Optimize hybrid work with new work plans, enhanced employee engagement, and Microsoft 365

After the forced pivot to remote work due to the pandemic, companies have learned an important lesson: working from home can be effective and productive. Though the quick and easy option for a “return to work” plan might be reverting to business-as-usual pre-pandemic, innovative and growth-minded companies will want to embrace those lessons brought about by remote work. This means establishing hybrid workplace policies, which 80% of managers expect to implement and 70% of employees plan to use.

The hybrid model is changing where, when, and how employees work. Instead of the traditional employee experience, hybrid allows for increased flexibility in many respects. Hybrid workplaces may consist of employees who are:

• Fully remote, whether within commuting distance, or in another state/country

• Fully onsite

• Part remote/part onsite

• Adjusting work hours/days to outside a company’s typical workday

But along with this new flexibility comes the challenge of shifting workplace practices to make the hybrid model not just doable, but optimal. These practices can include updated workplans, employee investment and engagement practices, and technology (such as Microsoft 365 apps and features) for a seamless hybrid implementation.

Create custom hybrid work plans

A customized work plan for individuals and teams can help create a sense of cohesion and understanding across the workplace while allowing the flexibility that employees desire. A few things managers should consider when creating custom workplans for their employees are:

• The employee’s work days and hours

• The employee’s work site (at home, in the office, etc.) for each work day

• The employee’s work location (city and/or country)

• Standing meetings and/or work times, and whether they be mandatory onsite or hybrid

• The schedule of other employees on their team

By allowing flexibility while establishing work plans, employee morale and satisfaction are likely to increase as fixed expectations are set. It is important to evaluate, adjust (when necessary), and gather employee feedback on work plans regularly, perhaps during reviews or evaluations.

Invest in and engage employees

A sense of belonging is highly correlated with high levels of wellbeing, and employees who have high levels of both belonging and wellbeing are more likely to continue working for a company. Investing in employees shows they are valued, and engaging with them reduces feelings of isolation and can even increase productivity. Companies can consider the following changes and practices as they transition to hybrid workplaces:

Some companies might reimagine on-site spaces for hybrid work. This will look different for each workspace and the needs of the company. Conference rooms can be purposefully organized and furnished for both in-person employees and those attending the meeting remotely, with tables and chairs facing the monitor(s) and sound/visuals designed for those at home in mind. Companies that prefer employees working onsite more than remotely might redesign their spaces to make employees want to commute to the office.

For fully remote workers or those who work from home several days a week, many companies are investing in employees’ at-home office spaces via work-from-home stipend or credit. These funds are often used toward the purchase of desks, chairs, ergonomic keyboards or mice, and other office supplies. Equipping employees with tools to more effectively complete their work can increase productivity, and this act shows a company values the needs of their employees. At Syvantis, management and employees value high quality webcam capabilities within remote or hybrid meetings for greater equivalency between those in the office and those at home. In situations such as this, a company can provide the equipment to meet this desire (in this case, a webcam) or provide funds to obtain it.

The traditional workplace setting undeniably has benefits that are hard to mimic in remote and hybrid contexts. Serendipitous coworker connections—fostered in quick hallway chats, swinging by an office to ask questions, or sharing a lunch break—are highly prized and missed opportunities when employees work from home. These interactions are not always strictly related to work tasks, but they build a sense of community and supportive company culture. Employees who are comfortable in their team and can be their authentic selves are more likely to reach out for collaboration, be more productive, and feel more meaningfully connected with coworkers. Implementing non-work meeting or building small talk into regular meetings are two ways to bridge this gap. Virtual lunch breaks and allocating the first ten minutes in a weekly touch-base are possible actions to build these connections. A company that occasionally pays for work meals may choose to coordinate at-home lunch delivery to further connect those attending a virtual lunch.

Someone working from home can easily feel as though their work never ends. Guidelines and boundaries can be established to create work-life balance. With boundaries, employees can avoid burnout, while morale and employee retention may increase. Some boundaries may include companies encouraging employees to turn off email notifications outside of their work hours. Particularly when employees are remote, pre-planned meetings will help employees schedule their days accordingly and avoid overbooked and harried days. Employees can be encouraged to schedule time in their calendars for breaks and to tackle important to-dos. Management can show the company’s value for boundaries by modeling them.

Implement work plans and employee engagement practices using Microsoft 365 apps and features

Transitioning to a hybrid workplace may require new technology as well as new functionalities of currently utilized technology. Microsoft 365 includes many features that make the hybrid transition easier, more effective, and even enjoyable. Much of the technology featured below will help achieve goals in the previous section, namely employees feeling more engaged and developing a greater sense of belonging.

Features within Microsoft Teams meetings

Together mode (paired with purposeful room organization in the above section) can make hybrid meetings feel more inclusive, particularly for those tuning in remotely, by placing all members of the meeting into auditorium seating. To switch to large gallery, select More options (…) > Together mode.

 Live transcription with speaker attribution allows anyone to read the transcript later. Particularly helpful for someone who had to miss a meeting, live transcription can be paired with a recording for a stronger asynchronous meeting experience.

Live captions can be enabled for heightened accessibility. To use, select More options (…) > Turn on live captions.

Reduce background noise with AI-based noise suppression. No matter the reason, if an employee’s physical space is too loud for a work meeting—maybe there are children in the household, construction outside the window, or another person in the room attending their own work meeting—that employee can still participate effectively.

Participants can blur or change their background to an image if they are not comfortable sharing their home workspace, it’s messy or potentially distracting, or they just want some other image as a backdrop for the meeting (like a company image).

Focus mode, available when content is being shared, aids the participant’s focus on the content by removing the potential distraction of video feeds. To use, select More options (…) > Focus mode.

Note: to use focus mode and together mode, new meeting experience must be turned on.

PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams meetings

Presenters can create more effective and seamless meetings:

Presenter mode offers various display options so you can choose the best delivery option for your meeting – Standout pulls you out of your background and sets the presenter in front of the PowerPoint, Reporter places the presentation in a box at the presenter’s shoulder, and Side-by-side places the presenter and presentation in equal frames on the screen.

Presenter view is able to view PPT notes, past and future slides, the meeting chat, and participants, all while presenting. This view also allows co-presenters to “Take control” of the presentation. This allows for quick and easy transitions from one co-presenter to another.

Audiences can have a better meeting experience and greater inclusivity:

Interactive presentation engages the audience by allowing them to interact with content like hyperlinks and videos at their own pace.

Live reactions using emojis in real time during the presentation enable participants to quickly share their reaction without speaking or using chat. This feature is particularly beneficial for avoiding interruptions and for anyone who wants to remain quiet in meetings while still showing support.

High contrast mode shifts content to achieve the most visually clear view for greater accessibility.

Cloud file storage

Use SharePoint for shared files and team collaboration. SharePoint is beneficial to anyone sharing content generally or from a remote work location and makes hybrid collaboration easy and efficient. These files are available to anyone in the team/company from anywhere.

Use OneDrive for personal work files. Whether working remotely or at the office, these files are available to the employee from anywhere and can be shared internally or externally.

Viva Insights in Microsoft Teams

Receive reminders to schedule breaks, focused work time for prioritized tasks, and learning, stay connected with colleagues in a variety of ways.

Prioritize wellbeing through scheduled breaks and reminders for occasional “breathing breaks,” mindfully reflect and check in on your feelings, and more.