Last March COVID came along and turned everyone’s world upside down. In a heartbeat businesses around the world had to implement at very short notice remote working utilising tools such as Teams and Zoom (not doubt Viva will be added to that list too), Microsoft Teams active users alone have jumped from 2 million in 2017 to 115 million in 2021 – Check it out here. As we have been saying for a while now the future of non-physical work has to be at least in part focussed around remote and hybrid working.
Here at The Red Penguin Group Ltd we have been heavily invested in Microsoft Teams for a number of years and really utilise its features to allow us to work smart in a fast paced world so Viva for us is a very encouraging feature set. Many employers have noticed however that whilst Teams can fulfil the technical requirements of the job employees were missing that inclusive nature that a traditional office environment brings so Microsoft have addressed this with VIVA
VIVA
So what is Viva I hear you ask? Well its a new platform from Microsoft that is part of its Employee Experience Platform (EXP) and it is designed to give more tools to employees and managers allowing them to give structure to their remote work day and their work/life balance. It brings in things like Insights to offer guidance and support on mental well-being, virtual commutes to give that all so important boundary between work/play. Being able to manage projects, Offer access to targeted learning to allow you to thrive. Having the ability to stay connected through team bonding exercises allows Viva users to really build a great team.
What Viva modules are available and where do I get it?
So Viva incorporates a number of modules that form the app. These are all designed to play nice with Microsoft products like Teams and Outlook. Here is a break down of what you get and when you can get it
VIVA INSIGHTS – This is currently available to download via the Apps tab within Teams. It allows you to add in key contacts to see activity, book in focus time and set up personal insights according to your needs. Future soon to be released highlights include virtual commutes, integration into Headspace for mindful contemplation moments and much more…
VIVA LEARNING – Create a central learning hub to assign, create, share and discover training and e-learning activities specifically customised for you and your teams needs.
VIVA TOPICS – This cutting edge platform uses artificial intelligence to empower uses with knowledge and experiences across multiple platforms to better allow users to do more.
VIVA CONNECTIONS – At its most basic this feature set allows for the creation of a central area to bring together teams of users to create and emphasise and build an inclusive workplace. Share relevant news, tips and updates.
Why does Viva matter to my business?
If you are a small team then chances are you are already a fairly close knit group with regular video chats and updates however if your business has multiple employees across multiple departments and sites then Viva can really help you bring a sense of community back giving employees the sense of inclusion that can be lacking in this new world of tele-working.
How we can help
As always we can help implement Teams and Viva for your organisation and don’t worry if you have never used it before we can go through everything with you step by step. Once you see what it can do you will wonder how you ever managed without it!
Get in touch today.