Study reveals hybrid work shift has business leaders struggling with productivity paranoia

Business leaders and employees are divided when it comes to hybrid working, a Microsoft study has revealed.

Leaders have been left questioning if their staff are working hard enough in hybrid roles, while employees have embraced flexible work and feel like they are working harder than ever. 

Approximately 85% of leaders surveyed by Microsoft say the shift to hybrid work has made it challenging to have confidence that employees are being productive, while 87% of employees report they are productive when accessing hybrid work arrangements, and productivity signals across Microsoft 365 continue to climb.

The study also revealed the number of meetings per week had increased by 153% globally for the average Microsoft Teams user since the start of the pandemic.

More than 20,000 people in 11 countries were surveyed for the study, with Microsoft also analysing trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, as well as Glint People Science findings and LinkedIn labour trends.

The report revealed three critical pivots for business leaders to take action on, in order to empower employees and drive alignment within businesses into the future: end productivity paranoia, embrace the fact that people come into the office for each other, and re-recruit employees.