Microsoft has unveiled “Viva,” a new employee experience platform (EXP) designed to integrate with Teams and Microsoft 365.
EXP is a $300 billion a year industry and is more important than ever during the pandemic. While an unprecedented number of employees are working from home, the response to remote work has been a mixed bag. The majority of employees want it to continue indefinitely, but many still struggle to feel connected with their coworkers or access the same resources available in the office.
Microsoft is looking to address these issues with Viva, while simultaneously disrupting the EXP industry.
Today we’re introducing Microsoft Viva, the first EXP built for the digital era. Microsoft Viva brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights into an integrated experience that empowers people and teams to be their best, from anywhere. Powered by the full breadth and depth of Microsoft 365, it is experienced through Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps that people use every day.
Viva will be rolled out in four modules: Viva Connections, Viva Insights, Viva Learning, and Viva Topics.
Viva Connections is designed to help employees connect with each other, serving as the central point for employee interaction. This is especially useful for new hires who may never have been to the office or met their coworkers face-to-face. Leaders can host company town halls, while employees can access company news, policies, benefits and more, as well as join employee community groups.
Viva Insights is designed to help employees, managers and leaders make better use of their time and prevent burnout. The module helps individuals maintain a healthy work balance, protecting time for breaks, focused work and learning. Managers can use the module to monitor the health of their team and see who is at risk of burnout, while company leaders can see overall trends impacting the entire organization.
Viva Learning helps make learning a part of the everyday corporate culture. According to Microsoft’s LinkedIn, 94% of people would stay at a company longer if it invested in ongoing learning, making Viva Learning an important part of the platform.
Microsoft describes Viva Topics as “a Wikipedia with AI superpowers for your organization.” It’s designed to save employees the estimated seven weeks a year spent searching for or re-creating information, putting all the company’s relevant knowledge and resources in a centralized place.
“There is no question that, over the last year, we have seen lasting structural change across ever aspect of our society and economy,” CEO Satya Nadella said when introducing Viva. “No area has undergone more rapid transformation than the way we work.”
“As the world recovers, there is no going back. Flexibility in when, where and how we work will be key,” Nadella added. “Today, we want to talk about what this means and how we’re ensuring every organization will have the technology required to support their employees and help them thrive in this new era of flexible work.”