If daily life is no longer dominated by corona, will our working week go back to the way it was? We think not. They tell us what changes they think will remain and what the workplace of the future will look like.
If you had told me a year and a half ago that almost everyone would now use Microsoft Teams, we would have given you a sheepish look. Our Microsoft 365 Consultants have noticed what effect of lockdowns has had on the use of the program. Before corona I was with customers to show MS Teams as a chat and meeting tool. But at both large and small companies, people were hardly involved. When the working at home measure was introduced, there was no other choice: everyone had to meet digitally. Sales manager Wiebren Dijkstra agrees: “We had a red-hot telephone. Everyone was looking for solutions to work from home. Where Microsoft 365 (then Office 365) was primarily seen as the Word, Excel and Powerpoint package in the cloud, people are now discovering other options at breakneck speed.”
Out of necessity, the desk in the office was moved to the kitchen table. Although it was a big change for many employees to work remotely, Dijkstra also notices the flexibility of organizations. “People get used to the new situation pretty quickly. Collaboration in files and video calling is now the most natural thing in the world. Our helpdesk employees noticed this too: more questions came about the use of private computers and stable and secure Wi-Fi networks at home. In the future, companies should also think about how they facilitate their employees to work (more) from home.”
Now that video calling is the standard the interest in other functions is also increasing. “Microsoft Teams is so much more than a chat and meeting tool. All communication, information and agreements come together here. We support customers in the change process to their virtual workspace. Microsoft Teams can replace internal e-mail traffic and is the central communication place for collaboration in digital meeting rooms.” Dijkstra sees that the digital transformation is bringing about lasting change – physical appointments are no longer the standard. “You don’t necessarily have to be in the same room with colleagues to be able to work. Sometimes it is much more efficient to call in, instead of having to travel an hour and a half to an appointment. I also think that will continue in the future.”
Although organizations are now noticing that working remotely is going well, it is also clear that this is not a sustainable situation. People need personal contact. Dijkstra also argues for a good balance between the two: “Working from home is becoming an important part of the modern working week, just like video calling. I think that the office will mainly be used as a meeting place where you brainstorm with colleagues or have creative sessions. That requires a different work ethic, to prevent the boundaries between private and work from blurring.”
Online meetings will no longer disappear from the working week, both men are convinced of that. Pranger predicts: “There will be companies that will continue in the same way as before corona, but other companies will continue to innovate. Of course, this also depends on the sector and the needs of employees. But I am sure that we will deal with mobility and office buildings in a radically different way. Isn’t working just having your laptop and being able to work from anywhere? I think we can collaborate much more efficiently centrally by making optimal use of online possibilities.”
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