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Why a return to the office needs careful consideration

“What’s next?” In the American TV series the West Wing, President Jed Bartlet often signalled the resolution of an insurmountable or intractable problem with the phrase “What’s next?” The situation wasn’t necessarily resolved, but, a solution was in play and other problems could now be focused on.

6 tips for preventing WFH burnout

Millions of individuals across the United Kingdom have transitioned back to working from home amid the most recent lockdown. The sudden new reality has blurred the boundaries between our personal and professional lives as a result, leaving many staff struggling to define healthy boundaries. Indeed, getting the balance right between work and personal life has never seemed harder.

Microsoft v Google: Which is best for your independent school?

They are two of the biggest names in the business. Microsoft and Google have been the cornerstone of business software for decades, and in recent years they have turned their attention to the classroom. With education becoming increasingly reliant on the digital world, particularly as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupts schooling. If they haven’t already, independent schools across the country are turning to online e-learning tools to maintain their high teaching standards despite the disturbances of Covid-19. That leaves them with an important question, one that crosses the minds of every school looking to expand their teaching online: Microsoft or Google?

Team Collaboration in a Remote World: 7 Top Tips

Strong team collaboration is the key to any successful business. Organisations effective in this area not only differentiate themselves from the competition, but also have more dedicated employees who are motivated to create their best work, thereby improving the performance of the entire enterprise. According to one study, collaborative teams are 5 times higher performing because they feel motivated towards a common goal.

The six secrets to running a successful online meeting

An increase in Coronavirus cases means we are all now living with greater restrictions on our lives, again. The Government has asked that people work from home if possible, which means whether you like it or not, remote work and therefore, virtual meetings are here to stay. Experts predict that we will be living with restrictions well into 2021.

Microsoft Ignite 2020 Key Takeaways

Last week, Microsoft hosted Ignite 2020, the tech giant’s annual conference that centres on IT professionals and the businesses and productivity workers that they support. Each year, Microsoft showcase their enterprise products and services as well as provide valuable training attendees. The event is also always jam-packed with announcements of new features to its line-up of products, with this year being no exception, despite being held 100 percent virtually for the first time ever.

The top 6 benefits of Microsoft 365

In 2011, Microsoft released the popular Office 365 subscription service known as ‘BPOS’. Since then, the service has matured into an excellent, modern business productivity suite, combining the latest business applications, with Windows 10 and the best in-class security features. Most recently, Office 365 was rebranded to Microsoft 365 – that means a new name, but same great value, same price and same Office productivity suite we all have grown to know and love.

The common myths of working from home debunked

Modern technology has slowly led to a rise in people working from home. However, many employers still focus heavily on office-based work, assuming that employees will not be as productive at home. Negative misconceptions like this are what make employers resist the trend, despite protestations from those that would prefer home working, which is growing in popularity; 74% of workers now say they would quit their job if offered more flexible options elsewhere.

How to stay focused when working from home

As the COVID-19 outbreak became more widespread, millions of employees had to shift to working from home. Although some are now returning to the office, there are still a handful of individuals who are remaining at home to work, whether that be because they are at risk, their offices are staying closed or they simply don’t feel comfortable about returning to the office. Furthermore, with localised lockdowns and an increase in cases throughout Europe, there is always a chance that localised lockdowns will come into force at a moment’s notice.

What will be needed for businesses to survive past the pandemic

It seems that the news is full of negativity at the moment. We are frequently told of the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused and how lockdown has affected the economy. Many will be worried about the health of their business in the future and, whilst it is true that things are returning to normal, the example of Leicester proves we must be prepared for localised lockdowns across the country until the virus is tackled.