Cerner associates shape the future of healthcare in hybrid workplaces with Microsoft collaboration tools

While Cerner continues to transform healthcare for the better, the way its employees work has radically changed. After more than a year of working from home during the COVID-19 crisis, many Cerner employees are now looking forward to a return to the office. What that looks like, though, will be very different than it did before the pandemic. “After moving 26,000 people to remote work over one weekend, we found our associates were remarkably productive working from home using Microsoft 365 productivity tools like Microsoft Teams,” says Tracy Platt, Chief Human Resources Officer at Cerner. “Going forward, we see a hybrid work approach supported by Microsoft tools as an opportunity to combine the best of both worlds and create a flexible workplace that reflects the way people want to work today.”

Taking a data-driven approach to the future of work

When Cerner facilitated an unexpected work-from-home scenario, the organization made the most of an existing investment in Microsoft 365. “Frankly, we were ready for remote work because we had the right technology,” says Graff. “Associates were productive from day one, using Teams and OneDrive to collaborate and keep the business moving forward.” Not only did associates stay productive, but they also turned to Microsoft tools to maintain social connections even while apart: the organization saw an explosive growth in Yammer use. The number of shares, likes, and mentions increased by 300 percent in the first quarter of working from home, along with a nearly 20 percent increase in Teams activity.

The work-from-home experience helped shape Cerner’s Hybrid Work policy, says Bob Higginbotham, Vice President of HR Operations at Cerner. “We proved that we can be effective working remotely, but the question going forward is how to take the benefits of working from home and combine them with the great things about working together in person.”

To shape that “best of both worlds” approach to the future of work, Cerner turned to data and consulted its associates. “We asked associates what the ideal scenario would be, and almost 70 percent of our global workforce chose a flexible, hybrid approach,” says Platt. With these insights in mind, Platt and her colleagues devised a hybrid work framework for leaders at Cerner.

Flexible models for hybrid work based on associate input

After extensive conversations with leaders across Cerner, the organization came up with three hybrid work categories that would likely play out across the company. Cerner will have a small percentage of the associate base designated as full-time and a small percentage of associates will be considered full-time virtual. The bulk of the associate base will be dynamic—allowing the flexibility of working from home while also providing access to Cerner campuses as “learning labs” that foster social connection where associates can collaborate and support in-person team building. All of these are augmented by Teams functioning as a collaborative hub for work. “Depending on the work to be done, we came up with multiple outlines for our hybrid approach,” Platt explains.

For dynamic associates, Cerner is aiming for roughly 50 percent of work to be in-person. This could mean working on campus for a portion of the week and remotely other times. “We are asking our individual teams to determine the right approach for their associates based on the balance needed for the business and caregivers we serve,“ says Platt.

For example, associates might work from home for a two-week stretch and then work in the office the next three weeks. The next scenario, a weekly split of two or three days in the office and the rest at home, might be more conducive to marketing teams that prefer to have strategic planning sessions in person. “The third scenario we devised is activity-based,” says Platt. “That might be something like a support person coming in when needed but working remotely the rest of the time.”

Platt is also quick to point out the potential for alternative arrangements within hybrid work. “Hybrid is about empowering people to make the decisions that will help everyone be most successful, whether that’s working from home or going into the office for an important kickoff meeting,” agrees Higginbotham.

Trust and Development to make hybrid work a success

After conducting research and creating frameworks for hybrid work, Platt and her team focused on development. “For workers to be fully engaged, whether on site or remotely, they not only need flexibility, but they also need to feel that they are trusted. With mutual trust as a guiding premise that enabled confidence in the hybrid approach, we are doing extensive work with leaders to ensure we have the right cultural conditions and management practices in place to foster inclusivity and help associates perform at their best.” says Platt. 

Early after the move to remote work, Cerner enabled associates with a series of popular how-to videos about Microsoft 365 tools and features. “We have a very active Yammer community where we deliver Microsoft Stream videos on new features in Teams, Outlook, and even videos for new associates to get up to speed quickly,” says Lance Alsup, Senior Director of Enterprise Workforce Enablement at Cerner. “We also have a network of Microsoft 365 champions who help spread the word about upcoming releases and provide feedback for how new features can support hybrid work. Cerner will continue to prioritize training when people begin to move to a hybrid work environment.” 

For Higginbotham, offsite meetings with his team bring people together and create more relaxed, connected brainstorming sessions. Using Teams, Higginbotham includes globally dispersed team members in these meetings, creating a sense of camaraderie despite the distance. “For an offsite meeting, we set up a large widescreen monitor to bring a colleague from Bangalore into the room for a Teams meeting and set up a video camera to give her a panoramic view of us in the room,” explains Higginbotham. “It was the next best thing to having her at the meeting in person and really helped bring the team together to recreate a sense of community between colleagues.” 

Boosting inclusivity and expanding hiring to a wider range of candidates with hybrid work

Higginbotham’s experience using Teams to support collaboration between in-person and remote colleagues is one example of hybrid work in action. The practice has created some unexpected benefits that Platt and her colleagues uncovered through their research into hybrid work at the company. “We saw an uptick in our inclusion results corresponding with the move to remote work,” she says. “We want to continue to drive an inclusive environment by supporting associates with a hybrid work setup,” says Platt. “When associates conduct Teams meetings, it’s easier to get the right people on the call and encourage stakeholders to share their voices, because no one is hemmed in by their location.” 

To ensure inclusivity continues to grow across Cerner, the IT organization has deployed Microsoft Teams Rooms systems to conference rooms across the company. “Teams Rooms systems are a key part of our drive to make sure that everyone involved in a meeting, whether in person or joining remotely, is on equal footing,” says Graff. “With past meetings, the people in the room tended to dominate the conversation while people joining in from elsewhere struggled to participate.” Graff cites the enhanced cameras and audio capabilities as key reasons Teams Rooms systems are improving the meeting experience. “The proper placement of microphones and the ability to see everyone’s face helps make hybrid meetings more successful,” he says. 

The move to hybrid work is also creating opportunities to attract new employees from a wider geographic area. “We are always looking to hire people with competitive talent profiles. Offering remote and hybrid working models will help us drive continued diversity in our workforce and have a greater reach in our markets,” says Platt. “Teams meetings not only help drive productivity but also connection by making everyone feel like they are in the same room. Graff adds, “Providing employees with flexible working arrangements to better balance their personal and working lives will help us retain talent.” In the search for talent, Cerner uses LinkedIn to post jobs, source for candidates, understand market insights, and showcase Cerner’s culture through the company page. Cerner is also currently piloting LinkedIn Learning, an online educational platform that associates will soon be able to access using SharePoint.

Designing new offices with hybrid work in mind

As Cerner continues to shape hybrid work at the company, the physical spaces where people work are changing too. “Cerner has divested some of our properties and reduced overall floor space,” says Graff. This will position us for sustainable long-term profitable growth” 

In addition to strategic downsizing of office space, Cerner recently unveiled a new in-room meeting experience within two new buildings located at its Innovations Campus. The new rooms were designed to leverage Teams Rooms systems for more flexible and engaging workspaces. “We are looking at our physical footprint and asking ourselves if our office spaces are constructed in a way that is most conducive to how people work today,” says Platt. “We realized we need more shared spaces to facilitate collaboration between in-person and remote colleagues and ensure that everyone has an equal experience, no matter where they join the meeting from.” Today, Cerner employees can experience these new spaces virtually using SharePoint spaces, an immersive platform that lets users tour the new campus and explore the features of Teams Rooms remotely. 

After a successful start, Teams enabled rooms will continue to pop up at Cerner facilities in the future. “We aim to upgrade spaces as part of our conference room modernization strategy,” says Graff. “Microsoft Teams Rooms systems are a major asset for a global company like Cerner, where hybrid meetings are common.”

Nurturing employee wellbeing with insights and digital initiatives

Cerner uses hybrid work to further its commitment to employee wellness. “We worked hard to get the right resources in place to support wellness for our employees and help them avoid burnout,” says Platt. For example, when Cerner went fully virtual, it offered digital fitness classes and wellness events—a practice that continues. “We take advantage of Teams for some employee wellness events,” says Platt. “With virtual offerings, we reach more associates with more resources, meaning that no one misses out on an opportunity due to their physical location.” Yammer has also become home to many active communities where associates can share their work-from-home experiences or create social groups. “Early on in the pandemic, I created a Yammer group for IT colleagues called ‘Blazers on top, PJs on the bottom,’” says Graff. “It was a great way to stay engaged with colleagues.” Associates easily access Yammer groups like Graff’s IT group using the Communities app embedded in Teams.

Today, Cerner is piloting Microsoft Viva Insights, a platform designed to improve employee wellbeing and productivity with data-driven recommendations and insights. “The Viva Insights platform has a lot of power to help drive productivity and to provide insights into where associates might be struggling,” says Graff. “We are very interested to see how the Viva Insights platform continues to develop.”

Keeping security at the forefront of flexible work

For an organization working in the healthcare industry, like Cerner, security is paramount. “We take a very strong stance on security and protecting information,” says Graff. That strict security posture, including a previous investment in the Microsoft 365 E5 security stack, helped Cerner adapt to remote and hybrid work seamlessly. “We were already using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on company laptops and Microsoft Intune for mobile device management,” says Graff. “To support remote work, we require the best security tools. We use Microsoft 365 security services to make sure we are providing the strongest protection for our clients and their sensitive information.”

The move to Teams for digital meetings is another reason for Cerner’s strong security posture. “In the past, there were concerns that people who weren’t supposed to be in the meeting could join conference calls with sensitive information,” says Graff. “Using Teams meetings brings the security of the Microsoft 365 solution to our meetings and helps make them more secure.”

Embracing flexibility and returning to a hybrid world

After many months of unprecedented changes, and a history of transformative innovations, Cerner is adept at supporting change with leading-edge technology. Today, hybrid work is the next big change gaining momentum at the company, shaping everything from office layouts to how teams come together. One thing that will remain the same is the organization’s use of Microsoft tools to support its fast-paced culture, where associates work in flexible environments to enable the company’s mission and help shape the future of healthcare.