Exploring the complexity of the hybrid work paradox [promoted]

Loading player...
We all know that the world of work has been turned on its head.
A recent survey found that 58% of employees want to spend the most and least time in the office for the same reason: more focused work.
This is a key finding of The Work Trend Index survey conducted by Edelman Data & Intelligence.
The sample of more than 31 000 full-time employed or self-employed workers across 31 markets earlier this year has also helped inform Microsoft that an employee’s flexibility to work wherever they happen to be allows for more innovative thinking and a more productive state of “flow”.
Colin Erasmus, Modern Workplace and Security Business Group lead at Microsoft South Africa, joins the TechCentral podcast to talk about these findings and what Microsoft is doing to address the complexities of the required new way of working.
Think “people, places and process”, says Erasmus. “The model is simple, the employee engagement is fundamental, and the implications are measured through staff retention and business productivity.”
Microsoft is very aware of every organisation’s pressure to adapt and will always encourage a “security first” approach while not interrupting business as usual, he says.
In the podcast, Erasmus also unpacks some local examples of how Microsoft is solving business transformation requirements and guiding teams to success.
Mark Walker, associate vice president for sub-Saharan Africa at International Data Corp, also joins the discussion to expand on the survey results and shares IDC’s predictions on hybrid working. Based on multiple research sources coupled with desk research that focuses on enterprises in the Global 2 000 list, IDC expects that by 2023, for example, digital transformation and business volatility will drive 70% of the world’s largest organisations to deploy remote or hybrid-first work models, redefining work processes and engaging diverse talent pools.
Don’t miss the discussion.
22 Dec 2021 English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS+ | How AI is turning hardware into a subscription service

For most of business history, buying technology meant owning it. Capital was set aside, servers and laptops were hauled into the building alongside the software licences, and the business then sweated those assets for as long as it practically could. In the age of AI, that logic is starting to…
6 Aug 19 min

TCS+ | iStore Business on why Apple makes sense for SMEs

For small and medium enterprises, technology must do one thing above all else: get out of the way. Unlike large corporations with dedicated IT departments, SMEs run lean – and every hour spent wrestling with systems is an hour not spent on the business itself. In this episode of TechCentral’s…
30 Jul 37 min

TCS | Icasa's rules skip the real bottleneck: ACT

Communications regulator Icasa’s draft rapid deployment regulations – a critical intervention for the sector – risk failing unless the regulator brings municipalities into the process, according to Nomvuyiso Batyi, CEO of the Association of Comms & Technology (ACT). Speaking on the TechCentral Show with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Batyi said…
30 Jul 29 min

TCS+ | A smarter approach to cloud for South African businesses

South African businesses are spending millions on cloud – and many have very little to show for it. That is the uncomfortable starting point for this episode of TCS+, in which Nkosinathi Ndlovu speaks to Joel Chacko, executive head of department for cloud services at Vodacom Business, and Jonathan Oaker,…
28 Jul 21 min

TCS | How Optasia lends billions to people banks can’t see

Optasia is on target to distribute more than US$6-billion in credit across its markets in 2026 – and it carries every cent of the default risk itself. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, CEO Salvador Anglada unpacks how the JSE’s biggest recent fintech listing actually works. Formerly known as…
23 Jul 25 min