With all the new features, a little speed boost can go a long way, and Microsoft Teams just launched another update that should substantially improve performance on the desktop version of the collaboration platform.

Microsoft Teams is always getting updated, which makes it one of the best web conferencing tools on the market today. From compatibility with new devices to generally making updates easier, the popular collaboration platform is always improving in response to user feedback.

Well, it appears some users have been complaining about speed, as Microsoft Teams reportedly improves speeds up to 30% on features like chat and channel switching.

Microsoft Teams Gets Better Speeds

Announced in a company blog post, Microsoft Teams has reportedly received a substantial speed update that will make switching between chats and messaging channels up to 30% faster. As always, the update is in response to user feedback that noted switching between channels was a frequent action that definitely needed a bit more speed.

“The most common action for a user in Teams is to switch between different chats, channels, and activity feeds. Over the past two years, switching between chat threads is now 32% faster, switching between channels is 39% faster. This leads to a more fluid experience that will keep you in the flow.” – Jeff Chen, Microsoft Principal Group Program Manager for Microsoft Teams

The speed improvements stem from the newly updated Teams framework released this month that facilitate faster speeds across the platform, particularly in areas that need it most.

It’s hard to argue that this kind of update will make Microsoft Teams notably easier to use and is another example of how valuable a platform that is constantly updating is for your business.

Is Microsoft Teams Good for Businesses?

We’ve done a good chunk of research on the topic and found Microsoft Teams is definitely a good option for businesses, offering lots of features and robust integration with Microsoft 365. Plus, all these updates make it a virtually future-proof platform for your business to grow with.

There are downsides, though. If you don’t already use Microsoft 365, it can be overly complicated, particularly compared to easy solutions like Google Meet or Zoom. Suffice it to say, if you’re going to go with Teams, you might as well embrace the entirety of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

All that to say, Microsoft Teams would be a respectable addition to your business’ hybrid work plan, providing for remote employees and in-office workers alike. Just make sure to enjoy those quicker speeds and keep an eye out for new updates coming every month.

High gas prices aren’t just hitting everyday drivers, as the trucking industry is reportedly most concerned about the rising cost of fuel across the country.

The only way to avoid hearing about high gas prices over the last few months would be to live under a rock. And since house prices are also on the rise, there’s a good chance you know all too well that the cost of fuel has been far too high for far too long.

It appears the increasing price is putting the squeeze on the trucking industry as well, with the high costs representing the new number one concern, according to a new report.

Fuel Prices: A Critical Issue in the Trucking Industry

The report — dubbed the Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2022 — found that, for the first time in five years, fuel costs are the primary concern of drivers around the country.

Rising gas pricings overtook driver shortages as the primary concern over the last half decade, although officials note that the shift in rankings doesn’t mean anything is improving in regard to the number of drivers available.

“I don’t think this means the driver shortage has gotten any better. Year-over-year fuel costs per mile [are] up over 35%. We know that it’s particularly challenging for those who operate in the owner-operator segment, where they have less ability to negotiate fuel surcharges.” – Rebecca Brewster, president and COO of ATRI.

Fuel prices weren’t even in the top ten of concerns last year, likely due to the significantly lower prices that were spurred on by the pandemic. Even with the majority of prices on the downturn in recent months and new technology being implemented for fleet management, this pressing concern could spell trouble for a trucking industry that continues to face issue after issue.

How Fleet Management Software Can Help

Unfortunately, there is no business software that can lower gas prices for drivers. We know, we’re disappointed too. However, there are tools that companies can use to ensure that they aren’t wasting gas, keeping overall costs down in the long run.

Fleet management software can do a lot of good in this case. In addition to providing drivers with optimized routes, which can substantially cut down on distances, many also offer features that can alert drivers when they’ve been idling for too long, which is a substantial waste of gas.

Overall, fleet management software is designed to make your business more efficient. Our research found that the top providers right now are Verizon Connect and Samsara, since both offer lots of features and plenty of solid hardware options.

As business leaders continue to iron out their post-Covid strategy, companies like Netflix and Goldman Sachs believe spending more time in the office is the best way to unlock a more engaged, productive workforce. However, a new study by Future Forum suggests that the opposite could be true.

The report, which surveyed more than 10,000 global workers, revealed that remote and hybrid employees are actually more likely to feel connected to their direct managers than full-time office workers, and 4% more productive to boot. The survey also revealed that although burnout is at an all-time high, executives are still dragging their feet when it comes to embracing flexible environments.

Here’s a summary of the report’s main findings, as well as practical advice for employers serious about tackling burnout in their teams.

Worker Burnout is at an All-Time High, Report Shows

With Gen Z concepts like quiet quitting and quiet firing gaining momentum in recent months, the subject of employee dissatisfaction has once again entered the mainstream.

And now, thanks to a recent survey conducted by the workplace consortium Future Forum, these hunches have been backed up by data. The report, which was released earlier this week, summarized the findings of 10,776 workers from the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.K., and found that workplace burnout has risen to 40%, an 8% jump from May this year.

The report found that of all the countries featured, the most significant increase was found in the US, with 43% of desk-based employees claiming to have worked themselves to exhaustion. What’s more, age and gender also seem to play influencing factors with 49% of workers aged 18-29 experiencing burnout symptoms, and 32% more females experiencing the condition than males.

“There’s a sizable (and growing) gender gap between women and men on the issue of burnout, with women 32% more likely to experience burnout compared with men.”

But while junior workers appear to be experiencing more stress in the workplace, their higher-ups aren’t exempt. In fact, company execs have reported experiencing a record-low 15% drop in overall satisfaction and 40% more work-related stress and anxiety over the past year.

With the findings of the survey revealing that burned-out employees are 22x more likely to experience stress and anxiety, and 32% less likely to be productive, these rising case numbers are pretty alarming. But with job burnout increasing across the board, Future Forum does propose one major antidote — giving workers greater opportunities to work flexibly.

Could More Flexibility in the Workplace Be the Remedy?

Flexible working delivers multiple benefits to companies, and the 74% of U.S. businesses currently using or planning to roll out hybrid or remote models would probably agree.

Moreover, as the results of the Future Forum research have shown, these advantages extend much further than reinstating a healthier work-life balance. For instance, respondents that have full flexibility over their schedule reported being 29% more productive and 53% more able to focus than those who had fixed working days. This is a major revelation for employers that have been calling for a full return to the office for this very reason.

Aside from increasing workload, remote and hybrid workers also reported being more connected to their immediate team members, as well as their wider company values. This challenges the common sentiment that fragmented teams could lead to weaker social and professional bonds.

As the results of the survey have shown, giving workers the freedom to work in a way that suits them has the potential to improve workplace bonds, employee satisfaction, and even a company’s bottom line. But even though embracing flexible working is a tried and tested strategy to tackle burnout, many business owners are slow to catch on.

Employees and Executives Aren’t Seeing Eye to Eye

Fortunately for fans of flexible working, the majority of non-executives and executives both favor hybrid models. However, while 38% of higher-ups prefer to work in office environments for 3-4 days a week, this number drops to 24% for employers further down the rank.

Their reasons for coming into the physical workplace differ too. When asked about their motivations for working at the office, both cited collaboration as the number one incentive. But while execs cited facetime with management to be their close second (at 20%), non-executives were more driven by building camaraderie (27%).

“We need to move forward to a new path, and that requires engaging your employees to establish new ways of working together.” – one of the founding partners of Future Forum

While this might not seem like a massive discrepancy, this difference in opinion matters. The majority of executives surveyed in the report admitted to designing company policies with no direct input from employees. This means that more often than not, the opinions of regular workers get disregarded when it comes to making important decisions.

If decision-makers continue to base company-wide policies on their own workplace experiences, important issues like worker burnout may remain unaddressed. But embracing remote and hybrid models wouldn’t be possible without collaborative technology. So, if you’re choosing to listen to the 94% of workers who are calling for greater flexibility, it’s important to choose your software wisely.

According to our research, GoTo Meeting is the best conferencing call service for businesses thanks to its reliable call quality and free VoIP extensions. However, Zoom is another fan favorite, especially if you’re just starting out on the software.

Every business has slightly different needs, however, so to discover which call service will work best for your team, read our summary of the best conference call providers here.

A little variety can go a long way, as Cisco and Microsoft have announced a partnership to allow the popular Teams platform to run on Cisco Meeting Devices.

The remote work boom has made platforms like Microsoft Teams that much more valuable for staying connected with team members. From comprehensive video conferencing tools to conduct meetings to collaboration features designed to improve communication, these platforms are designed to make the shift to hybrid work that much easier.

Now, your video conferencing setup could allow for even more functionality, as Cisco Meeting devices will be able to natively run Microsoft Teams right out of the box.

Microsoft Teams Now Works on Cisco Meeting Devices

The partnership between Cisco and Microsoft was announced in a company blog post outlining how users can “run Microsoft Teams natively on Cisco Room and Desk devices Certified for Microsoft Teams,” so the popular collaboration platform can be your default service on the platform rather than Cisco Webex.

“Interoperability has always been at the forefront of our hybrid work strategy, understanding that customers want collaboration to happen on their terms — regardless of device or meeting platform. Our partnership with Microsoft brings together two collaboration leaders to completely reimagine the hybrid work experience.” – Jeetu Patel, EVP and GM of Security & Collaboration at Cisco.

The partnership will begin in 2023 and will allow Microsoft Teams to run natively on the Cisco Room Bar, the Cisco Board Pro 55-inch and 75-inch, and the Cisco Room Kit Pro. Later on in the year, the Cisco Desk Pro and Cisco Room Navigator will also be able to run the platform natively, but it will take a bit longer.

Should My Business Use Microsoft Teams?

All this talk about Microsoft Teams and you don’t even know if it’s right for your business. Well, we’ve got some good news for you; Microsoft Teams is a stellar option for businesses of all sizes, particularly if you’re already using the Microsoft 365 system to run your day-to-day operations.

One of the best parts of Microsoft Teams is that it’s frequently receiving updates, like this one, to improve the platform for users. The regularly take feedback and turn it into an improved experience, so if there’s something you don’t like, it’s likely going to change in the coming months.

“Our vision to make Teams the best collaboration experience for physical spaces is brought to life by our incredible ecosystem of hardware partners. By welcoming Cisco as our newest partner building devices Certified for Microsoft Teams, we are excited to bring leading collaboration hardware and software to market together for our joint customers.” – Jeff Teper, president, collaborative apps and platforms at Microsoft

Overall, we’d definitely recommend checking out Microsoft Teams for your business if you’re in the market for a hybrid work solution. Still, options like Google Meet and Zoom are also quite impressive, and our research found they can be a better option due to their overall ease of use.