An In-Depth Look at Microsoft's Thinking on Remote Work

Suddenly they found themselves asking questions about the previously accepted concept of the hour-long meeting: "Does it really need to be that long? Is this a wise use of everyone's time?"

Speaking of meetings, another discovery was the increased frequency of one-on-ones between managers and employees. Research found that employees averaging the most weekly one-on-one time with their managers experienced the smallest increase in working hours.

"In short, managers were buffering employees against the negative aspects of the change by helping them prioritize and protect their time," the researchers wrote.

Manager workloads also increased significantly during the shift to working from home. The authors learned that senior managers were collaborating more than eight hours a week, and in working to support employees and manage dispersed teams, they sent 115% more instant messages in March.

Another key finding concerned flexibility. Teams shifted meetings from an 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. window toward a 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. window. Research also revealed a new "night shift" forming, when employees would catch up on both individual and teamwork.

Collaboration increased on weekends, as well. This reveals, the authors write, "a shift in our work culture that was neither intended nor wanted. We will continue to closely monitor these trends."

More welcome, perhaps, was the growing trend of virtual social meetings in order to stay connected during this time of separation. From group lunches to "meet my pet" happy hours, social meetings increased by 10% in a month.

Scheduled one-on-one meetings between employees also went up by 18%. Another surprise: Employees not only maintained their existing networks but extended them to include other teams, increasing their connections.

As crucial as this research has been for Microsoft, the "trickier and equally critical" next step will be to decide which changes to address. The researchers believe that "now is a perfect time to carefully and deliberately reshape our work culture."