{"id":385080,"date":"2020-10-14T11:49:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T10:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/?p=385080"},"modified":"2020-11-16T08:52:04","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T07:52:04","slug":"fa1-flexible-ways-of-working-are-here-to-stay-new-research-shows-the-impact-on-innovation-and-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/work-productivity-en\/na\/fa1-flexible-ways-of-working-are-here-to-stay-new-research-shows-the-impact-on-innovation-and-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"Flexible ways of working are here to stay \u2013 New research shows the impact on innovation and productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, the workforce throughout Western Europe has been largely rooted in a predicable rhythm of business \u2013 a workday that consists of clocking in at 9, clocking out at 5 and two hectic commutes on either side.\u00a0 With the onset of Covid-19, we\u2019ve seen that 200+ year-old model completely up-ended.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With organizations across Western Europe\u00a0<\/span>adapting to the new normal<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>commissioned new research with Boston Consulting Group and KRC Research to help our\u00a0<\/span>cu<\/span>stomers navigate this uncertain time and best support their talent. Engaging with thousands of<\/span>\u00a0workers and leaders across\u00a0<\/span>Western Europe, we asked people about their experiences with remote working as well as about their expectations for the future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

95% of surveyed business leaders cited the importance of changing their firm\u2019s ways of working to become more innovative and\u00a0flexible<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Both leaders and workers\u00a0<\/span><\/b>agree flexible, hybrid working is here to\u00a0<\/span><\/b>stay<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>While\u00a0<\/span>employees still see value in working from a main office at least some of the time; on average, people would like to spend approximately\u00a0<\/span>one-third (31%)<\/span>\u00a0of time<\/span>\u00a0outside of the traditional office<\/span>\u00a0setting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Working remotely during the pandemic, they have discovered the benefits of working from home, including spending more time with family and friends,\u00a0<\/span>dressing more casually or\u00a0<\/span>have more time for hobbies.\u00a0<\/span>People\u00a0<\/span>see time spent in the office as a powerful way to maintain bonds with their colleagues.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Similarly, leaders expect a different way of working for the foreseeable future<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Senior executives see the opportunity to maintain productivity gains<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>while, at the same time, improve employee engagement. Our research found that eight of 10 leaders reported equal or increased productivity with remote working, and well over half see it as a powerful way to help retain their best workers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Consider this: l<\/span>ast year, a small minority (15%) of companies had a set remote work policy, now a healthy majority (77%) do.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"a

Working at home.<\/p><\/div>\n

What businesses have learned about working more virtually: ensuring productivity is easy \u2013 promoting innovation\u00a0<\/span><\/b>less so\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Many<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>business<\/span>\u00a0leaders<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>state\u00a0<\/span>that the challenge\u00a0<\/span>with more remote working has not been related to\u00a0<\/span>business continuity or product<\/span>ivity. Rather, the issue is around ensuring teams continue feeling tight-knit and very much connected to the pulse of company\u2019s culture.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>hen people are physically t<\/span>ogether five days a week, it\u2019s easy to<\/span>\u00a0bo<\/span>nd \u2013 whether it\u2019s sharing<\/span>\u00a0joke at the watercooler, having a casual team lunch, or hunkering down together to meet a deadline. Further, in an office setting, senior staff literally\u00a0<\/span>have the ability to<\/span>\u00a0\u201cwalk the halls\u201d and talk with employees in a more informal way.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All of<\/span>\u00a0these seemingly little things add up to have a big impact on the health of a business.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bold new thinking thrives when people feel like they are part of a trusted team and feel like they are a valued part of something bigger themselves. So, it\u2019s a red flag when we see e<\/span>mployees\u2019 top-three ch<\/span>allenges with remote working<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Maintaining a conducive work culture\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Team cohesion\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Coping with increased silos.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And, it\u2019s only logical to expect to see a drop innovation, as it\u2019s hard for new ideas to thrive in an environment where people feel more disconnected from their employer and their teams:\u00a0 similar research\u00a0<\/span>l<\/span>ast year<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>found 56% of leaders thought their companies were innovative around core products and services \u2013 this time it has fallen to 40%.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The key takeaway from all of this is that the success of teamwork in a more hybrid world<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>although<\/span>\u00a0highly dependent on having the right technology<\/span>\u00a0tools<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>goes\u00a0<\/span>beyond<\/span>\u00a0it.<\/span> Innovation is fueled when people feel empowered to connect with colleagues, take smart risks and speak up when they have new ideas.\u00a0 So, the challenge for businesses will be ensuring people feel connected to their teammates and to clearly see how the work they do as a team contributes to realizing the vision of the company. Successful teams will not only be characterized by how productive they are, but by the sense of comradery, empathy and trust each team member feels.\u00a0 This is the very human key to innovation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, the workforce throughout Western Europe has been largely rooted in a predicable rhythm of business \u2013 a workday that consists of clocking in at 9, clocking out at 5 and two hectic commutes on either side.\u00a0 With the onset of Covid-19, we\u2019ve seen that 200+ year-old model completely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":385089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-385080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","specials-work-productivity-en","stories-how-can-i-work-anywhere-and-everywhere","stories-working-from-everywhere-en","businessPriorities-modern-workplace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385080"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=385080"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":396431,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/385080\/revisions\/396431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=385080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=385080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}