the skills and knowledge to become Nick Hedderman, Modern Work the best competitive asset they have. and Security Lead, Microsoft UK ” Simon Lambert, Chief Learning Officer for Microsoft UK ”
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 34 1. Assess current workforce skills
Managing your talent for success
2. Determine 3. Create a plan to From the way people job hunt to staff future needs bridge the gaps management, huge shifts were taking place in the world of work long before the pandemic struck.
The key is to create a culture that embraces Creating a learning environment can arm your Technology now gives organisations new continuous learning. Perhaps the most employees with the skills they need to thrive ways of working, hiring, and interacting with effective first step towards that goal is to within the hybrid workplace. And taking an employees. Advanced HR management identify your organisation’s skills gaps and inclusive approach can pay dividends too. systems can help seek out the best potential then create a roadmap to get your business In many instances, that can be achieved by recruits. And once someone’s part of the where it needs to be. simply asking people what they want to learn, team, those same systems can energise their listening to feedback, and then responding to it. personal development. With this approach, technology can be seen as a feature that optimises employees’ For employees who aren’t office-based, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Human Resources experiences, enhancing everything from Dynamics 365 Guides is a smart way to support is an HR management platform that delivers individual productivity to job satisfaction and encourage learning. It delivers timely everything you need to optimise human and peer-to-peer learning.24 on-the-job guidance, sharing step-by-step resource management and care for your holographic instructions, photos, videos and people. It works seamlessly with other 3D models that can help reduce errors, Microsoft Dynamics 365 apps, Microsoft reinforce skills, and close knowledge gaps. 365 services like Outlook – and LinkedIn.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 35 You can use the insights to promote skills, nurture Moving forward with new leaders, or break down silos and develop powerful cross-disciplinary networks. Microsoft crucial workforce insights Dynamics 365 Human Resources has a role to play here too. It lets you manage: Many organisations are eager to Using data from everyday work in adapt. And they know where they Microsoft 365, it gives you a dynamic want to be. But getting there can view of how people are interacting, Admin details – comprehensive be difficult if you don’t understand allowing you to respond swiftly to worker info from hire to retire where you are right now. improve employee experiences, and sharpen customer focus. Performance vs. salary information That’s why having a clear picture of – implement and track profile-based how an organisation is functioning That can help foster productivity, is crucial to enhancing employee but it can also protect wellbeing. time management and generate pay productivity and their working With Workplace Analytics and information to export to a payroll system experience. Microsoft Workplace MyAnalytics now integrated Analytics can help you delve deep within Teams, you can assess Upskilling – review performance, to understand and reshape your how your workforce is faring implement worker goals, and set up, workplace culture. in these challenging times, deliver and analyse training courses and act fast to take action if needed.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 36 Finding and nurturing skills for new roles
Arming your people with the right skills can ensure While Microsoft Envision UK has recently that everyone moves forward together, and that all launched ‘Get on 2021’, a five-year are capable of making a meaningful contribution. campaign to help 1.5 million people build careers in technology, our digital skills Those organisations that build talent streams and website is a powerful learning hub that make informed use of AI and automation can make reinforces our commitment to helping it easier for employees to optimise the knowledge people achieve more. at their disposal. It’s becoming clear that actively embracing a culture of ongoing learning can And both Microsoft Learn and LinkedIn lead to more resilience, adaptability, and Learning represent a huge reservoir of ultimately, improved performance. professional courses that people can easily access, as and when they need to. Moving forward, the transformed digital workspace is going to see an increased demand for new skills. Indeed, over the AN ESTIMATED next five years, estimates suggest there will be approximately 149 million new tech jobs. So it’s crucial that businesses start thinking today about the skills they might need tomorrow.27 149 MILLION
NEW TECH JOBS OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS 10 roles and skilling resources for job seekers in the new normal, Microsoft blog, 2020 Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 37 Customer Story UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN: Remote learning is going to remain “as one of the toolsets we’ll use to CREATING A RESILIENT enhance the student experience. Dr. Derek Foster, Computer Science Programme Leader, LEARNING ENVIRONMENT University of Lincoln ”
The University of Lincoln Continuing learning Digital delivery into has an international through COVID-19 the future reputation for the Usually, Computer Science learning Microsoft Teams helped teachers Given this success, the university quality of its teaching takes place at the university’s and students to adapt. Dr. Derek plans to integrate Microsoft Teams impressive new Isaac Newton Foster, Computer Science into its ongoing operations. Dr. and research. Building. But in March 2020, that Programme Leader says, Foster says, “Remote learning is changed suddenly. “Microsoft Teams had a really going to remain as one of the Cloud computing plays important role to play in terms toolsets we’ll use to enhance the an important role in the Like many higher education of one-to-one support, smaller student experience.” university’s highly institutions, the university had to group meetings, as well as larger quickly adapt its teaching and group meetings. Students picked Read the full University of Lincoln ranked Computer learning approach to ensure that it up very, very quickly.” customer story. Science programme. students and staff could continue to enjoy a safe and positive The close integration of Microsoft But when COVID-19 experience. Deputy Vice Chancellor Teams with other essential struck, Microsoft cloud Professor Liz Mossop says, “We learning tools, such as Microsoft solutions began to play moved very quickly to move all our Word, as well as the security and teaching and learning online within integrity of the Microsoft 365 an even more important 24 hours.” platform, are highly valued by role for all students. staff and students alike.
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 38 07MAKING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION A REALITY
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 39 Learn more Productivity in a hybrid workplace: Take a walk through the once bustling commercial Teams centres of our cities and you soon realise that a Remote Assist Windows Virtual Desktop new world of work has arrived. Microsoft Dynamics 365
Humanise work: Microsoft 365 The hybrid workplace is here. So organisations We are here to help make your digital Teams are having to rapidly rethink how they manage transformation a reality. As a result, you Accessibility features their people and processes. Being successful can create a more agile and competitive Future work: is all down to focusing on clear leadership, organisation, develop a culture that fosters Surface a willingness to embrace new cultures and continuous learning, and deliver an Power Automate the informed use of technology. improved bottom line. Dynamics 365 Customer Insights The new workplace can be reimagined with Above all, you’ll be setting your people free Teams Hardware cloud computing that can boost productivity, from an outmoded workplace culture and Build resilient teams: harness the power of knowledge and protect ready to achieve their potential in a more Digital Skills what matters most. It can also be enlivened by intelligent, technology-enabled world. Workplace Analytics enabling employees with devices that empower Microsoft Learn and engage them. AI Business School
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 40 REFERENCES
1 IMF upgrades 2020 economic forecast but 11 Maximizing Your ROI From Microsoft 365 18 Building a modern workplace with Microsoft warns of a slower 2021, BBC, 13 October 2020 Enterprise With Microsoft Surface, a 365, Microsoft corporate website, accessed commissioned Total Economic Impact™ study 19/10/20 2 Creating a blueprint for UK competitiveness conducted by Forrester Consulting, July 2020 e-book, Microsoft, 2020 19 Maximizing Your ROI From Microsoft 365 12 The Future of Work, Microsoft keynote, 22 Enterprise With Microsoft Surface, a 3 The pandemic is turning into a super- September 2020 commissioned Total Economic Impact™ study expensive business quagmire, CNN, 20 conducted by Forrester Consulting, July 2020 August, 2020 13 Four ways to enable the Anywhere Office, Microsoft e-book, 2020 20 The Impact of Employer and Employee 4 IMF World Economic Outlook, June 2020 Engagement, IDC survey, April 2020 14 Maximizing Your ROI From Microsoft 365 5 For remote working to be a success, the first Enterprise With Microsoft Surface, a 21 Digital Transformation 2.0, The Partner thing we need to change is how we think commissioned Total Economic Impact™ study Journey to Disruption, IDC e-book sponsored about it, Microsoft, 8 September 2020 conducted by Forrester Consulting, July 2020 by Microsoft, August 2020
6 Microsoft Work Trend Index 15 Lloyds Banking Group and Microsoft form 22 Microsoft Work Trend Index partnership to accelerate bank’s digital 7 2 years of digital transformation in 2 months, 23 Microsoft Work Trend Index Microsoft, 30 April 2020 transformation strategy, Microsoft, 16 January 2020 24 Put AI into action and empower everyone in 8 Locked out before lockdown: 9 million your organization, Microsoft blog, 23 June 2020 people struggled to get online, Lloyds 16 The Microsoft Digital Transformation Series, Banking Group, 21 May 2020 Part 4: Optimizing Operations, IDC e-book, 25 Microsoft SharePoint and Knowledge 2020 Management Systems, KPS, 2019 9 Beyond hiring: How companies are reskilling to address talent gaps, McKinsey & Company 17 Empower your employees to drive business 26 10 roles and skilling resources for job seekers in survey, 12 February 2020 goals, Microsoft corporate website, accessed the new normal, Microsoft blog, 19 August 2020 20/10/20 10 The Digital Path to Business Resilience, BCG, 27 10 roles and skilling resources for job seekers in 6 July 2020 the new normal, Microsoft blog, 19 August 2020
Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 41 Go To Home | Embracing the new world of work | 42