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Microsoft Teams
Creating Space for Hybrid and Remote Staff  
to Thrive
Cathy Mayer, Visiting Instruction Librarian, North Park University
Grace Simons, Electronic Resources and Cataloging Librarian,  
North Park University

ABSTRACT Grace Simons, Electronic Resources and Cataloging Librarian, 
and Cathy Mayer, Visiting Instruction Librarian, share a belief that academic 
libraries can practice hospitality for staff members (librarians and para-
professionals) by re-imagining workflows through expanded use of digital 
platforms. In this Atla 2022 conference session, Simons and Mayer shared 
their experience utilizing Microsoft Teams at North Park University’s Bran-
del Library and invited attendees to reflect on how ideas shared might be 
applied at other Atla institutions. Content shared is intended to provide 
a high-level introduction to Microsoft Teams and explores three themes: 
needs that drove adoption at Brandel Library, a tour of the platform high-
lighting key functions, and ideas for organizational strategies that can be 
adapted by others.

ADAPTING FOR HYBRID AND REMOTE WORK

In a June 2021 Harvard Business Review (HBR) Digital article, Sue 
Bingham, founder and principal of HPWP Group, notes that develop-
ing remote and hybrid work policies must take a higher view than 
simply considering the number of days in or out of an on-site office 
setting. Bingham implores organizations to recognize that regardless 
of the amount of time spent in a specific location, “employers must 
get serious about adapting to employees’ need by soliciting their in-
put along the way” (Bingham 2021).

Bingham’s advice is helpful, but perhaps even more helpful is the 
opportunity academic librarians have to follow advice commonly 
attributed to Winston Churchill and “never let a good crisis go to 
waste.” Based on our experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, aca-
demic libraries can now frame the potential for effectively leverag-



LISTEN AND LEARN SESSIONS  261

ing future hybrid and remote work policies and practices upon our 
recent experience. To constructively reflect on the pandemic and the 
ways it can help shape the future remote and hybrid work of aca-
demic libraries, consider the following questions: (1) what benefits 
have you encountered during hybrid or remote work, and (2) what 
pain points have you experienced?

NEEDS: PLACE, PROCESS, AND PEOPLE

Responding to employee needs requires that organizations, whether 
an academic library or broader university, consider the place where 
work is done, the processes that foster (or possibly inhibit) work, and 
the people engaged in workflows. Each of these elements may intro-
duce priorities and needs that initially appear in conflict with one 
another. Thus, it is vital for organizations to foster open dialog and 
iteratively form remote and hybrid work arrangements.

As many academic libraries face the reality of lean staffing be-
cause of frozen or eliminated positions due to budget cuts, the time 
for re-evaluating the ways we work is now. If you are a manager of 
people in your organization, carve out time for yourself and your 
team to cultivate awareness of latent functionalities in tools avail-
able. Though you may not have felt like there was (or is) time for ex-
ploration, prioritizing reflection and reconsidering workflows can 
be a powerful opportunity to identify what your staff values.

THE PROCESS OF REIMAGINING WORK WITH AND FOR HYBRID AND 
REMOTE STAFF

Lynda Gratton, a professor at the London Business School, proposes 
three crucial questions for workflow reimagination at companies—
which are equally relevant to libraries:

1. Are any team tasks redundant?
2. Can any tasks be automated or reassigned to people outside 

the team?
3. Can we reimagine a new purpose for our place of work? 

(Gratton 2021, 73)

Gratton also sagely cautions organizations embracing hybrid and 
remote work, noting: “New hybrid arrangements should never rep-
licate existing bad practices—as was the case when companies be-



262  ATLA 2022 PROCEEDINGS

gan automating processes, decades ago. Instead of redesigning their 
workflows to take advantage of what the new technologies made pos-
sible, many companies simply layered them onto existing processes, 
inadvertently replicating their flaws.… (Gratton 2021, 72).” Libraries 
have not been exempted from this pitfall!

Thus, before implementing a new tool, it is imperative that lead-
ers and library staff members reflect on their own work styles and 
preferences. In Bingham’s HBR article, she provides questions to 
help recognize individual preferences. These questions have been 
adapted below for consideration within an academic library context. 
Key questions include:

• What helps you focus?
• What distracts you?
• What tools do you need to perform your job well?
• What tools does your library need to perform well?
• What communication methods work best for you when 

working within the team?
• What communication methods work across the university 

or seminary?
• What communication methods work best with patrons? 

(Bingham 2021)

Leaders can also benefit from reflecting on and facilitating dis-
cussion of questions. Bingham suggests uncovering productivity and 
collaboration needs, including:

• Are the team’s benchmarks, goals, and deadlines clear?
• Do you understand what is expected of you and what con-

stitutes successful performance?
• How often do you communicate across teams or with pa-

trons? During what hours do you most often overlap? (Bing-
ham 2021)

Understanding of the needs and preferences of a particular orga-
nization is foundational to recognizing that utilizing Microsoft Teams 
is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Strategies utilized at Brandel Library 
may not fit the culture and needs of other academic or seminary li-
braries. Moreover, the approach utilized by Brandel’s current library 
staff may not fit the changing needs of the future team. To this end, 



LISTEN AND LEARN SESSIONS  263

deploying Microsoft Teams should be an iterative and flexible pro-
cess, subject to periodic review and revision. Whether assembling as 
part of a monthly staff meeting or annual staff retreat, team members 
can benefit from time dedicated to reflecting upon and answering 
the following, library-adapted questions posed by Bingham: 

• What benefits have you seen from using Teams?
• What difficulties have you encountered?
• Should we make any adjustments in how we collaborate? 

(Bingham 2021)

CASE STUDY: BRANDEL LIBRARY

At Brandel Library, staff involved in deploying Microsoft Teams in-
clude five full-time on-site librarians, one remote full-time librarian, 
and three part-time librarians. Except for a student worker who func-
tions as a part-time assistant to the director, student employees were 
not enfolded into the Brandel Library Team on the Microsoft platform.

Although Microsoft Teams was first adopted by Brandel Library 
staff out of necessity at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, reimag-
ination for deploying the tool was encouraged by Library Director 
Matt Ostercamp. Ostercamp charged Simons and Mayer with the task 
of collaboratively charting a path for broader deployment of Micro-
soft Teams at the anticipated staff retreat in March 2022.

Simons and Mayer began by identifying goals for expanded use 
of Microsoft Teams within the Brandel library staff. Three goals for 
implementation were identified. First, fostering community among 
the staff was a primary motivator. The pandemic and continuing so-
cial distancing precautions necessitated by the January 2022 wave 
of the Omicron variant left staff members perpetually unable to 
gather face-to-face as they had historically been accustomed to do-
ing. Although the Omicron wave passed, an out-of-state move and 
permanent transition to remote work for Simons highlighted the 
continued importance of finding ways to foster community via Mi-
crosoft Teams. The final stated goal was to foster access, specifically 
to enhance information sharing among the lean staff and better 
prepare for transitional periods, like medical leaves and onboard-
ing new members. The final goal was to foster navigation by taking 
advantage of cloud-based capabilities and introducing shared file 
organization strategies to promote proactive management of files.



264  ATLA 2022 PROCEEDINGS

Simons and Mayer set to work identifying ways to accomplish the 
goals and presented them within the context of a “Teams Tour” at 
the Brandel Library Spring Break 2022 staff retreat. The tour began 
by examining the group’s existing “Brandel Staff Chat” thread. Orig-
inally created at the inception of the pandemic, discussions in the 
thread had ranged from work-focused conversation to conversations 
about the strange new reality of life and recipe exchanges. To support 
the goal of fostering community, the chat thread was designated for 
future use as a place for social interaction that would solely feature 
conversations on casual, non-work-related topics.

To better convey the new intent of the thread, library staff mem-
bers were invited to rename the chat group. After considering “Bran-
del Social” and “Brandel Water Cooler” staff members selected a title 
that acknowledged the Swedish heritage of North Park University: 
Brandel Fika. In the months since the purpose of the chat was clari-
fied, the channel has hosted conversations featuring news articles, 
photos, videos, moments of celebration, and holidays.

One unintended benefit of expanded-use chat has come through 
increased full-team engagement. In January 2022, Brandel Library 
welcomed Mayer, as a Visiting Instruction Librarian, and Blanca Her-
nandez, as Reference and Outreach Librarian, who predominantly 
works afternoon and evening shifts. Historically, enfolding new team 
members relied upon opportunities for informal interactions to aug-
ment initial training. Meanwhile, part-time and evening staff were 
not fully enfolded into the library’s culture due to limited opportuni-
ties for engagement with daytime staff. Thanks to the Brandel Fika 
chat thread, opportunities to build community, regardless of when 
and where team members are scheduled, have been fostered through 
time-shifted dialog. In addition to the chat thread, the Brandel team 
further fosters community by gathering as a group, based on avail-
ability, for a 30-minute “Fika” video call.

In Teams, specific channels can be set up for focused conversa-
tions. The Brandel Library created channels for Administration, 
Collections, Electronic Resources, Instruction, Professional Develop-
ment, Public Services, and Reference. Once a channel is established, 
chat conversations can be held within that channel. Channels can 
also be linked to existing OneDrive folders. These files can be ac-
cessed directly from the channel and are automatically shared with 
anyone who is part of the channel. There is also a “+” in the naviga-
tion bar in each channel that allows users to add additional apps 
available from Microsoft and external parties (image 1).



LISTEN AND LEARN SESSIONS  265

IMAGE 1. Instruction Channel Navigation Bar. Screenshot by Grace Simons.

Channels also offer customizable notifications (image 2). There 
are options to see all notifications, mentions only, or further cus-
tomization of when a notification will pop up onscreen and audibly 
ping. Regardless of notification preferences, when there is new con-
tent in a channel, it will appear bolded in the list. Channels can also 
be private so that the conversations and files are only accessible to 
specific members.

IMAGE 2. Channel Notifications Options. Screenshot by Grace Simons.

With multiple channels created within the Brandel Library team, 
library staff have been designated to serve as a “point person” for an 
assigned channel. Staff assigned to this role act as a caretaker and 
final decision maker in guiding decisions related to the maintenance 
of files and information dissemination related to a given channel. 
Initial work associated with these roles involves ensuring files are 
migrated from personal drives into a folder structure with clear, 
standardized labels, to promote easier navigation among shared 
users. To track decisions related to file migration and organization, 
searchable channel chat threads provide a space for logging progress 
and decisions to update colleagues.



266  ATLA 2022 PROCEEDINGS

Taking the time to intentionally think about processes and work-
flows and how they can be updated for use within Teams will be 
beneficial for implementation. Session attendees were prompted 
to consider what processes could be updated to create efficiency in 
their libraries and how Microsoft Teams might streamline workflows. 
Some potential ideas recommended by the presenters included on-
boarding and sharing files. Additionally, attendees were advised to 
consider how staff plan to interact and work with potential remote 
staff members to effectively communicate via Microsoft Teams. Pre-
senters also suggested exploring complementary applications that can 
be embedded within Teams, such as project management tools like 
Trello and Microsoft Project, and the suite of Springshare products.

FOSTERING CULTURE AND CONTINUOUS GROWTH

Although creating community via Teams within Brandel developed 
organically, the importance of facilitating a process to foster shared 
culture is supported by research reported in a 2021 article from the 
Harvard Business Review entitled, “How ‘Virtual Watercoolers’ Can 
Help New Hires.” The piece notes that as firms continue to utilize 
hybrid and remote workforces after the pandemic, “[O]ne issue [or-
ganizations] are likely to face is the dearth of spontaneous interac-
tions—the conversations and camaraderie that can spring up among 
colleagues. Of particular concern is the effect on new employees, who 
often rely on such exchanges to help them learn their roles, under-
stand the organization’s culture, and gain mentorship and support” 
(“How ‘Virtual Watercoolers’” 2021, 26).

Harvard Business Review’s article details research in which a 
large global organization divided summer interns into random 
groups, some of whom were offered the opportunity to participate 
in a 30-minute “virtual watercooler” video call conducted by a senior 
manager—not their direct supervisor. Meanwhile, control groups 
were either assigned 30-minute sessions that included Q&A with a se-
nior manager and fellow interns, work on a group project with fellow 
interns, or unstructured time. At the conclusion of the summer, data 
showed interns who participated in watercooler sessions with senior 
managers felt more positive than others, received higher weekly per-
formance ratings from supervisors, and were more likely to be offered 
fulltime employment. Researchers suggest that virtual watercool-
ers likely “facilitated information sharing and advice…that enabled 



LISTEN AND LEARN SESSIONS  267

the interns to improve their job performance and career outcomes” 
(“How ‘Virtual Watercoolers’” 2021, 26). Academic libraries would 
be wise to apply these findings for staff, potentially offering “virtual 
watercoolers” for staff ranging from librarians to student workers.

Another important aspect of developing culture involves devot-
ing attention to clearly identifying expectations for using Microsoft 
Teams, which can provide confidence and comfort for users. Articu-
lating guidance and expectations for monitoring, prioritizing, and 
responding to communication modes—e.g., chat, channels, and e-
mail—can help set healthy rhythms and boundaries for communica-
tion within a library. For example, although there is a Teams app avail-
able for smartphones, employees should not be expected to monitor or 
view threads outside of their normal working hours. Additionally, in-
structing staff members in the use of features, such as status messages, 
can further support healthy boundaries for effective work (image 3).

IMAGE 3. Teams Status Message Options. Screenshot by Cathy Mayer.



268  ATLA 2022 PROCEEDINGS

For additional ideas on how to make the most of Microsoft Teams, 
consider exploring articles featured under the “Business Tips” por-
tion of Microsoft’s website. These short pieces can provide helpful 
ideas and foster shared discussion. For example, a library leader may 
pre-assign the article “Your Guide to Chat Etiquette in the Workplace” 
before an upcoming meeting (Microsoft Tips, n.d.). Then, as a group, 
the staff can identify key ideas from the article that were novel or 
helpful. The staff could also articulate points of disagreement with 
Microsoft’s etiquette recommendations, identifying if and how they 
diverge from the existing culture and workflows of the library staff. 
Ultimately, such conversations can provide reflective opportunity for 
iterative growth when facilitated by leaders who embrace a growth 
mindset in the use of Microsoft Teams.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bingham, Sue. 2021. “To Make Hybrid Work, Solicit Employees’ 
Input.” Harvard Business Review, July 29, 2021. https://hbr.
org/2021/07/to-make-hybrid-work-solicit-employees-input.

Gratton, Lynda. 2021. “How to Do Hybrid Right.” Harvard Business 
Review 99 (3): 66–74.

“How ‘Virtual Watercoolers’ Can Help New Hires.” 2021. Harvard 
Business Review 99 (4): 26–26.

Microsoft Tips. “Your Guide to Chat Etiquette in the Workplace.” 
n.d. Accessed May 31, 2022. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/
microsoft-365/business-insights-ideas/resources/your-guide-to-
chat-etiquette-in-the-workplace.

https://hbr.org/2021/07/to-make-hybrid-work-solicit-employees-input
https://hbr.org/2021/07/to-make-hybrid-work-solicit-employees-input
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business-insights-ideas/resources/your-guide-to-chat-etiquette-in-the-workplace
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business-insights-ideas/resources/your-guide-to-chat-etiquette-in-the-workplace
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business-insights-ideas/resources/your-guide-to-chat-etiquette-in-the-workplace

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