Microsoft’s predictions for the future of work
The tech giant foresees an end to the traditional 9-to-5 workday, but there may still be hope—and need—for physical offices.
The chaos wrought by COVID-19 is forcing even the most ardent traditionalists to reconsider how businesses can and should operate.
Will these adaptations last beyond the pandemic, or will we snap back to “normal” when the danger fades?
Microsoft explores these ideas in its second Work Trend Index, which crystallizes insights from more than 2,000 remote workers. The data also draws from “30 research projects from across Microsoft that seek to understand the experience for remote workers today via surveys, interviews, diary studies, focus groups, and studies of the human brain.”
Its key findings include:
Brainwaves show remote collaboration fatigue is real.
Microsoft conducted a fascinating study that found “brainwave patterns associated with stress and overwork were much higher when collaborating remotely than in-person.” The data also revealed that teams who initially worked together remotely found in-person collaboration more difficult afterward.
(All images via Microsoft.)
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