14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has announced a new feature for Microsoft Outlook that makes it possible for administrators to configure new scheduling rules that allow for shorter meetings and therefore make it possible to take a break between meetings.
The company says the new feature is based on its very own research, as it determined that breaks between meetings are essential, especially during these days when most people are still working remotely and meetings online are all they do.
“Our research shows breaks are important, not just to make us less exhausted by the end of the day, but to actually improve our ability to focus and engage while in those meetings,” Michael Bohan, senior director of Microsoft’s Human Factors Engineering group, explained recently.
“When participants were given a chance to rest using meditation, beta activity dropped, allowing for a “reset.” This reset meant participants started their next meeting in a more relaxed state. It also meant the average level of beta waves held steady through four meetings, with no buildup of stress even as four video calls continued,” the company further adds.
PowerShell deployment
And this is why administrators are now powered with more controls to configure meetings in a way that makes it possible for meetings to start late or end early automatically.
In essence, they can control when exactly a break can take place, either at the beginning or the end of a meeting, with companies then allowed to configure additional rules according to their needs.
“A company can also apply different settings to different meeting lengths – 60 minutes and over or under 60 minutes. For example, you can make all meetings under 60 minutes start late with a five minute break and all meetings 60 minutes or over start late with a 10-minute break,” Microsoft says.
Microsoft says the new feature is already live and IT administrators can deploy it in their organizations using PowerShell.