MAY 2021 • TECH ADVISOR 7allowemployeestoseekoutanswers
fromtheircolleagues.If theycan’t
help,Learningis designedtoprovide
company-designedandexternalonline
coursesandvideostohelpout.Finally,
there’sInsights– themanagementtool
thatkeepstrackofwhat’sworkingand
whatisn’t,a respinofthecontroversial
ProductivityScoretool.We’lldescribe
themin moredetailbelow.
Vivais beingpositionedasa toolthat
takesthepandemic,anditschangesin
theworkplace,headon.Pre-pandemic,
thetechgianthadalreadysaidthat
onlinecollaborationwasthenextstep
in theevolutionofindividualemployees
workingonindividualdocumentslike
WordandPowerPoint.It thentweaked
itsmessagingoncethepandemic
maderemote work a reality. Now,
Microsoft is trying to establish Viva as a
sort of online community hub – a place
for new employees to learn about the
company, its policies, and who their
co-workers are and what they know
about, much like the intranets some
companies already maintain.
Microsoft sees Viva as the online
manifestation of an office employees
can’t physically visit right now. “We need
to stop thinking of work as a place, and
start thinking about how to maintain
culture, connect employees and harness
human ingenuity in a hybrid world,”
Jared Spataro, corporate vice president
for Microsoft 365, said during a pre-
recorded briefing video for reporters.WHAT’S INSIDE
MICROSOFT VIVA?
Viva’s components each play a distinct
role, which we’ll describe here:Viva Connections
Microsoft sees Viva Connections as
the gateway to your entire Viva digital
workplace, with links to town halls,
company policies, and more. It also
says that Viva Connections will leverage
Yammer to provide a personalized feed
of information you’ll need.
Microsoft has tried to make Teams
as ‘sticky’ as it can be, bundling more
and more around it in a bid to make
it a critical part of the workplace.
(In the autumn, Teams’ active daily
users climbed to 115 million, the firm
revealed.) Encouraging users to start
their day with Viva is part of that.Viva Insights
Viva Insights has three different views.
Employees will see a dashboard that
encourages them to take time and
schedule breaks, as well as meeting-free
blocks for ‘focused learning’. Managers
will have their own dashboard, as will
company executives. It’s the latter that