Post-COVID-19 workspaces

The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent national lockdown have completely changed the working spaces. Many employers have previously been sceptical about letting employees work remotely as they are convinced it will cause works to ‘slack off’. However, with the entire nation at home order, businesses have had no choice but to allow their employees to work from home. This has presented both employees and employers the opportunity to find out whether working from home is a lucrative business decision post-COVID-19. With Microsoft applications, organisations can facilitate a new way of conducting business in a post-COVID-19 world.

Online meetings

The current lockdown has highlighted to many businesses the power of technology. With applications such as Microsoft Teams, employees are able to conduct productive and effective meetings online and through video calls. This time has also highlighted that not everyone is needed on every meeting, and not every decision needs to be made in a meeting. With Microsoft Team’s employees are able to view notes taken during a meeting that they were not needed in, this allows them to get any extra information they feel they need. However, it also means that meetings are not overcrowded with too many people. By using such an effective tool, like Microsoft Teams, businesses are able to save employees time. These online applications need to be considered by business leaders when the lockdown ends, and business resumes.

Sharing documents

Thanks to Office 365 One Drive sharing documents to people in other locations has never been more simple and efficient. It also allows teams to collaborate on documents together, therefore, ensuring that remote working, especially in the current situation, is effective while still allowing people to collaborate. By using applications like Microsoft 365, businesses can ensure that communication remains a priority even with employees working remotely. It also helps teams remain up-to-date with what projects have and have not been completed due to the real-time updates on progress with Planner.

Internal Apps

Microsoft PowerApps has proved during this lockdown that the need for internal apps is essential when working remotely. PowerApps allows companies to develop apps for internal use which can optimise business processes. These apps developed allows users to access data from over 200 data sources, ensuring that those working remotely have all the information they need to do their job efficiently. By automating work processes, teams are able to work at an optimal level no matter where they are working.

With these Microsoft applications getting businesses through the lockdown, they have opened the eyes of business leaders across the country, which could, therefore, see a rise in remote working within companies post COVID-19.