One way that the business landscape has been forever changed due to the pandemic is in the rise of work-from-home (WFH). Many companies in Silicon Valley and the rest of the country had to adapt to remote workers due to the pandemic, and they are planning to keep remote work options in place permanently.

The total number of permanent remote employees is expected to double in 2021. Which means there will be a focus on remote team support this year to eliminate some of the challenges of working from home.

Some of the concerns managers have about WFH employees include:

• Reduced employee focus (82%)
• Lower productivity (82%)
• Reduced team cohesiveness (75%)
• Maintaining company culture (70%)
• Employees overworking (67%)
• Ongoing career development (65%)

It turns out that a brand-new Microsoft Teams add-in addresses all those concerns and can help businesses keep employees engaged, connected, growing, and productive, no matter where they are working. The platform is called Microsoft Viva, and it was introduced in February 2021. 

Using Microsoft Viva to Create a More Connected Remote Team

Microsoft Viva uses the power and connectivity of MS Teams to deliver several important elements of a well-functioning workforce. The platform has four components, each with a specific purpose:

• Viva Topics (delivers company knowledge)
• Viva Connections (delivers news and connection)
• Viva Learning (delivers ongoing career development)
• Viva Insights (delivers wellbeing guidance)

The key to Viva is that it brings these multiple benefits into an application that employees are already working in throughout the day, making the new interface a new natural part of their workday. The app utilizes the power of Teams and Microsoft 365.

Here’s how you can empower your team with Microsoft Viva.

fViva Topics: Organize & Serve Up Valuable Corporate Knowledge

The problem: Companies have a vast array of hard-won corporate knowledge in handbooks, policies, tip sheets, and more. But it’s often buried and hard for employees to locate as the months and years go by. New employees might not even be aware of a valuable company knowledge resource.

The solution: Viva Topics automatically organizes company information and creates topic pages. It then monitors Teams conversations for any mention related to those topics and serves up a link so employees can jump right to it.

This saves valuable time and ensures your team is benefitting from the experience and knowledge of others. 

All images Viva images are from Microsoft

Viva Connections: Combat Disconnectedness 

The problem. WFH employees can often feel disconnected from their corporate culture and colleagues. Only 26% of employees feel they are fully up to date on company news and information. 

The solution: Viva Connections makes it easy for companies to keep employees “in the know” through a curated information portal. Employees can receive news, resources, policies, and even important company conversations in their personalized Connections feed. This helps everyone maintain a sense of corporate culture and feeling of connectedness, even if they’re working remotely.

Viva Connections

Viva Learning: Easily Promote Ongoing Training & Development

The problem: Managing ongoing employee development and training can seem like an arduous task to business owners. Employees working remotely may also feel they won’t get the same time and attention when it comes to skills development to advance their careers.

The solution: Viva Learning makes ongoing training and development a natural part of the day by bringing multiple courses into Teams that can easily be discovered, shared, and assigned.

The app can connect to multiple learning management systems and course options, including:

• LinkedIn Learning
• Microsoft Learn
• Coursera
• SAP SuccessFactors
• Cornerstone
• edX
• and many others

Viva Learning

Viva Insights: Mitigate Employee Burnout & Foster Wellbeing

The problem: Many employees feel they have to work longer and later to prove they’re still working just as hard from home. Managers also are often in the dark when it comes to employee overwork with remote employees.

The solution: Viva Insights focuses completely on employee wellbeing to promote more productive work habits. It serves up tips and reminders throughout the day about things like taking breaks and unplugging from work at the end of the day.

Managers and leaders also get important insights about how their team is doing as a whole, such as if employees are working later or during the weekends. This allows them to address overwork before it turns into burnout that can hurt productivity.

Leaders are provided important insights into how they can promote wellbeing and productivity for a healthier and happier team.

Viva Insights

Get Help Putting the Right Cloud Environment in Place to Power an Effective Team

GEEK911 can help your Silicon Valley business put the right cloud tools in place to promote productivity and a great employee experience for both in-office and remote teams.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation! Call 1-866-433-5411 or reach us online.