How is Microsoft Viva helping businesses drive productivity, and enrich their employees’ at-work experiences?

One thing that became very clear after the widespread adoption of remote working was that businesses are only as successful as their employees. This means that businesses need to be able to support their employees in the right way – but what type of support do employees need in the long term? And how can organisations provide it?

Microsoft recently launched a new product – Microsoft Viva – that is specifically designed for this purpose. Studies consistently show that employees who feel that they are listened to, and who are given the opportunity and space to grow in their role are more likely to stay loyal to their employer, be more productive, and be more enthusiastic about their work. Microsoft Viva gives organisations the means to facilitate that among their workforce. We discussed this with a number of IT companies that have used Viva. One of the companies – a London-based organisation providing IT support Financial Services companies rely on – confirmed that Viva can help employees operate more efficiently, and get more satisfaction from their work.

What is Microsoft Viva?

Microsoft have described Viva as an ‘employee experience platform’, which prioritises employee engagement, learning and training, and wellbeing. It is actually comprised of many different mini apps that are available through Teams – Microsoft’s collaboration platform. Some of the different apps included under the banner include (but are not limited to):

• Viva Connections – This acts as the homepage for Microsoft Viva; in this app users can access resources from other parts of the M365 ecosystem (such as SharePoint).

• Viva Topics – This app identifies topics within all company content; and then organises the content according to those topics, making it easier to find information one needs.

• Viva Learning – A personalised learning portal. It contains courses that are curated according to each individual user’s profile.

These are just a few examples of the many different products that are included in Microsoft Viva. One organisation we spoke to that provides IT support for Estate Agents stated that Viva was built on the principle of Microsoft Teams acting as the main working platform for organisations using Microsoft 365 – it pulls data from all across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Five Reasons to Use Microsoft Viva in Business

Microsoft have always been committed to developing solutions that allow organisations to operate more productively by prioritising the wellness and support of people. Below are five ways that Microsoft Viva supports that vision:

1. Create Expertise Networks – Looking for information relating to tasks can take up a considerable amount of time for users. By creating a cohesive expertise network, encompassing content and peer communications, can cut down on search times for employees, and by extension speeding up individual workflows.

2. Build a Better Workforce – Employee retention can be increased by Microsoft Viva. This is mainly due to the fact that organisations can set up easy channels for employees to provide feedback for leaders to action. Also, with more intuitive access to learning resources and content, employees have more workplace satisfaction.

3. Streamline Employee Onboarding – With the connectivity Viva forges between people, and the way that it streamlines the discovery of, and access to content, it can optimise and streamline the onboarding process for organisations.

Microsoft Viva has a lot of potential to empower organisations to operate more productively, and with a more satisfied and fulfilled workforce. One of the companies we spoke with – an IT support provider London businesses rely on – stated that as business becomes increasingly intertwined with digital technology, solutions like Microsoft Viva will become an absolute necessity.