Business Talk – Microsoft’s Colin Erasmus on the workplace of the future

Colin Erasmus is the director of Modern Workplace and Security at Microsoft South Africa.

He has worked at the company for nearly 22 years and has held several important positions during this period – including Sales Excellence Lead, OEM Lead, and Business Group Lead.

Erasmus is an expert in Microsoft Modern Workplace solutions, which help customers improve employee productivity and satisfaction while facilitating seamless communication and collaboration across locations.

In this episode of Business Talk, Erasmus discusses the shift from remote to hybrid working over the past few years.

He references Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trend Index and explains how the world of work has changed forever.

He then outlines the Hybrid Paradox – where employees simultaneously want the flexibility that remote working provides, but also the collaboration that has traditionally been limited to the office space.

He then expands on what the future of work looks like, as it is important that business leaders are prepared to deal with this effectively.

Erasmus also talks about how this shift is hugely driven by technology and explains that it is important that businesses have the right digital tools to enable the future of work.

He unpacks several Microsoft tools that are crucial for businesses who want to be equipped for the future of work, such as Vivo Insights – which lets employees see how they’re collaborating, who they’re collaborating with, and when they need to take a break.

He also touches on Vivo Learning, which makes it easier to upskill your employees even when they’re out of the office.

Erasmus concludes by explaining what collaboration looks like in a hyperconnected business.

The full Business Talk interview with Michael Avery can be watched below.