Microsoft Embraces the Hybrid Work Reality Via Outlook, Teams Updates
Microsoft is updating Outlook and Teams to make things a bit easier for hybrid workers.
People around the world are still figuring out if they'll be returning to their offices, continuing to work from home, or splitting their working hours between those contexts. That means a given company probably has some mix of people working virtually and in the office.
Outlook now acknowledges this reality with new RSVPs that allow people to say if they're planning to attend a meeting via something like Teams, which according to Microsoft now has more than 270 million users, or if they'll be participating in-person.
"In our survey," Microsoft says, "38% of hybrid employees say their biggest challenge is knowing when and why to come into the office, while only 28% of companies have established team agreements about who will be working from where."
The company is also bringing Loop components—which it describes as "a new way to ideate, create, and make decisions together"—to Outlook; it debuted in Teams in January.
"Now you can brainstorm, complete action items, and get the latest status from your team without having to switch context or apps," Microsoft says. "A single component can be updated at the same time whether you are in Teams or Outlook."
Teams is also being updated with a feature called "Speaker coach," which "uses AI to privately provide guidance on your pace, notify you if you are interrupting someone, and remind you to check in with your audience" as well as the ability to assign live interpreters during meetings.
Microsoft says Teams will also get a new "Inspiration library" that "turns insights into action with access to curated content and best practices from top sources like Harvard Business Review and Thrive." Other
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