Microsoft Viva: A Tool for the Future of Work in a Hybrid Environment
By Dana Haase,
SVP, Communications Strategy
June 8, 2021
Recently, Microsoft unveiled its employee experience platform, Microsoft Viva. According to the head of Microsoft 365, Jared Spataro, “Viva responds to the idea that we should stop thinking of work as a ‘place’ and start looking at ways to ‘harness human ingenuity’ and connect employees in a changing world”. Today, our changing world is defined by the long-term shift to a hybrid work model and the challenges organizations face as they try to engage and nurture employees within this new paradigm.
Microsoft Viva aims to respond to this challenge by bringing together tools for employee communications, wellbeing, learning and knowledge discovery into one solution. So, does Microsoft Viva deliver on this promise? We think it does.
Here is an overview of the platform’s four main modules and how they will contribute to a successful hybrid work model:
Viva Connections
Viva Connections provides employees with a branded gateway to their digital workplace. Accessed via Microsoft Teams, employees are presented with a personalized dashboard that brings together company news, policies, benefits information, and other curated resources all in one place.
But as its name implies, Connections is about more than providing access to information; it’s also about facilitating employee engagement. Thanks to its integration with Yammer, employees can easily find and join communities that connect them with others who share the same interests. Such capabilities foster a sense of comradery that transcends office walls and helps employees feel like they are a part of something bigger – no matter where they’re located.
Viva Connections is available as part of an existing Microsoft 365 license at no added cost.
Viva Insights
Viva Insights serves the dual purpose of providing information that can help managers assess employee productivity while also sharing data that encourages employee wellbeing. Insights employs Microsoft Workplace Analytics and Microsoft MyAnalytics to measure how employees collectively use their time in Outlook and Teams and how often people are online outside of working hours.
Insights also has a separate, private section that focuses on employee self-care by encouraging dedicated time for breaks and focused work. For example, for those working at home it can be hard to separate work time from personal time; Insights offers the “virtual commute” to help employees maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Pricing for this feature is based on a tiered approach.
Viva Topics
According to Spataro, Topics is, “essentially a Wikipedia for the digital company”. By using AI, an organization’s content is aggregated, rationalized, and organized into Topics. In turn, Topics show up as highlighted words in pages, messages, and content. These highlighted items reveal “topic cards” that list alternate names, definitions, subject matter experts, and relevant documents.
The big win – all this knowledge is available to employees within the context of the task they’re performing without them having to change apps or perform a search. If an employee wants to delve deeper into a Topic, they can link through to topic pages for expanded information and additional resources. Such ease of access to information is especially beneficial to those in front-line or field-based roles where circumstances may make it cumbersome to toggle between apps.
Viva Topics is priced at $5 per user/month.
Viva Learning
A recent report from LinkedIn found that 94% of employees would stay with a company longer if the organization invested in their development and learning. Viva Learning is Microsoft’s solve for making learning a natural extension of an employee’s daily work and an integral part of company culture.
It accomplishes this by bringing training and professional development directly into Microsoft Teams. Employees can access online content from LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, an organization’s proprietary course library as well as classes from third-party providers like Coursera.
This makes for an equitable professional development experience regardless of whether an employee is on-site, remote, or on a hybrid schedule.
Pricing for this module is forthcoming.
One Platform for Everyone, Everywhere
By combining tools for employee wellbeing, engagement, learning, and knowledge discovery into a single employee experience platform, Microsoft Viva makes it easier for organizations to embrace digital transformation and successfully adapt to a hybrid work model.
Which Microsoft Viva module do you think will be most beneficial to your organization? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments.
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