The way we work started changing long before COVID-19. Organizations and teams have been using technology to improve the ways we all collaborate, innovate, and problem-solve for years. But when lockdowns became the norm around the world in early 2020, everything sped up.
So many of us got a hyper-speed crash course in new ways of working. Today, one thing is clear—there is still a lot to learn. Over the years, technology has delivered thousands of ways to be more efficient. But one big lesson of the pandemic for me is that efficiency alone isn’t enough. The first truly digital workforce needs technology that empowers people in every dimension of their lives by amplifying human ingenuity.
That’s why we’re launching WorkLab, a new digital publication devoted to illuminating the future of work, grounded in research and the lessons of the pandemic a year in. Amplifying ingenuity requires marrying technology to people’s fundamental needs, including focus, community, creativity, and well-being. We need tools that not only keep us “always on” but that help us stop and consider. Organizations need processes to free their teams from distraction and interruption so they can immerse themselves in the work that creates real value.
We aim to make WorkLab a destination for sharing science-based insight and thoughtful, compelling stories on how work is changing—even as the realities of work imposed by the pandemic are teaching us new lessons. Decades of research at Microsoft and elsewhere have led to the crystal-clear conclusion that happy, healthy employees who feel a sense of ownership, purpose, and belonging have a greater impact. Human ingenuity fuels the innovation that drives growth for every organization. The great opportunity of this moment is to use everything we’ve learned and to foster the conditions where ingenuity can thrive at scale—to empower everyone to achieve more, create more, and be their best.Â
We’re launching WorkLab to help seize that opportunity. In sharing what we’ve learned, we hope to start larger conversations about the future of work and help customers in the process. We especially want to get people talking about how to make work more human and thoughtful, where wellness comes together with doing well. Our greatest hope as a company and as people during these challenging times is to help everyone flourish. That’s the future of work that inspires us, as we hope it inspires you.
Join us as we figure out how to get there together.
