Hybrid work takes off at United Airlines with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams

Long before it became a buzzword, hybrid work was a way of life for United Airlines employees—a globally dispersed workforce if there ever was one. “The airline industry is one of the most dynamic, ever-changing businesses that I know of,” says Jason Birnbaum, SVP and Chief Information Officer at United Airlines. “We have meetings and conversations and challenges 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” Not surprising, given that United Airlines planes fly to destinations in 74 countries around the clock. 

Employees have always needed to collaborate from anywhere, be it an operations center at an airport or from home in the off hours. “Even so, we were a traditional business,” remembers Harel Magaritz, Managing Director of Network Operation Center, Daily Operation at United Airlines. “We operated via face-to-face meetings and phone calls.” In other words, an early form of hybrid work that relied on phones and lots of travel. But, when COVID-19 changed airline travel overnight, United Airlines needed to find a way to take its bourgeoning hybrid culture to the next level. “We still wanted to maintain that ability to come together even though we were more geographically distributed than ever,” says Birnbaum. “Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 became the crucial collaboration tools we used to build a hybrid culture that reflects the flexible nature of our business.”

Replacing conference calls with dynamic virtual meetings

Magaritz describes the Network Operations Center (NOC) where his team works as the “nerve center” of United Airlines. “The NOC is home to all kinds of flight activity controls: weather planning, air traffic control, dispatch, weight and balance, and a host of other groups that all work together in one facility,” he says. If needed, outside stations would join discussions via phone. However, when COVID-19 considerations made it difficult to gather so many people in one space, United Airlines made the decision to split the NOC into two locations and allow employees to work from home. “Since COVID-19, we had to find solutions to ensure our capability exists outside of working in the same room,” says Margaritz. “We had to find a way to perform our work virtually.”

Teams emerged as a more robust alternative to conference calls. “Things that we used to handle by phone transitioned to Teams in order to actually see the people in front of us,” says Margaritz. “We realized pretty quickly how limiting phone conference calls were.” The ability to chat and share documents were standout features that enhanced collaboration, even with participants spread across various locations. “It's tough to imagine work today without Teams,” says Margaritz.

Teams has proved itself a great match for the “always on” nature of the airline industry. “As United continues to rebound, we only get busier,” says Margaritz. “We need to have the tools in place that allow us to communicate more effectively and share information better than the old tools did.” For instance, in the event of a snowstorm, Margaritz points out that snowbound employees can use Teams to contribute to discussions they otherwise would have missed. “The ability to jump on Teams and start working from anywhere helps us run a better airline and be more adept at handling disruptions along the way,” he says.

Holding more inclusive, effective meetings with Teams and Teams live events

At the Denver International Airport hub for United Airlines, Customer and Employee Advocate Jon Gooda and other members of “Team Den” get together for daily stand-up meetings to share important news ahead of the workday, everything from safety to weather updates. “We do two huddles a day with our leaders—one in the morning, one in the evening for two different shifts,” Gooda explains. In the past, they held those meetings primarily through conference calls, a way of working that caused a lot of headaches for employees. “It was a difficult way for us to communicate, a lot of talking over each other because we couldn’t see each other,” remembers Gooda. 

When Teams meetings replaced those conference calls, United Airlines saw immediate benefits. “Using Teams, we have a much cleaner and more straightforward way to approach short huddle meetings,” he says. “You can see immediately who is engaged and ask questions in the chat or with the raise hand feature.” And, the ability to share screens and walk through complex topics helps more visually minded team members get the most out of meetings. “Different people learn different ways,” says Gooda. “Some prefer the visual, and some prefer just to hear things explained and ask questions. With Teams meetings, we can cater to both.” 

For town hall meetings that bring together more than 100 United Airlines employees, Teams live events has replaced in-person meetings, with unexpected results. “When we first transitioned from in-person to digital town halls, there was a lot of resistance,” remembers Gooda. However, employees soon discovered that a virtual format allowed for more flexibility and a more inclusive environment. “When we held in-person town halls, some people could attend, and some couldn’t,” says Gooda. “Now that we hold Teams live events, we can record the sessions, and those who missed the meeting can watch it on their own time.” And, for more reserved team members, the digital format provides alternatives to asking questions verbally. “We encourage people to put their questions in the Q&A pane because some people are just not the type to ask a question verbally,” says Gooda. “Often, people feel much more comfortable posting their question in the Q&A.” Ultimately, the move to Teams live events was so popular that employees requested that town halls remain virtual, even when the airline was free to resume in-person events.

Continuing to grow a hybrid culture across the airline

Mike Taccino, Vice President, IT Infrastructure, Engineering and Operations at United Airlines, shares a key tenet of the United culture. “We've got a saying, 'Inclusion propels innovation,'” he says. “Every voice is heard and every person on the team knows that they can contribute.” By empowering employees with more flexible options for how they work, United is boosting inclusion and innovation. For Gooda, hybrid work can be summarized as more options. “With Microsoft Teams, we’ve dramatically eased our processes and made it easier to communicate with employees in ways that work for them,” he says. “In the past, it was either in-person meetings, phone calls, or email bulletins. We have transformed this through the use of Teams.”

United Airlines customers stand to benefit from a more dynamic, hybrid culture at the airline too. “United Airlines is a digital airline,” says Taccino. “Our people are all over the place: across the airports, in a hangar, or back at a corporate office. Communication across all those roles and locations is absolutely critical to our success and to delivering the right level of service to our customers.” Brinbaum also sees a clear link between a hybrid culture and great customer experiences. “We’re really excited about the future of United,” he says. “We think we’re in a position to be the best airline for our customers and our employees. Teams and the hybrid culture that we’ve created form a really critical foundational piece for us to deliver that vision.”