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The business world has changed over the past five years — and flexible working is one of the biggest changes that businesses have seen post-COVID. After all, remote working has allowed employees to create a better work-life balance, and work wherever is best for them.
Microsoft are at the forefront of this — after all, Microsoft provide key productivity tools for businesses, and remote working is simply becoming unignorable for businesses.
That’s why, in this article, we’re going to take a look at the future of flexible work with the Microsoft Stack, and how you can take advantage of Microsoft’s products to be able to help facilitate flexible work in your workplace.
Flexible working is the option for employees to work whenever, and wherever they please. From having a flexible work schedule to utilising hybrid or remote working, more and more companies are embracing flexible work patterns.
As flexible working has developed, so have the tools available to make this dream work pattern a reality, ensuring flexible working is efficient, reliable, and achievable — ensuring your employees are 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. The Stack can be described by its name — from the inner foundations to the surface level, Microsoft has developed a software bundle that works effortlessly with each other, to ensure flexible working can be a reality.
Microsoft plays a huge role in today's flexible working environment. Industry-standard software such as Microsoft Places, Teams, 365, and Viva, all included in the Microsoft Stack, are game-changers in the industry for the future of flexible work.
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 appropriately.
· Workspace Booking: Places allows employees to easily book meeting rooms, desks, and workplaces through the app, ensuring 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, making scheduling and sharing a breeze.
· 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.
One of the most essential applications included in the Microsoft Stack is Microsoft Teams. With Teams, your employees can collaborate no matter where they are — 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.
When using Teams, employees have a place to work together efficiently. With real-time communication and file-sharing features, information has never been easier to pass along. Meetings and calls can also be hosted at any time, letting employees optimise their workflow no matter where they are.
Enabling business collaboration tools 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 will brainstorm together and work like never before alongside Microsoft Teams.
When approaching the Microsoft Stack, Microsoft 365 is the most vital part. Covering bases from Microsoft Word to OneDrive, the Microsoft 365 suite allows you to work seamlessly across many Microsoft applications.
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 world 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 to the next level.
Microsoft 365 helps employees optimise their work in the applications they’re already using — like teaching a dog new tricks, Microsoft 365 breathes new life into the Microsoft Stack, boosting employee productivity.
When taking a step into the world of flexible working, an essential part to consider is the well-being of your employees. Gathering employee feedback from every end of a large company can be challenging — which is why Microsoft Viva is here 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, for example, Viva Connections and Viva Insights, Viva can focus on every small detail 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.
Flexible work is a vital part of the modern business world, and the Microsoft Stack is enabling businesses to be able to facilitate flexible work without difficulty or strenuous circumstances. By using these tools, you can keep employee morale high without sacrificing key parts of your business.
If you’re looking to get started with Microsoft Stack but don’t know how, reach out to us today. Our experts are here to help and will ensure that you have everything you need to facilitate flexible working.
Get in touch with us now and see how we can help.