Microsoft

The digital optimists

THE CIRCLE

Microsoft Switzerland will soon be moving into the CIRCLE at the airport Zurich. There is plenty of open space and collaboration rooms of all sizes for the approximately 400 employees in the Zurich region. Classic focus workstations, on the other hand, are down to 88. Hybrid working is no longer a vision of the future. We spoke with Marc Holitscher, National Technology Officer at Microsoft Switzerland, about the hybrid future. This much is certain: we have a unique opportunity to completely rethink the way we work now.

 

Marc Holitscher, National Technology Officer at Microsoft Switzerland


Mr. Holitscher - around 400 of Microsoft Switzerland's 600 employees will soon be moving into the CIRCLE. What awaits them?

Not a place to write emails or make phone calls, but a place to meet and innovate.

Microsoft has been using remote work principles since 2012. Already in Wallisellen, the focus was on communal spaces. What is different in the CIRCLE? Had the pandemic led to short-term changes in the room design?

We have rented another 1,000 m² for the Microsoft Technology Center, which will open its doors in January 2022. There we want to meet with customers to discuss new technologies and bring them to life.

70 percent of our office space in the CIRCLE is also open to our partners and customers. We want to come into the office to innovate together. This trend has intensified once again. In Wallisellen, there were 290 focus workplaces. In CIRCLE, there are still 88.

A clear sign that physical presence is not required for employees.

Yes. With us - with a few exceptions - no one has to be on site. The individual teams should organize among themselves - in a way that it's right for the customer, but also for each individual team member. Studies show that people do want to get together. We want to offer attractive opportunities for this in our space in the CIRCLE.

You address the paradox that Microsoft's annual Work Trend Index highlights: 71 percent of the Swiss employees surveyed would like the hybrid work model, and over 70 percent would like to spend more time physically with their teams. Does Microsoft already have answers to this?

Technology makes many things possible. The experience of hybrid meetings, for example, is improving continuously - with Microsoft Teams, but also thanks to modern infrastructure in meeting rooms. Speakers and cameras automatically focus on the person who is speaking. The meeting rooms here at CIRCLE have been designed and equipped to ensure an optimal meeting experience for people on-site and virtually.

Technology allows for flexibility. Spaces can be customized. We should use that to our advantage - for the well-being of employees as much as for the long-term success of the company.

Since the pandemic, Microsoft Teams is probably as well known to typical Swiss citizens as Migros or Coop. What do you make of it?

We're enormously proud that we've been able to empower so many people to use Teams to continue working, continue their studies, or simply stay in touch with family and friends. At the same time, it was and is a huge responsibility and a real stress test for the system. The good news: our data centers passed the test. The enormous and rapid demand could not have been cushioned with any other infrastructure. It is gratifying to see that more and more companies are making use of the benefits of the Microsoft Cloud in Switzerland and that Microsoft Teams is becoming the center of everyday work.

The hybrid is a reality. People want to work this way. We have a unique opportunity to completely rethink the way we work now.

Technologically, some Swiss companies have made a leap forward. They have brought their infrastructure up to date. But Microsoft also often talks about culture. The new Microsoft Technology Center wants make technology tangible. After infrastructure, where do CH companies still have the most catching up to do in order to successfully create a hybrid working model?

At Microsoft, we live in a kind of bubble in terms of technology. At many companies, there are still people who don't have mobile devices. No webcams. That's where we're in a very privileged situation at Microsoft. We have and get everything to fully embrace the hybrid work model.

We think the 3 Ps are paramount for a hybrid future.

PEOPLE: People need to understand and be able to assess how they can use technology to improve things for themselves. This requires regular education and training.

PLACES: Spaces need to be redesigned to serve different purposes and new needs.

PROCESS: Every single process, no matter how small, must be put to the test and rethought.

For example, how will we handle confidential documents that exist only on paper in the future? Can confidential documents be taken home? How do we ensure that we get the necessary signatures for contracts when not everyone is working on site anymore?

We have a unique opportunity to completely rethink the way we work now. The hybrid is a reality. People want to work this way - for Generation Z, anything else would be unthinkable.

Jedes Unternehmen braucht jetzt einen genauen Plan, wie man in Zukunft physisch und digital verbindet. Aber wir brauchen dafür auch die richtigen regulatorischen Rahmenbedingungen, die es uns ermöglichen, modernste Technologien einzusetzen. Die heutigen Gesetze wurden teils vor der Internet-Ära gemacht. Auch sie müssen neu gedacht werden. Dies soll verantwortungsvoll und keinesfalls auf Kosten von nicht verhandelbaren Werten wie Transparenz, Sicherheit oder dem Schutz der Privatsphäre geschehen.

Wir bei Microsoft sind digitale Optimisten. Wir glauben daran, dass sich eine hybride Welt schaffen lässt, in der wir erfolgreicher zusammenarbeiten und besser leben.

Using TIME effectively

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Our CEO Reto Meneghini writes about the past year in his blog post (German only):

"We had the opportunity this year to try out a lot of new things in the world of work. Using the learnings gained from this, the task now is to shape the 'future of work'."

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ONE learning is being discussed very intensively at the moment: the downside of working from home. The blurring of the borders between work and private life and too much disconnection among work colleagues can have a negative impact on the well-being of employees as well as on the performance and innovation capacity of teams and organizations.

We have finally moved away from seeing remote working primarily as a feel-good issue for selected employees - and we are already learning about the limits of 'mass-scale working from home'.

The work model of the future is hybrid

Like so often, it's a matter of finding a middle ground. A combination of virtual and face-to-face collaboration, of home office and in the office - but with new rules (see blog post "Let's go hybrid") and with the help of the right tools. So that employees can work - and live - in a 'healthy' way. So that leaders can successfully manage their teams remotely and companies can make the best use of a hybrid work model.

We want to respond to the changing nature of modern collaboration: first and foremost by helping our clients to understand how the factor ‘time’ is dealt with. Based on this, it is important to set the right course for healthy modern working - in the hybrid model.

Setting the course for healthy modern working - in the hybrid model.

Workplace Analytics

For this purpose, two dimensions are important: that of the individual worker and that of the teams and the organization.

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Employees should be able to access and use the right tools from anywhere to maintain healthy separation between work and private life. Microsoft has developed MyAnalytics for this purpose: With this tool, employees can better manage their working hours and increase their well-being at work based on individual data analysis. Among other things, MyAnalytics helps me to create important free spaces for my personal tasks in my tightly packed schedule.

Microsoft Workplace Analytics (WPA) extends the idea of MyAnalytics to the enterprise level, targeting decision makers rather than individual workers. Team leaders, department managers, and corporate CEOs can use WPA to more easily understand how the resource 'time' is generally used in the company:

  • Time for individual work versus cross-team and cross-company collaboration.

  • Time for innovation and creativity versus time for day-to-day tasks

  • Time for meetings versus focus work

  • Time for the team versus own work

  • Time for oneself versus time for the community

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Microsoft Workplace Analytics provides data-driven insights into work patterns that impact well-being, productivity and business performance. With this understanding, challenges of various kinds can be addressed in a targeted or preventative manner: Work patterns that increase the risk of burnout, reduce efficiency, or impact team performance can be identified. Resource-intensive activities can be examined even more specifically in terms of cost/benefit.

The analytics app supports companies in developing a deeper understanding of their internal organization and deriving opportunities for improvement from this - which can be particularly helpful for healthy, modern work in the hybrid model.

No conclusions about individuals

Important to know: Protective measures such as anonymization, aggregation and 'differential privacy' are integrated in the tool by default to protect personal data. Thus, no conclusions can be drawn about individuals. WPA can be used in compliance with legal regulations such as the GDPR.

Where to start?

Microsoft Workplace Analytics opens up many new possibilities. The question that comes up is thus, which are the objectives to be pursued.

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We recommend that companies start with small steps: gain initial experience in teams before taking a closer look at the organization as a whole. One example is the sales team: based on behavioral patterns, successful sales teams can be compared with less successful ones. Based on this comparison, data-driven action plans for optimization can be recommended and implemented. Changes in behavioral patterns can be made visible through regular measurement and analysis.

This is just one example of many. As a certified WPA Microsoft partner (see box), we can support companies in the use of WPA - from initial analysis, configuration and monitoring to evaluation and consulting for improvement programs.

Interested in what opportunities WPA offers your organization? We are happy to talk about it with you.

Andreas Hänni is Partner and COO at MondayCoffee AG.

INFORS HT: Pioneering in a future-oriented working environment

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INFORS HT is in many ways an exemplary SME. What began in 1965 in an empty kiosk in Basel has grown over the years into one of the most important developers and manufacturers of shakers and bioreactors. The family-owned company has a worldwide trading network and seven subsidiaries. Open-minded thinking and the implementation of unconventional ideas have characterized the company's culture since the beginning.

The open-mindedness towards new things also proved itself with regard to the technologies the family business uses for communication and collaboration. INFORS HT was among the first companies in Switzerland to replace its old on-premises telephone infrastructure with the cloud solution Microsoft Teams. As an expert in digitalized work platforms and the configuration of Microsoft technologies, MondayCoffee had the privilege to support them in this transition. We interviewed Pascal Meury (Senior Project Manager) and Julia Brück (Marketing Specialist) to learn more about the implementation and benefits of the new solution.


Digital working has become very important in the pandemic. At INFORS HT, you were already well equipped because you had a future-oriented solution for digital communication and collaboration in Microsoft Teams. How did you benefit from the early investment in Microsoft Teams?  

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Pascal Meury: The transition to the home office took place without delay. Our colleagues were already familiar with Microsoft Teams, as we have been using the solution since 2019. The digital way of working - especially in terms of calling, chatting, collaborating - had already been established. That was a huge advantage. The pandemic made it clear that we had chosen the right solution in the fall of 2018. 

 

At the time, you decided in favor of Microsoft Teams and against Skype for Business. What was your motivation?  

Pascal Meury: We had to replace the old telephone infrastructure in 2019. The investment in a new solution was unavoidable. However, we had already looked into the topic ahead of time. Our appetite for new technologies led us to look at modern solutions at an early stage. Microsoft Teams convinced us because it was the only solution that combined voice, video conferencing and collaboration. And it could be easily integrated with existing systems using familiar tools. Another important motivator was the requirement that the solution had to be sustainable and easy to manage for our IT. As an SME, we have limited resources at our disposal, and we need to make the best use of them. 

Our appetite for new technologies led us to look at modern solutions early on. Microsoft Teams convinced us because it was the only solution that combined voice, video conferencing and collaboration.
— Pascal Meury

And how did you deal with the risk of investing in a rather new technology?  

Pascal Meury: At INFORS HT, we are fundamentally open to new things. We recognized that Microsoft Teams would be the future. The solution covered our needs as an SME and we were prepared to deal with the remaining risk. 

 

With the introduction of Microsoft Teams, some adjustments had to be made to the IT infrastructure. INFORS HT had to be 'prepared' for the cloud, in a sense. What can you recommend to other companies that still have to take this step (into the cloud)? 

Pascal Meury: To take the step, because it's worth it. Today, we rely on the cloud wherever possible so that we can keep up with developments and offer our employees worldwide a modern infrastructure. At the same time, on-premises solutions would no longer be manageable for our IT, and this is probably similar for other SMEs. The advantages of a central cloud solution, integrated into the Microsoft world, are obvious. 

My recommendation is to know your own systems and processes well, very well, before you go to the cloud. 

To provide our employees worldwide with a modern infrastructure, we now rely on the cloud wherever possible.
— Pascal Meury
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What did you do right when you introduced Microsoft Teams? What would you do differently today?  

Pascal Meury: We are convinced that we relied on the best solution and the right partner. A small project team dealt intensively with the change in working methods at an early stage. We brought the people involved and affected on board right at the beginning in order to gain a good understanding of the necessary adjustments to the system landscape and the impact on processes, as well as to carry out the necessary training in a targeted manner.  

What would we do differently? Equip everyone who makes a lot of phone calls with better headsets. That might have accelerated the transition from desk phones to headsets. In the meantime, almost everyone has returned their desk phones. 

Does Microsoft Teams cover your needs for modern communication and collaboration today? Or what is still on your wish list?  

Pascal Meury: Yes - our basic needs are covered. But you always have a wish list at the ready. There is still room for improvement when it comes to collaboration with external parties - for example, using Microsoft Teams Live Events for webinars. Or for digital workshops. But there will certainly be new features there soon. And to our advantage, the new functions will be available automatically, without IT first having to perform a system update. 

 

In your company profile, you talk about an uncomplicated and family-oriented corporate culture. Does Microsoft Teams help you to live this culture even more strongly?  

Julia Brück: A corporate culture develops independently of tools and software. Where there was no good face-to-face exchange before, there won't be with Microsoft Teams. But the solution enables us to communicate more easily - especially with our branches abroad. Today, I can talk to my colleagues in Brazil, North America or Asia on the phone easily and more cost-effectively. Work can be done faster. 

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When asked where the greatest added value of Microsoft Teams lies, what would someone from your company say today?  

Julia Brück: Today, if an employee wants to call a work colleague, she doesn't have to switch between her cell phone and landline number to reach the person, because everything is synchronized with Microsoft Teams. And integration with SharePoint Online makes it easy to share documents between branches or even with external parties. I see it in my own work: everything used to be done via email. A document was sent via email, then the phone call followed. Today, everything happens simultaneously and much more efficiently than before.

 
 

20 years MondayCoffee – about paradigm shifts, cloud and corona

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Today 20 years ago MondayCoffee was founded. The company’s mission is more important than ever: MondayCoffee supports companies in establishing a digital way of working. 

A conversation with Reto Meneghini, CEO & founder of MondayCoffee, about the changes of the last 20 years, the opportunities of the current digitalization push and what they themselves have learned


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Reto, in the founding year of MondayCoffee the dotcom bubble burst. In its 20th anniversary year a pandemic causes far-reaching consequences for society and economy. How was the time in between? 

At half time there was also the financial crisis...It was quite an eventful time and I do believe that things will not slow down. 

When I think back to the dotcom bubble, where many people thought that the money, we could make with the Internet was pure imagination, then we have to admit to today that the opposite has happened. We have moved into the Internet era much faster than we thought. 

Especially IT – with the cloud. When Microsoft Office 365 was launched, we were among the first partners in Switzerland to sell the product. At first, we didn't know what to do with it – because the cloud was intended to help SMEs professionalize their IT in a cost-effective way. For our customer segment, the larger companies, the cloud was not on the agenda. Their attitude at the time was that they could do it better themselves and would never give their data into the hands of Microsoft. Today we have enough proof that the cloud works. In Switzerland, the Swiss Cloud cleared one last hurdle. 

Were there other paradigm shifts over the last few years? 

Oh yes. IT was a necessary evil 20 years ago. An expensive piece of infrastructure. A classic cost center. Today, IT is a success driver. CTOs and CDOs now sit on the executive boards. Many business models would not be possible without IT. 

We used to sell our knowledge - from techies to techies - on an hourly basis as a classic service provider. Today, we are a service provider and a software vendor at the same time.
— Reto Meneghini, CEO & Founder MondayCoffee

What was the impact on MondayCoffee? How is MondayCoffee different today than 20 years ago when you started your business? 

We used to sell our knowledge - from techies to techies - on an hourly basis as a classic service provider. Today, we are a service provider and a software vendor at the same time. In 2010 we launched the first version of CoffeeNet. Instead of doing everything from scratch for each company with the same result, we developed an out-of-the-box software that ensures an optimal configuration of Microsoft 365 and improves the user experience. 

The discussion shifted to the end user and from the technology itself to what the technology can do. Today adoption is on everyone's lips. But 10 years ago, it was very unusual for a technology vendor to talk to end users. Suddenly, we were no longer just sitting at the table with IT, but were invited by communications managers, HR managers and COOs to help them establish a digital way of working. 

In the year 2017 the Office in Munich was opened

In the year 2017 the Office in Munich was opened

20 years ago, we were only operating in Switzerland. Since then, we have opened an office in Germany and also serve German and Austrian companies. We have sales partners in other European countries and are able to acquire new customers around the globe. The cloud takes us everywhere and I am convinced that MondayCoffee will become even more international. 

  

Speaking of MondayCoffee: How many times have you been asked what is behind this name? What does coffee have to do with working digitally? 

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I can count on my hand how many times I haven't been asked. BlackWidow21 and other exotic names were on the whiteboard at that time, when we were looking for names over beer and bratwurst. MondayCoffee was the one we liked best. If ever I made a good marketing decision, it was the choice of name. Exactly because the name is misleading, everyone remembers - that we are different from the others. 

If ever I made a good marketing decision, it was the choice of name. Exactly because the name is misleading, everyone remembers - that we are different from the others. 
— Reto Meneghini, CEO & Founder MondayCoffee

What makes MondayCoffee different? 

We are real experts and users of Microsoft products. But we don’t talk to customers about the products or the technology, but what they can do with them. We don't go for the classic feature talk when we present our product but show how we work with it and what the advantages are for the end users. Because they are often overwhelmed by the variety of Microsoft tools. We simplify their life with CoffeeNet 365 and by providing with use cases they can choose from leaving the configuration of Microsoft tools to the algorithms. 

We often hear you say: digitization starts with the employees. Have all employees now become digital overnight because they had to work digitally out of necessity? 

Collaboration still too often happens over e-mail, with a file server and a telephone. Although technologies to make teamwork more flexible, more efficient and easier have been around for 20 years. Companies are simply overwhelmed. They want to become more digital, but then they realize that the adoption of a digital way of working is more complex and it is easier to stay the same. 

In recent weeks, however, familiar patterns have had to be abandoned. Suddenly, everyone switches on their camera when talking over Microsoft Teams. Technologies for video conferencing have been around for over 10 years, and it was Corona that really made us aware of the added value. 

For example, we recently conducted training sessions on Microsoft Teams for a customer. Originally it was planned that we would concentrate the training on one or two days and hold it physically. Because we also always thought that was better. It turns out that several but shorter training sessions via video are even better received. The same applies to contract negotiations. I was always the first to say that you have to be on site for negotiations. Being able to look the buyer in the eye. The last few weeks have taught me the opposite. If this challenging time has had one positive effect, it is that myths have been dispelled and entrenched processes have been changed for the better, even for us. 

If this challenging time has had one positive effect, it is that myths have been dispelled and entrenched processes have been changed for the better, even for us.
— Reto Meneghini, CEO & Founder MondayCoffee

What about the impact of this digitalization push on other companies? 

In times of need, we had to, or rather were allowed to, concentrate on the real added value of digitization. All of a sudden it became clear how important digitization is for our economy. For ourselves. Many will invest even more in digitization in the future. 

What I am personally very pleased about, as a long-standing advocate, is that the potential for home office for service countries (such as Switzerland and also Germany) is now finally being addressed. Many companies and employees will have noticed that home office is a good alternative. A taboo has been broken. 

  

What shall we do now to make sure this push for digitization does not fizzle out? 

Many people now know how video conferencing over Microsoft Teams works. But digital collaboration goes far beyond that. How and where do we store data so that it can be retrieved even after a long time? How do we plan tasks, work together on confidential documents? Every work scenario must be analyzed, and the best possible use of Microsoft tools understood and implemented. 

Let’s have a look into the crystal ball. How do you see the celebrations of MondayCoffee's 30th birthday? 

If I had looked into the crystal ball 20 years ago and seen where we stand today, I would have said "Never". I'd rather concentrate with the team on today. We have plenty of work to do, because there is still an incredible amount of potential out there. 

Change will come. And I am happy that even at 20 years old we still feel young, dynamic and eager for change. 

Do not let the push for digitization fizzle out

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With the Corona crisis, the digitalization of the world of work is experiencing a boost. Many employees had to use different tools in a very short time to ensure continued communication and collaboration within the company. Microsoft Teams, for example, registered 2.7 billion meeting minutes in one day. 

But what happens when we return to the office? How do we make sure that we use this digitization push to fully digitize the way we work? 

3 THINGS YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO: 

Look at it from a broader perspective 

During this crisis, Microsoft Teams is for many what WhatsApp is for us in our private life. A tool that allows me to communicate directly with many participants via chat, call or video and to hold online meetings. But a digital way of working goes beyond communication. Topics such as structured digital document storage, uniform cross-departmental collaboration or a sustainable exchange of knowledge are just as much a part of it. Our recommendation: open the perspective, deepen the understanding of the different digital work scenarios in order to establish a structured, digital way of working.  

Automate the usage of tools in a controlled way 

Microsoft offers a variety of tools to work more productively. Everyone knows Microsoft Teams by now and this momentum should also be used to get one step closer to the digital workplace. However, before employees set out on their own to navigate through the jungle of different Microsoft technologies, we recommend that you take this into your own hands for the entire organization and understand where which technologies should be used in a controlled manner, based on concrete digital work scenarios and use cases. We have solved this with our Modern-Workplace-Solution in such a way that, depending on the defined work scenario or use case, the Microsoft technologies are automatically configured in the background and the employee does not have to worry about the choice of technologies, but can concentrate on his tasks. 

Accompany employees and teams 

During the crisis, many employees were and are forced to quickly familiarize themselves with digital tools. Some have certainly recognized the advantages of a digital way of working and are motivated to move on towards the digital workplace. They need to be accompanied on this path - especially those who still have trouble getting rid of old habits. We recommend that companies seek the exchange with employees, collect their feedback on their current experiences in the digital home office and use the momentum to establish a digital way of working together with them.   

We have been helping companies for some time now to establish a digital way of working in their organization - with our Modern Workplace Solution for Microsoft 365.  

If you are interested in an exchange of experiences, we would be pleased to hear from you.  

Jump-start for Microsoft Teams

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Microsoft Teams is currently used wherever possible to facilitate teamwork in the home office. Not everyone is familiar with the tool and needs help, especially in the beginning. 

We are happy to provide some training videos prepared by Microsoft to help you get started: 

Teams Beginner Videos

Chat, Calls & Meetings 

Content sharing 

Would you like to learn more about Microsoft Teams to realize the full potential for your team or your company? Our specialists will be happy to support you. 

With its expertise MondayCoffee is one of the leading Microsoft Gold Partners for teamwork. 

  • We tackle the various challenges together with you: 

  • How to use the tool? 

  • How do you organize yourself as a team with this software? 

  • How to ensure effective collaboration and leadership? 

  • How can Microsoft Teams be integrated in your existing infrastructure?