- According to the “New World of Work” survey, Malaysian working professionals are wanting to work on their own terms – dictating where and when they want to work, but are hampered by various challenges in the workplace – such as having to be in office to access necessary tools and documents, and to collaborate with others.
- Only 34% of Malaysians feel truly well equipped to handle people, place, and technological challenges in the modern workplace
- Responding to the demand for productivity tools to work better and smarter, Microsoft recently announced the release of Office 2016 – its latest productivity suite.
KUALA LUMPUR, 12 October 2015 — In today’s digital and fast paced world, the lines between work and personal life are steadily becoming blurred. According to a survey by Microsoft Asia Pacific, titled the “New World of Work”, Malaysian working professionals are wanting to work on their own terms – dictating where and when they want to work, but are hampered by various challenges in the workplace. This includes having to be in the office to access necessary tools and documents, and to collaborate with other colleagues.
The New World of Work survey targeted 200 individuals from Malaysia, working in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), comprising 250 people or less. Involving 2,000 respondents from 10 Asia Pacific markets such as Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, the study unlocked insights as to how today’s workers perceive their ability to succeed in today’s digital, fast paced and modern work place.
The Asia Pacific mean score was 40 out of 100, and Malaysia itself scored 42, slightly above the Asia Pacific average. However, only 34% in Malaysia feel truly well equipped to handle challenges in the modern workplace.
The New World of Work study covers three key principles – people (whether today’s employees have the capabilities to work flexibly and productively in the digital modern workplace, and are supported by leaders and cultures that help them succeed in this dynamic environment), place (because employees can work flexibly – anywhere at any time – their offices should support a collaborative, dynamic design with the ability to work at work, home or with customers) and technology (whether employees are empowered with technology to enable them to succeed in this environment, allowing collaborative work wherever they may go).
In Malaysia, the survey results have shown that there is a gap – Malaysians are wanting to adopt the New World of Work, but face difficulties when it comes to addressing these three key principles.
Place
- The Majority of respondents (56%) still find themselves most productive in an office environment today rather than in external places (i.e. cafes, public spaces).
- Yet, 81% said that they are still required to be contactable outside of work today in order to complete their work effectively. This means that they have to physically be in office to finish off their work.
People
- 69% of respondents find that their workplace does not support them working remotely
- Malaysians are also wanting to work on their own terms, according to 83% of the respondents surveyed – wanting to dictate where and when they work.
Technology
- 48% of respondents have stated that they need the ability to share ideas, documents and information with colleagues.
- 48% have also stated that they lack the breadth of productivity tools for collaboration across groups.
“Globalization and technological innovations have brought the world closer and have fundamentally changed the way people live and work. In fact, the nature of work has evolved so much that remote collaboration is an important aspect of work today,” said K Raman, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia. “The survey provided us with valuable insights into the people, place and technology practices that enable businesses to succeed. Through this study, we hope to encourage working professionals to adopt the notion that work is a thing you do, not a place you go to, and to help them make the most of the moments that matter, both at work and play.”
Taking the work out of working together with Office 2016
Today’s generation can no longer afford to ignore the need to collaborate with others – whether it be family, friends, or business partners. Given the limited span of attention and time every day, we all need to enhance productivity for a better work life balance in the New World of Work. The goal to enhanced productivity is crucial for everybody – from individuals, professionals to even SMEs as they comprise some 98% of all businesses in Malaysia[1].
Responding to the demand for productivity tools to work better and smarter, Microsoft recently announced Office 2016 – its latest productivity suite for Windows – positioned to push the boundaries to transform people and their industries by proving that these productivity trends and Microsoft’s Office solutions are highly relevant to people today.
“Microsoft believes that technology exists to help you do more and achieve more, and nowhere is this more obvious than with Office. Office is built to cut through today’s working challenges and complexities and help you get things done quickly,” said Bruce Howe, General Manager, Consumer Channel Group, Microsoft Malaysia. Demonstrating Office 2016 at a local launch event at Petaling Jaya today, Howe noted that collaboration is the way we get things done in the workplace, but the process itself can be complex and frustrating. “Office 2016 encapsulates our ambition of taking the work out of working together, and today we are pleased to make available a set of experiences that will help people and businesses of all sizes better work together, work easier and worry less.”
The new Office 2016 comes with modern versions of the Office desktop apps for Windows, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Project, Visio and Access. Among the most notable feature is the co-authoring function which allows users to see others’ edits as they make them in Word, PowerPoint and OneNote. Additionally, the Skype in-app integration is now available in rich client apps, allowing users to make use of instant messaging function, screen share, talk or video chat right in their documents. To find out more about other new features available in Office 2016 such as Tell me, Smart Lookup or Sway visit: What’s new and Improved in Office 2016.
Along with Office 2016 for Windows, the company also announced new and enhanced Office 365 services built for team productivity that combine the power of apps and services for better collaboration. Existing and new customers can expect always-up-to-date, fully installed apps for use across their devices, and combined with a continually evolving set of consumer services, such as unlimited OneDrive online storage, coupled with enterprise-grade security features for everyone.
Office 2016 now available in Malaysia, available as download for Office 365
The new Office 2016 apps are available in 40 languages and require Windows 7 or later. Office 365 subscribers can choose to download the new Office 2016 apps starting this month as part of their subscription. Estimated retail pricing for Office 365 Personal is at RM219.99, and Office 365 Home at RM299.99 per year. Office as a one-time purchase is also available for both PCs and Macs, with Office Home & Business 2016 priced at RM1,099; while Office Home & Student 2016 is priced at RM449.99.
Interested users can visit any of the over 330 participating retail outlets across Malaysia to discover and purchase the completely redesigned Office. They can also go to any of the 13 stores (listed below) to try their luck at winning exciting and exclusive prizes – these promotions have started on the weekend of 10 and 11 October, and will run for a total of three consecutive weekends (Inclusive of 17 and 18 October, and 24 and 25 October).
| Promotions for Office 2016 | ||
| No | Outlet | Venue & Address |
| 1 | All IT Hypermarket | Digital Mall, Section 14
Lot 3-01, 3rd Floor Digital Mall, 2 Jalan 14/20, Section 14, 46100 Petaling Jaya |
| 2 | Thunder Match Technology | Digital Mall, Section 14
02-05 2nd Floor, Digtal Mall, No.2, Jalan 14/20, Ss14, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor |
| 3 | All IT Hypermarket | Suria KLCC
Lot LC306-307, Level 3, Suria KLCC Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088, Kuala Lumpur. |
| 4 | Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store | Suria KLCC
Lot TC317 & 318, Level 3, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50888 Kuala Lumpur |
| 5 | Thunder Match Technology | Mid Valley
Lot S-098, 2nd Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, 59200 Kuala Lumpur |
| 6 | SNS Network | Mid Valley
Lower Ground Floor, Aeon Big Mid Valley, 59200 Kuala Lumpur |
| 7 | All IT Hypermarket | Plaza Low Yat
Lot 3-LT-019, 3rd Floor Plaza Low Yat, Off Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur |
| 8 | Thunder Match Technology | Plaza Low Yat
Lot 4.21, 4th Floor Plaza Low Yat, Off Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur |
| 9 | Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store | Plaza Low Yat
Lot 1-Tc045, 1st Floor Plaza Low Yat, Off Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur |
| 10 | Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store | Gardens Mall
Lot 242b, 3rd Floor, The Garden, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra,59200 Kuala Lumpur |
| 11 | Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store | Sunway Pyramid
F1.41, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, Bandar Sunway, No. 3 Jalan PJS 11/15, 46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor |
| 12 | Microsoft Authorized Reseller Store | The Curve
Lot.G92, Ground Floor, The Curve, No.6 Jalan PJU 7/3, Mutiara Damansara , 47800, Selangor |
| 13 | SNS Network | One Utama (Aeon)
2nd Floor, Multimedia Department, Aeon Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor |
[1] SME Annual Report 2014 / 2015: http://www.smecorp.gov.my/vn2/node/1856