Microsoft updates Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint to be hybrid work ready

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft was the first company to warn other businesses about the change in work habits caused by the Pandemic. Microsoft has embraced remote work both in its products and in practice with regard to how and where its employees get work done. Changes to Microsoft Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and even Surface hardware are being announced today to improve the hybrid realities of remote and office work.

Microsoft is updating Outlook to make it easier to see if colleagues are going to attend a meeting in person or not. The public preview of Outlook RSVP will allow meeting attendees to choose if they are joining virtually or in-person.

Image: Microsoft

Nicole Herskowitz, vice president of Microsoft Teams, said in an interview that this is just one piece that will help employees understand who will be in the office and how to improve meeting experiences. It doesn't appear to be as comprehensive as Gmail's work location feature, but the company is thinking about how to surface that at a glance view.

Improvements are arriving to better accommodate remote participants once people are in a Microsoft Teams meeting. The video gallery is being moved to the bottom of the screen in Teams so that people can see remote colleagues face to face. Microsoft has been promising this new layout for nearly a year, and it has been a big part of the company's vision for the future of meetings.

Microsoft is updating the companion device experience for Teams Rooms so in-person attendees can join meetings with their own device and be prompted to enable their video so remote participants can see them more easily inside a meeting room. This is a big change for most businesses.

Image: Microsoft

A new Surface Hub smart camera is being introduced by Microsoft. You can read all about it here.

Microsoft has a vision for the future of work that includes loop components. Blocks of collaborative Office content can live independently and be copied, pasted, and shared with others. Imagine taking notes in a Teams meeting and copying them into an email, but the notes continue to update as other people edit them inside emails and Teams.

It is a powerful concept that Microsoft has been promising for a couple of years now. After appearing in Teams in January, Loop components are now making their way to Outlook mail, linking together Microsoft's main communications tools.

Microsoft's take on hybrid work wouldn't be complete without some improvements to PowerPoint. The recording studio features of PowerPoint are being combined. You can integrate a Microsoft Teams camera into your presentation, and record yourself speaking to a slide. The combination will be available in Q2 to improve the meeting experience for remote colleagues.

Image: Microsoft

Improvements to Microsoft Whiteboard in Teams are arriving in Q2. Whiteboard is a blank canvas for creativity, but it can be difficult to visually represent your ideas. Microsoft is adding more than 50 templates so it is quicker to start writing and there are new contextual reactions for instant feedback from colleagues.

Microsoft's own research data from more than 30,000 people at businesses around the world influences all of these product changes. The latest work trend index data from Microsoft gives insight into employee thoughts on hybrid work.

Over 50 percent of people are more likely to prioritize health and wellbeing over work now than before the Pandemic. According to Microsoft, 18 percent of people quit their jobs last year, and many say work-life balance, flexibility, and wellbeing are important over salary considerations.

The problem for businesses now is to make offices worthwhile and to further embrace flexible working. Microsoft's changes to how Teams functions will be a welcome improvement to ensure remote colleagues feel just as important as those in-person, as many will face the choice of attending an office when it makes sense and otherwise working from home.

Microsoft is going to show us how it will affect Windows for hybrid work. The software maker is holding an event on April 5th that will focus on new productivity and security improvements to Windows 11 that reflect the new reality of office and remote work that many now face.