WEBVTT - Microsoft Data Shows It's Time to Empower Workers 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:04.160 This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and Bloomberg 0:00:04.240 --> 0:00:08.520 Quick Takes Tim Stinovic on Bloomberg Radio. Well, our next 0:00:08.520 --> 0:00:12.080 guest has come to our program a few times over 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:15.600 the last couple of years. Uh, and it is a 0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:18.599 really great uh time to talk with him, because I 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:21.520 think we continue to see how we work, where we work, 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:24.760 continue to evolve. Back with us with a special report 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:28.240 about the company's Microsoft Work Trend Index is Jared's Pitaro. 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:31.680 He's corporate vice president of Microsoft, and he's back with us. 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:35.080 He's on the phone in Redmond, Washington. Jared, nice to 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:39.000 have you back with Katie Garifeld and myself. So, how 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.239 are you doing great? Thanks for having me back. I'm 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:44.520 excited to be here. Well, we're excited to have you here. 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.760 And I love this report because you guys, you know, 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:50.559 collect so much data, really have a great view in 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.760 terms of really how people are truly working. Tell us 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:56.200 about the latest update on the work Trend Index. Who 0:00:56.200 --> 0:01:00.240 you surveyed, Uh, what you found out? What time frame? 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:04.440 Give us, give us all all the background on it. Well, 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:06.959 our research here at Microsoft is historically focused on what 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:09.840 we call information workers. Those are the folks who work 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:12.520 at a computer and who often have been working remotely 0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:14.720 over the last two years, and we decided it really 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:18.119 was time to focus on frontline workers. These frontline workers 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:20.319 have really shoulder a lot of the burden over the 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:22.280 last two years is they have not been able to 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:24.399 go home, and so we wanted to find out kind 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:26.840 of what was happening with them, how they were dealing 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:28.800 with it, and how work is changing for them, and 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.240 what would be the lasting trends and what's stuck out 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:34.240 to you in the results that you did fun And 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:37.520 I'm curious how that compares to you know, surveys that 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:41.840 you've done with office workers. Yeah, let's take a step 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:45.000 back for a moment. There is really unprecedented stress in 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:48.200 the system when we think broadly about business markets right now, 0:01:48.240 --> 0:01:51.120 and nearly every single business is facing kind of the 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:53.760 same challenge, and it's how do they continue to drive 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.760 business results and serve their customers but at the same 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.840 time balance that with employee well being and growth. And 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.320 I think that's really what stuck out to us is 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:04.640 that as we look at this group of folks and 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:06.920 all sorts of different types of roles, it's the people 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:09.600 who couldn't go home. They have done so much to 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:12.959 keep business running, but in many ways they are feeling 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:15.720 a bit great about the edges. So, for instance, if 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:17.360 we hit some of the data just right out of 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:20.080 the gate here um to weather the storm, it looks 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:22.280 like these frontline workers have really turned to each other. 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:26.120 We learned that seventy six feel very bonded to coworkers 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:29.119 because of the shared stresses that they've endured during the pandemic. 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:31.440 But at the same time, they're starting to feel a 0:02:31.440 --> 0:02:33.840 bit of a distance between the work they're doing and 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:37.440 the rest of their company. Six of frontline workers say 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:41.320 that leadership doesn't seem to prioritize culture, and communication isn't 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:43.239 reaching them, and so they're kind of feeling a little 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:46.000 bit like they're on an island right now. And it's 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:48.640 not so surprising to know that they were kind of 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.480 bonding together, but that feeling that they're kind of off 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.040 on their own. We think that's something for business leaders 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:55.960 to take, no doubt. Well, it's so important to and 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.200 you remind us and you you kicked it off. But 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:02.800 the global workforce, that's our frontline workers. So we're talking 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:06.880 about those that are working at supermarkets. Obviously, healthcare. But 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.080 so many of those individuals who kept so much going 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:12.600 for all of us, especially at the height of the pandemic, 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.720 here are you know, other peaks um but kept things 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:18.400 going because they had to and they couldn't do their 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:22.280 jobs at home. That's right. There are two billion, more 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:25.040 than two billion frontline workers worldwide. They really do form 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:28.919 the backbone of economies and just about every country. And 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:33.000 for this particular survey, Carol, we went out across frontline 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.720 workers and eat industries and across eight countries. So our 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:38.680 definition was you had to be doing all your work 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:41.360 in person. It's a very broad definition, as you indicated, 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:44.600 included healthcare workers on the way to grocery store clerks, 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.080 included people for instance, who are on the front lines, 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:49.840 and the manufacturing facility all across that. And we're just 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:51.560 trying to get a sense for you know, what's going 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:54.800 on and what are they experiencing. And Jared, you mentioned 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:58.000 that it feels like they're experiencing this growing gap between 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:01.840 the workers who are bonding with each other and actual management. 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:07.360 At six two say their company doesn't prioritize culture. I mean, 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:13.160 is management aware of that? Well, that's the thing we 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:15.880 do think that managers are very aware. I mean, we 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:18.479 have a lot of empathy for what's happening here, because 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:21.360 that's the balance that companies are needing to kind of strike. 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:23.840 They have to continue to serve their customers, so they 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:27.000 recognize that that's a pleasant demand on them, and at 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:28.960 the same time now they have to kind of balance 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:32.280 the well being and the learning and growth of these employees. 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.719 So we it's a hard it's a hard task to 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:36.760 be very clear on. What we found is if you 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:38.440 look at the center, kind of let's call it, the 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:42.640 corporate managers, they very much understand that there's an issue, 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:44.320 but I don't think that they've always had a great 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:47.760 deal of visibility into exactly what's happening. One really interesting 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:50.520 difference between this and the i W the information worker 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.120 research that we did previously. We found that these frontline 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:57.400 employees and their direct managers, who also tend to be 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:01.000 frontline employee, so someone for instance, in the store managing 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:03.320 with them, that they are very close. In fact, there's 0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:06.679 a lot of closeness there, and those frontline managers really 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:09.919 understand the issues. Hey listen, just got about forty seconds 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:11.560 and we'll come back and chat some more. Jarry, But 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:14.159 I mean what surprised you most and kind of doing 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:16.599 this survey and you and I have talked certainly around 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:19.200 the you know, on air about the I T workers. 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:21.000 What was the thing that was really just stood out 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:24.320 for you in the difference? Well, here, I think one 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:26.120 of the things that surprised me the most, that happens 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:27.800 to play into what we do, is that that these 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.880 frontline workers say that technology can make a really big difference. 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:33.240 There's been a lot of discussions about what whether technology 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:35.280 is good or bad for the frontline. We found that 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:37.360 a lot of them said they think that it could 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.680 make a huge difference in how they do their work. Hey, 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:42.120 what are the things in the report you do tackle 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.840 our supply chains and there's a lot of those frontline 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:47.440 workers who were survey they feel that more could be 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:49.479 done to help those issues. Talk to us a little 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.920 bit more about the findings there, Jared, Yeah, you bet. 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:54.479 If we take a step back for a moment, just 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:56.480 to get a sense, you know, put put ourselves in 0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:59.960 the shoes of frontline worker, of folks who are non 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.360 management positions don't even feel valued as employees right now, 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:08.040 and that's just a game terrible they're having it's tough. 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:09.880 And then as we move to the point that you 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:12.960 were just making about supply chain issues of them say 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:15.040 that they still feel like more could be done. So 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:17.280 there's just you know, there's a lot of stress in 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:19.800 the system. Again, there's a lot that can be done. 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:22.159 We think it's a really important time, but I think 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:25.200 knowing what's going on is the half the battle. You know, 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:27.760 it gets a start on the right foot. Hey, Jared, 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:30.880 how do we make this better? Because before you before 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:34.159 the break rather you said that technology can really make 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:37.520 a difference. Here, walk us through that and how how 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:41.599 does Microsoft play a role in that? That's um well, 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:44.560 we have coming out of the report. We have three 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.080 different recommendations. The first is to prioritize culture and communication. 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:50.960 The second is to really focus in on those frontline 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:53.680 managers we mentioned a few months a few minutes ago, 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.080 and then this last night of technology. We were really 0:06:56.120 --> 0:06:59.040 hardened to see the technology rank very high on the 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:01.960 list of things that could have six frontline workers were 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:05.640 excited about job opportunities that tech creates, and technology ranked 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:07.640 third on a list of things that they say can 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.840 reduce stress. It was behind more pan vacation, not surprising, 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:13.880 but it was ahead of mental health and well being benefits. 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:16.760 So there's this really great opportunity we think we have 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:20.160 if we'll take a moment, recognize what's going on, really 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:22.880 lean into these frontline workers with a lot of empathy 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:25.320 and understand how we can help them and use technology 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:27.840 to implement our plans. So that's kind of one of 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:30.000 the big findings coming out of the study. Jared. One 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:32.160 of the conversations you guys are having at Microsoft that 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.280 you just talked about technology, and I do think about 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.040 there might be certain parts of our world. Despite it 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:40.960 feels like tech is everywhere and has evaded kind of 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:43.400 everything that we do and in many ways made it 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:45.760 easier more functional. Um, but I do wonder about these 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:49.280 frontline workers, whether it's supermarket workers, healthcare. Increasingly we see 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.640 a lot more technology continuing to go into that area. 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:54.160 You know, have there been things that you guys say, well, 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.520 wait a minute, here we are Microsoft, here's what we 0:07:56.600 --> 0:08:00.760 can do specifically to kind of change how these workers 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:06.320 work and improve the situation. The whole idea behind technology 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:08.640 in a case like this is to empower the individual, 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:10.680 and that's really what we're all about. What we want 0:08:10.680 --> 0:08:12.600 to do is to give them the information, to give 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:15.200 them the decision making authority to help them do their jobs. 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:17.040 That are everybody feels good when they can do a 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.520 good job. And again, if we look at what the 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:21.600 data says, a third of these frontline workers say that 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:24.240 they just don't have the right technology to do their jobs. 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:27.400 So simple examples can help. As a simple example of 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:29.480 some of the things that we've introduced include a lockie 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:32.360 talkie function that is a part of what we call 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.840 Microsoft Teams Now. That's an app that you can run 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:36.840 on your mobile device if you're a frontline worker and 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:38.880 you know, maybe in a retail store, you have seen 0:08:38.920 --> 0:08:40.800 that before, where someone is able to tap a button 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:42.840 on the headset and talk to all of their colleagues 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:45.320 around a store to ask questions. That may seem like 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:47.640 a simple thing, but that communication goes a long way. 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:49.560 We also have done some really great work and what 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:52.840 we call shift integration. This allows you to use technology 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.240 to coordinate when you're just gonna work, when is your shift, 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:57.280 and if you have problems with that shift, can you 0:08:57.520 --> 0:08:59.760 actually switch it with someone else so that you can 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.800 work Wednesday evening and they can work Wednesday morning. For you. 0:09:02.920 --> 0:09:06.080 So those types of things seem small again because the 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:08.319 information work the population, A lot of what's happened is 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:11.240 their world that's been digitized. As we digitize what's happening, 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.560 what's front my workers, we just bring an incredible amount 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:16.640 of empowerment to them. And Jared, what are the hurdles 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:20.120 when it comes to adoptions? I mean, how much training 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:25.080 do some of these these programs and these apps require. Well, 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:28.560 the idea is to make it so the technology requires 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:31.320 little to no training. And this comes from the fact 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:33.920 that we can see in everyday life, in our consumer lives, 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:36.440 the technology we use often is so easy that it's 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:39.280 it's just something we pick up. However, we do hear 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.120 from front my workers that they've been given technology that 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:44.959 either isn't simple enough or where they definitely need training 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.760 and they don't get it. Over half say that they've 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:51.760 had to learn this new technology without formal training. So 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:54.040 one of the other implications of the study is as 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:56.160 we do all of these things, make all these changes, 0:09:56.200 --> 0:10:00.280 including introduced technology, we really need to rethink skilling and 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:02.560 learning on the job. We think that the way to 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.080 go is what we call just in time skilling, where 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:06.679 right at the moment when you need it. You get 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:09.760 the training in small sized pieces as opposed to some big, 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:12.439 long training course you have to take. Jared, just got 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:15.000 about thirty seconds here, forty seconds left here. I do 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.160 think about our Bloomberg audience. I'm always thinking about an 0:10:18.200 --> 0:10:21.240 investment perspective in terms of anything and everything we do 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:24.600 or how it impacts our economic growth going forward. Just 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:26.880 your final thoughts maybe with that in mind. And again, 0:10:26.920 --> 0:10:30.440 just got about thirty forty seconds. You know, a strong 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:32.720 front mine means a better bottom line for every company, 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:35.320 and so we actually think, though these numbers look bleak 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:38.720 on the surface, that it's an opportunity for real leaders 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:41.200 to stand up within their industries and companies lean into 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:43.679 this create an awesome environment for front line workers. And 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:46.240 again we think that's going to translate into the bottom line. 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:48.360 All right. Always good to get time with you. Jared's Pittaro, 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:51.320 corporate vice president, over at Microsoft three sixty five on 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:53.760 the phone from Redmond, Washington. Jared, by the way, we'll 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:56.880 be participating in our work Shifting event that's coming up 0:10:56.880 --> 0:11:00.400 on March nine. For more information about it, each check 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:04.240 out Bloomberg Live dot com. Because a lot going on 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.080 here in our third year of the pandemic. Katie, that's 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:08.600 the one thing I just can't get my head around. 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:11.160 I know, I know, and I think about, like the 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:13.640 last time I went to the movie theater I left 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:16.560 the country. It's been a while, Carol, Yeah, exactly, even 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:18.600 just you know, feeling comfortable going out for dinner.