{"id":13782,"date":"2024-03-14T09:22:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T16:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=13782"},"modified":"2024-03-14T09:22:23","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T16:22:23","slug":"working-in-a-phygital-world-why-businesses-need-to-rethink-their-workspace-experiences-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/working-in-a-phygital-world-why-businesses-need-to-rethink-their-workspace-experiences-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Working in a phygital world: Why businesses need to rethink their workspace experiences now"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Microsoft\u201cPhygital\u201d (physical plus digital) is a marketing term that\u2019s often used to describe the blending of digital experiences with physical ones. As employees\u2019 and customers\u2019 ways of interaction proliferate, companies aim to seamlessly integrate them. Nothing has been impacted more by the phygital than the way in which we now work and how we collaborate, influence, and make connections with our colleagues and customers.<\/p>\n

At Microsoft, hybrid work is a way of life and it\u2019s how our employees and partners will continue to innovate. With more than 220 thousand full-time employees and 100 thousand vendors across 150 geographies, 24 different time zones, over 580 Microsoft office buildings worldwide, and an abundance of additional remote and home office locations\u2014all of which are using a myriad of technological devices and applications\u2014no one is more immersed in the realities of a phygital or hybrid working world than we are.<\/p>\n

And while a flexible, hybrid working environment continues to be a competitive advantage for many companies and their employees, it\u2019s critical that their physical environment and workspace experiences adapt and evolve to meet this new norm.<\/p>\n

With so many companies, including Microsoft, operating in a hybrid work world, now is the time to reimagine our meeting room experiences and make sure they are optimal and inclusive for all participants, whether they are in person or remote.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nathalie D’Hers, corporate vice president, Microsoft Digital<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Hybrid is here to stay but the workplace remains the critical place for collaboration<\/h2>\n

At Microsoft, we\u2019ve dedicated an entire team of designers, engineers, and researchers comprised of folks from Microsoft Digital (Microsoft\u2019s IT organization), Global Workplace Services (GWS), and the Microsoft Teams product group to think through our new phygital reality and ensure that we\u2019re creating work environments for our employees and customers that make sense now and into the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith so many companies, including Microsoft, operating in a hybrid work world, now is the time to reimagine our meeting room experiences and make sure they are optimal and inclusive for all participants, whether they are in person or remote,\u201d says Nathalie D\u2019Hers, corporate vice president of Microsoft Digital.<\/p>\n

Going forward, we know that it\u2019s imperative that companies ensure that every meeting space is enabled for hybrid work success. With that said, no one understands how daunting, expensive, and time-consuming it is to upgrade spaces more than the team here at Microsoft that\u2019s responsible for solving that challenge. That\u2019s why they\u2019re taking out some of the guesswork for our customers and helping them approach the issue head on. Whether they\u2019re optimizing experiences for new construction or remodeling existing spaces with updated capabilities, the team is focused on helping customers figure out the smartest and most efficient ways to invest in their workspaces.<\/p>\n

[Check out our suite of content that shows how we\u2019re using Microsoft Teams Rooms internally at Microsoft.<\/em><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

The Hive affords us the ability to \u2018try-storm\u2019 if you will, which is a combination of brainstorming and rapid prototyping to quickly determine if our ideas will work or not. This helps the team get to resolution faster and ensures that we produce workplace solutions that will be a value-add for our employees straight out of the gate. We\u2019re also helping our customers by removing the guess work for them and providing a significant blueprint to save them time and resources.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matthew Marzynski, principal product manager, Microsoft Digital<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"A
Matthew Marzynski is a principal product manager who supports engagement and collaboration in Microsoft Digital.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Thinking through making\u2019 to help alleviate much of the guesswork<\/h2>\n

By now, you\u2019ve probably heard about Microsoft\u2019s on-campus workplace innovation laboratory, The Hive.<\/a> The Hive is a critical space and the think tank for our team to solve for some of these workspace challenges and opportunities. Companies like Boeing have long used warehouses dedicated to mocking up the interiors of aircraft at full scale to better understand how to solve physical space, engineering, and experience design challenges, and The Hive has become that space for Microsoft.<\/p>\n

As a design expert who worked in the aerospace industry, Matthew Marzynski, a principal product manager with Microsoft Digital, knows all too well the importance of having a space like The Hive to allow the art of \u201cthinking through making,\u201d a process in which making and thinking alternate back and forth constantly, in rapid iterations, and when the making or designing is taking place intuitively. The Hive provides this necessary playground, allowing for a diverse group of thinkers and doers to share ideas and rapid prototype \u201cwhat if\u201d concepts, and where these ideas often lead to business-critical outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hive affords us the ability to \u2018try-storm\u2019 if you will, which is a combination of brainstorming and rapid prototyping to quickly determine if our ideas will work or not,\u201d Marzynski says. \u201cThis helps the team get to resolution faster and ensures that we produce workplace solutions that will be a value-add for our employees straight out of the gate. We\u2019re also helping our customers by removing the guess work for them and providing a significant blueprint to save them time and resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating a holistic experience for all participants<\/h2>\n

So, what\u2019s been the focus in The Hive as of late? The team there is working on ensuring that Microsoft is creating exceptional workspace experiences that put the phygital at the forefront, and make attending meetings worthwhile for all <\/em>employees, whether they\u2019re working from the office or remotely. This includes redesigning meeting room spaces to be less table-centric (i.e. the generic, large conference table in the middle of the room that everyone is expected to gather around). This traditional setup is a byproduct of pre-pandemic times when most of the workforce attended in-office meetings and there was little thought put into making these spaces feel inclusive.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Our newer hybrid-optimized rooms share attention equally between physical and virtual attendees (first image) while our traditionally designed rooms are focused on the table in the room (second image).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But we know that it\u2019s not enough to just improve the in-room layout, it\u2019s also imperative that these spaces are more hybrid-friendly, which means incorporating the right mix of technology, spatial audio, and design elements to create a more holistic and enhanced experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cA meeting space should have the same \u2018feeling\u2019 as a well-engineered movie theatre experience, where participants do not notice the technology, the audio equipment or acoustics, the furniture or theatre\u2019s design while they are in the space. In fact, it\u2019s not until they walk out of the room that perhaps, subconsciously, they might recognize those things in harmony added to the enjoyment of their experience,\u201d Marzynski says.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s this harmony that the team is looking for in concepts in-progress at The Hive. Where their solutions result in true integration and a sense of inclusion, and where all colleagues, whether they\u2019re physically sitting next to each other in the room, or participating from a remote location, are perceived as equals.<\/p>\n

We simply cannot redesign and transform every space into a Signature showcase room with new furniture, new technology, etc. Instead, we are innovating and reducing cost and complexity at scale. With the Teams platform and strategic investments, we can still accomplish a powerful, productive hybrid experience with minimal amount of impact to existing, traditional rooms with boring furniture.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sam Albert, principal product manager, Microsoft Digital<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A great example of some of the workspace solutions to come from The Hive, includes the new Microsoft Teams Rooms Signature Boardroom experience<\/a>, a reimagined executive boardroom that\u2019s now being used by Microsoft\u2019s senior leadership, including CEO Satya Nadella. This new Boardroom experience provides the best possible scenario for in-person and hybrid, by using a specific layout, furniture and finishes, spatial audio, and the latest Teams technology to create a more immersive experience, taking remote attendees from being merely observers of a meeting to engaged, active participants.<\/p>\n

\"
Microsoft Teams Rooms have different archetypes to fit with the various needs of our employees and each room is optimized for its audience and use case.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We realize that there are certain high value spaces, like Signature Rooms and Boardrooms, where Microsoft and other companies are willing and able to fully optimize for the best hybrid experience and that these projects will come at a higher cost, specifically in a retrofit scenario versus new construction. By aiming to reduce costs and have the highest impact across an entire workspace portfolio, tradeoffs will need to be made.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe simply cannot redesign and transform every space into a Signature showcase room with new furniture, new technology, etc. Instead, we are innovating and reducing cost and complexity at scale,\u201d says Sam Albert, a principal product manager in Microsoft Digital. \u201cWith the Teams platform and strategic investments, we can still accomplish a powerful, productive hybrid experience with minimal amount of impact to existing, traditional rooms with boring furniture.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re helping Microsoft, and our customers, maximize their real estate portfolios by creating agile spaces that can be deployed quickly and cost-effectively to help make the best use of these large spaces.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Roy Sherry, principal product manager, Microsoft Digital<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The cost of getting it right<\/h2>\n

Companies, especially Fortune 50 enterprises, are spending billions of dollars annually on their real estate footprint, with large meeting rooms and event spaces being among the most expensive to build and operate. That\u2019s why The Hive team is looking to reduce the cost of meeting rooms by up to 75 percent over the next year. One of the ways they aim to do this is by creating more flexible and scalable spaces that can be used for different scenarios.<\/p>\n

\"
Sam Albert and Roy Sherry are part of the team leading the development of Microsoft Digital\u2019s hybrid meeting experiences.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAll-hands meetings, training sessions, senior leadership gatherings, recognition and culture activities all tend to take place in larger spaces but can have very different needs and requirements,\u201d says Roy Sherry, a principal product manager in Microsoft Digital. \u201cWe\u2019re helping Microsoft, and our customers, maximize their real estate portfolios by creating agile spaces that can be deployed quickly and cost-effectively to help make the best use of these large spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why multi-purpose event rooms are part of The Hive\u2019s next order of business. With these types of large-scale spaces costing companies hundreds of thousands of dollars to deploy, it\u2019s critical that they\u2019re optimized with the products and solutions that will provide the most amount of flexibility, that align the physical space with the best digital capabilities, and that will stand the test of time.<\/p>\n

For customers wanting to get a more detailed understanding and behind-the-scenes look at the work being done in The Hive, in addition to their customer tours of the space.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that many companies need to start rethinking how their real estate is being used, specifically their workspaces and conference rooms, before millions are wasted. And one of the best, most cost-effective ways to do so is by using the Teams Rooms archetypes and specifications that The Hive has created for Microsoft as Customer Zero. These archetypes are agile and adaptable to customers\u2019 spaces, helping to make real estate and technology investments that are durable and tuned to evolving workplace needs.<\/p>\n

Microsoft and the team at The Hive are here to lead the way and help customers get the most out of the new phygital workplace reality, ensuring that conference spaces and meeting room experiences are aligned to these new expectations. By making the best use of Microsoft Teams (digital) and combining it with the right hardware, infrastructure, furniture, audio, and finishes (physical), your workplace will be transformed and at its full potential.<\/p>\n

\"Key<\/h2>\n

Here are some suggestions for rethinking your physical and digital spaces:<\/p>\n