Redmond-based tech giant Microsoft and its social media and professional platform LinkedIn have launched several new features and product innovations to help companies transition to hybrid work.
Hybrid working means that employees can work in their physical offices and remotely.
Admittedly, companies across the world have been navigating the challenges and opportunities of hybrid work, and while at it, it has since emerged that technology is seen as the greatest enabler.
The two tech organizations have thus come together to help their employees and their customers as they transform for hybrid work and reimagine everything from meetings that transcend space and time to a digital employee experience that everyone can access from anywhere – right in the flow of their work.
One of the ways that have been adopted to meeting the demands of the hybrid experience is the Microsoft Teams Rooms innovations. The feature entails a new category of intelligent cameras that support AI-powered active speaker tracking, multiple video streams that allow in-room participants to be placed in their own video pane, and people recognition.
Besides, and in a bid to make remote presentations more engaging, Microsoft announced the launch of cameo, a new PowerPoint experience that integrates the Teams camera feed into a presentation to allow the presenter to customize how and where they want to appear on the screen with their slides.
MS has also launched a new Outlook RSVP feature that lets people specify whether they will attend in person or remotely.
Moreover, the redesigned Working hours will allow users to include work schedule specifics directly in their calendar, so others can know when and where you’ll be working as we adjust to more flexible work hours and locations.
On the LinkedIn side of things, the platform is rolling out new fields within job postings where organizations can now signal if the open job is remote, hybrid, or on-site, helping job seekers search and discover jobs that align with how they want to work.
LinkedIn also says that in the near future, the app will also have a way for companies to share how they are approaching the future of work on their company page including vaccination requirements if they plan to go back to an office, stay remote, or go hybrid.
Also to note is that LinkedIn has made near 40 LinkedIn Learning courses free until October 9, 2021. The courses will be pivotal to LinkedIn members and HR pros, who can then build critical skills that are crucial to thriving in today’s workplace – be it in-person, remote, or hybrid.
Lastly, LinkedIn has announced that its skill-building platform, LinkedIn Learning Hub, will be enhanced to help companies build their employees’ skills through personalized content, community-based learning, and skill-development insights that will inform their overall learning and development strategy.
“Right now, every leader is grappling with how to have effective hybrid meetings, often with limited equipment and resources. Hybrid meetings are an entirely new kind of meeting and require rethinking how we approach and conduct them to ensure we’re putting every attendee on equal footing, no matter where they’re sitting,” says Satya Nadella, the Microsoft CEO in a statement.
