Microsoft Reveals Innovation And Productivity Compromised Due To Work From Home

Microsoft researchers have investigated the effects of the switch to work from home forced by the coronavirus for the software company and its employees. The consequences for innovation and productivity are supposedly devastating.

As the colleagues from GeekWire report, Microsoft Research examined the effects of working in the so-called home office as part of a huge study with more than 61,000 company employees. In doing so, anonymized data on chats, e-mail, and voice communication were evaluated.

The switch to “remote work” has damaged communication and collaboration between the various parts of the company, thereby threatening employee productivity and the long-term ability to innovate, according to the researchers.

The study was recently published in the science magazine Nature where Human Behavior was released. The authors state, among other things, that effects arise that hinder the exchange and maintenance of information across different parts of the company and thereby limit productivity and innovation.

Asynchronous communication prevents the rapid exchange of complex information

Employees are increasingly using “asynchronous” communication channels such as e-mail or instant messaging instead of primarily using audio and video calls, as is usually the case, according to the study. As earlier studies have already shown, this makes the exchange and processing of complex information more difficult and thus slowed down.

In a study also published last week, which looked at the opinion of employees on the subject of remote work, it was also shown that working from home has positive effects for employees. The employees interviewed for the study report that they feel a significant improvement in their relationship with superiors and that they are better supported by them.

Employee opinions on working from home generally vary widely. Some are happy that they were able to find a better work-life balance, while others prefer to work in the office. According to Microsoft, the study results show above all that a lot of flexibility and communication between employees and superiors is necessary in order to work innovatively and productively in today’s world.