One of the trends that has become more prominent in recent times is the digital experience of the employee, and with it the technological platforms to support it. We have the opportunity to go through times of digital acceleration that invite us to reimagine the possibilities. Fortunately, the efforts are not isolated and that is why large companies are echoing this trend, which we are convinced is here to stay.
Until now, companies have relied on a customer-centric model that prioritised the needs, desires and challenges of customers, focusing their efforts and resources on solving them. This way of operating is not wrong, but it relegates one of the structural points of organisations: their employees. If we have learned anything from the situation we are going through, it is the need to care for, accompany and understand the work teams. The good news is that it is possible to transcend the connection/disconnection duality that hybrid work presents us with and thus create a solid work culture with Microsoft Viva.
Let’s think about the challenges first, then the technology.
+ Democratising access to information
+ When an employee’s life cycle ends, part of what he or she has learned generally goes with him or her, and this implies knowledge leakage. The loss has repercussions at the organisational level, both in teams and in projects, and rebuilding it involves an investment that is rarely estimated.
+ Bringing teams closer
+ Talking by the coffee machine or over lunch is something that many of us miss; we have lost the personal exchange within our working day. It is important, then, to create new spaces that allow for this extra-workplace exchange within a framework regulated by the organisation’s values.
+ Enhancing learning
+ Learning while working is a premise that represents the world we live in. Having a corporate training plan that allows access to formal and informal content courses is essential if we want to achieve a results-oriented culture.
+ Prioritising wellbeing
+ The challenge of remote work has made us redefine the value we place on our health and personal spaces. Being able to prioritise wellbeing, promoting a balance between work and family life is today a primary need.
Microsoft Viva
Thinking about all these challenges and customer scenarios, Microsoft generated a platform capable of solving them. For those who don’t know Microsoft Viva, it is a solution that is here to stay with a clear objective: to foster a work culture where people and teams can give the best of themselves from any location, device or time zone and that – developed on Microsoft 365 and deployed on Microsoft Teams – is easy to use. There are four applications covering key areas:
• Information
• Connections
• Learning
• Ideas
Below, we tell you a bit about what the four vertices are all about and how you can benefit from implementing them in your company.
Through Viva Topics,knowledge management is simplified, as it is possible to organise information automatically, intuitively and easily into pages that collect general data, key people and documents around a specific topic. Being embedded in Microsoft Teams provides a simple user experience, as it is not necessary to learn how to use a new tool or leave the one you are using.
Using Viva Connections companies benefit from a modern, connected experience with a strong focus on communication and team building, in which corporate values are exposed. Providing an integrated experience to employees is facilitated, as well as onboarding and crossboarding processes within the organisation under the Stay connected!
If your strategy is to prioritise learning processes, we recommend that you turn to Viva Learning, which will provide you with the necessary basis to manage all the training, courses and activities linked to them. You will be able to provide not only courses within standard platforms (Microsoft Learn, Microsoft 365 Learning, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udacity, Udeny, edX, Harvard Business Publishing and others) but also those that are tailored to your organisation.
Finally, Viva Insights will improve work habits by accompanying people’s productivity while taking care of their wellbeing, whether through concentration time, reminding them of the importance of taking breaks, practising mindfulness or, above all, providing personalised insights about individual work patterns. This app is designed for leaders, co-workers and leaders alike.
About the Author: Ana Inés Urrutia
