Business and IT leaders are at an inflection point. Hybrid work is no longer a temporary response to a crisis situation. It is the new reality of work. While most organizations were able to adapt to remote work during the pandemic, there was typically a sense that it was transitory. Instead, it turned out to be transformational.
It's not just that work has changed dramatically since the onset of the pandemic. Perhaps more important, attitudes about work have changed. Expectations about work have changed. Employees’ “worth it” equation—what people want from work and what they are willing to give in return—has changed. These changes are not a blip; they are tectonic, creating a generational shift in how we define the role of work in our lives.
These new attitudes and expectations are reflected in the numbers: 53% of employees say they are more likely to prioritize health and well-being over work than before the pandemic, according to the Microsoft 2022 Work Trend Index Annual Report.1 More than 50% of Gen Z and millennials are likely to consider changing employers this year.
In the U.S., the change in attitudes has become part of the zeitgeist, memorialized by the moniker the "Great Resignation." But, as reflected in the Work Trend Index, the phenomenon is global: The study analyzes findings from 31,000 people in 31 countries, along with an analysis of trillions of productivity signals in Microsoft 365 and labor trends on LinkedIn.
What are employees looking for? The top four aspects employees view as “very important” for a company to provide are:
- A positive culture (46%)
- Mental health/well-being benefits (42%)
- A sense of purpose/meaning (40%)
- Flexible work hours (38%)
The Challenge for Business Leaders
What does this mean for business leaders? If employee attitudes and expectations have transformed, then leadership has to change with them. Old attitudes about productivity, physical presence in an office, teamwork and collaboration all have to adapt. Cultures have to change. The Work Trend Index report advises leaders to set the standard for flexible work in a way that balances business outcomes with new employee expectations.
One of the key takeaways of the Work Trend Index is this: “An important lesson of the past two years is that managers embody and instantiate the culture for every organization. Managers are a critical bridge in evolving employee expectations and leadership priorities. If empowered, they hold the key to unlock the potential of hybrid work. Equip them with the resources and training they need to manage the transition.”
Digital technologies, of course, play a critical role in equipping managers and employees with the tools to make hybrid work possible. For example, 43% of remote employees and 44% of hybrid employees surveyed for the report said they do not feel included in meetings.2
Technology can address that in a number of innovative ways, such as AI-powered cameras designed for people not in the room; specialized meeting rooms to create a shared experience for everyone; virtual whiteboards; mixed reality for shared experiences from anywhere, using any device; and flexible calling solutions.
To achieve the benefits of these innovations, it is important to equip hybrid workers with modern devices designed for the hybrid work era, as well as a portfolio of business applications that are simple to use, familiar and capable of delivering highly productive and collaborative experiences for users.
End-to-end integrated cybersecurity is essential so employees and managers have trust and confidence wherever and whenever they are working. By having security protections such as zero trust integrated with the everyday applications workers are using, employees can be more productive and flexible, while the organization mitigates the risk of potential downtime, data breaches and successful ransomware or other cyberattacks.
Taking the Next Step
In 2022, it is time for business leaders to lead. Hybrid work is here to stay, and employee attitudes and expectations have changed. The technology to transform hybrid work from concept to reality is readily available. While many leaders say their company is planning a return to the office full time within the next year, the majority of their employees prefer the flexibility of remote and hybrid work.
Leaders should not see a return to the office as the only solution for rebuilding the social capital that has been lost during the pandemic. They should prioritize time for relationship building to happen, knowing remote and newly onboarded employees will need extra support. Managers play a crucial role in fostering close team bonds and acting as dot connectors to help employees broaden their networks. Cultural change starts at the top.
As noted in the Work Trend Index report, “Leaders must establish the why, when and how of the office. This means defining the purpose of in-person collaboration, creating team agreements on when to come together in person, defining hybrid meeting etiquette and rethinking how space can play a supporting role. Organizations that fail to grasp the new intentionality required to define the role of the office risk missing out on the true benefits of hybrid work.”
The articles and resources on this special site are designed to help business and IT leaders navigate the challenges of this new work environment, with ideas, technologies, use cases, best practices and other information built on the theme “Transforming Hybrid Work From Concept to Reality.” Many more ideas and success stories are available at Microsoft, including the e-book “Enabling Collaboration in a World of Remote Work.”
1 “Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work,” Microsoft WorkLab, March 16, 2022
2 Ibid.
