Microsoft report reveals new trends, productivity paranoia, in the hybrid work era

A new Microsoft Work Trend report revealed that shifts to hybrid work and increased workload are leading to productivity paranoia.

Eighty-seven per cent of employees reported they are productive at work, while 85 per cent of leaders said the shift to hybrid work has made it challenging to have confidence that people are being productive. This shift has led to productivity paranoia, where leaders are uneasy about whether people are being productive and working on the correct task.  

Only 12 per cent of leaders said they have full confidence in their team’s productivity. But almost 90 per cent of employees 
reported they are productive at work. 

In addition, the number of meetings per week has grown by 153 per cent globally for the average Microsoft Teams user since the start of the pandemic. Workers are flooded with meeting invites, and declines and tentative acceptances have increased in the past two years.

When it comes to returning to the office, 73 per cent of employees and 78 per cent of business decision makers said they need a better reason to go in than just company expectations.

The report also revealed that socializing and connecting with coworkers are important to employees. Eighty-four per cent of employees would be motivated to go into the office by the promise of socializing with coworkers, while 85 per cent are motivated by rebuilding team bonds.

Microsoft also announced an expansion to Microsoft Viva: Viva Amplify, which is designed to engage employees and connect them when working apart. It features a Leadership Corner in Viva Engage, which provides a space to invite employees to interact directly with leadership.

Enhancements to Microsoft Viva also include new integrations between Viva Learning and LinkedIn Learning which will make it even easier to access content from LinkedIn Learning Hub right in the flow of work in Teams.

Additionally, the new Viva Connections home experience will bring all of Microsoft Viva’s apps into one place, and the Viva briefing email will provide more personalized productivity recommendations.

The company is also rolling out Viva Sales, the first role-based experience app in the platform. Viva Sales brings together a seller’s CRM with Microsoft 365 and Teams to provide a more streamlined and AI-powered selling experience. It will become generally available on October 3.