Get It Done Day and Office 365 help balance life's demands
Survey finds that more than half of U.S. office workers would be willing to work more hours -- and one in five would even take a pay cut -- to have more flexibility to get work done.
REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. is declaring Nov. 7Get It Done Day, to spark action for people who seek to balance life's demands on their own terms. From the streets of New York to Paris, Canada to Mexico, Asia to Australia, and online at http://office.com/getitdone and #GetItDone, Microsoft is empowering people everywhere to share their story and inspire others to express how technology helps them get the things they care about — from work to home — done from anywhere.
Members of the Upright Citizens Brigade bring collaboration with technology to life in Times Square with Microsoft Office 365 for Microsoft Corp.'s global Get It Done Day on Nov. 7. (Gary He/Insider Images for Microsoft Office 365). (PRNewsFoto/Microsoft Corp.) (PRNewsFoto/MICROSOFT CORP.)
Getting it done: Members of the Upright Citizens Brigade perform real-time skits in Times Square on behalf of Office 365 to celebrate Microsoft's global Get It Done Day on Nov. 7. (Gary He/Insider Images for Microsoft Office 365).(PRNewsFoto/Microsoft Corp.) (PRNewsFoto/MICROSOFT CORP.)
Historical facts were called out at Columbus Circle via a giant checkmark installation in New York hosted by Office 365 in honor of Get It Done Day, which aims to celebrate people and businesses who are getting it done and accomplishing great things. (Gary He/Insider Images for Microsoft Office 365).(PRNewsFoto/Microsoft Corp.) (PRNewsFoto/MICROSOFT CORP.)
Brand Ambassadors for Office 365 show passersby in New York's Times Square how to get it done from anywhere using technology in honor of Microsoft's global Get It Done Day on Nov. 7. (Gary He/Insider Images for Microsoft Office 365). (PRNewsFoto/Microsoft Corp.) (PRNewsFoto/MICROSOFT CORP.)
No matter where you are — the office, airport or the gym — the need to get things done away from the office has never been greater.
As life and work blend, more than half (55 percent) of office workers* said they need to be able to get work done no matter where they are, and more than one-third (37 percent) said they do their best thinking outside the office, according to a recent study conducted online by Harris Interactive Inc. on behalf of Microsoft of 1,000 U.S. office workers.
"The Harris survey brings to light compelling points about what people expect and what they would be willing to give up to accomplish more in a day," said John Case, corporate vice president, Microsoft Office. "That's where Microsoft Office 365 can help. Taking on the 'enemies of done,' from lack of Wi-Fi to that important document you need to send now that's on your computer at home, Office 365 is productivity reimagined and way beyond anything else in its class. It is much more than just the Office used by a billion people around the world. This is the new Office, for the new world of work and play."
Companies understand this demand for people to get work done no matter where they are. Today, BNSF Railway Co., one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America, announced it is turning to Office 365 to give its more than 40,000 employees the tools they need to be productive and responsive, regardless of location, on any device, while reducing IT costs, providing cloud services and integrating social media.
"The majority of our employees don't work at a desk, but that doesn't matter with Office 365," said Jo-ann Olsovsky, chief information officer at BNSF. "With Office 365 our employees can securely access the information they need to help operate the railroad — from any device. Whether you are a mechanic in a shop or a sales rep with a customer, you can get to the information you need in real time. Microsoft's Office 365 is a service that provides our users with various tools to communicate the way they want to communicate. Whether in an instant message, email, blog or chat, Office 365 connects our people wherever they are."
Office updates help more people #GetItDone
Microsoft on Wednesday also announced several product updates that will help even more people be productive:
Microsoft Office Web Apps. Microsoft has updated Office Web Apps with two highly anticipated features — the introduction of AutoSave in the Word Web App and real-time co-authoring, a feature that allows multiple people to contribute to and edit documents simultaneously in the Word Web App, PowerPoint Web App or Excel Web App.
Yammer. All Microsoft Office 365 Enterprise plans now ship with Yammer Enterprise, and all existing Office 365 Enterprise customers will receive Yammer Enterprise licenses. In addition, Office 365 customers no longer have to purchase individual new licenses for external users within their external networks. Microsoft has also created the Yammer Partner Enablement Program, designed to provide deeper insight and best practices for how to sell, implement and integrate a successful enterprise social solution.
New sharing updates to Office 365 Home Premium. Starting next month, Office 365 Home Premium subscribers can share some of their subscription benefits with up to four members of their household. Each household member can use any of the available installs on their own PCs, Macs or mobile devices, get an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage, and manage their own installs from their My Account page.
More information on how Office 365 can help people get it done is available at http://www.office.com/getitdone, where people can also show how they get it done from anywhere and enter to win a trip with a friend to some of the most happening events — on a trip to NYC, a journey to Park City, Utah, or a musical voyage to Austin, Texas. People can tweet with #GetItDone to tell where they collaborate when they are away from the office. The Office 365 Facebook and Twitter profiles feature more stories about how people and companies are coming together to get things done, anywhere and anytime. For full details, review the Official Rules.
About the survey This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Microsoft Oct. 16–23, 2013, among 1,000 U.S. employed adults ages 18 and up. Respondents use technology (such as computers, smartphones and tablets) every day to get their work done and work in a traditional, executive/shared/not at the company headquarters, or virtual office. This online survey is not based on a probability sample, and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, is available at http://microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/office/docs/MicrosoftGetItDone.pdf.
About Harris Interactive Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for The Harris Poll®, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research across a wide range of industries. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing a client's research investment. Serving clients worldwide through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help our clients stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
* Office workers are defined as employed adults who use technology (such as computers, smartphones and tablets) every day to get their work done and work in a traditional, executive/shared/not at the company headquarters, or virtual office.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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