What is Viva Insights and how does it make your workplace better?

As a Trainer and a Change Manager who is focused on technology and business workflows, I’ve seen a lot of new tools come and go in the workplace. Some never take off, most fade into obscurity only to be used by random startups specialising in a product only 4 people will buy, or archaic organisations who can’t figure out how to move forward.

Some tools though, stay and grow.

Like the amazing little avocado seed I planted 3 years ago, it doesn’t look like much initially, but over time we’ve seen it sprout, start to grow out, develop some leaves, and now it’s 6 feet tall and going strong.

In this terrible analogy, Viva Insights is the Avocado seed.

No-one really ‘got it’ initially… We trusted it, we waited to see what it could do, and here we are spreading Smashed-Insights on our toast.

What is Microsoft Viva Insights?

For those who don’t know, Viva Insights is part of Microsoft’s Viva platform, which is designed to improve the employee experience by integrating with Microsoft Teams and other tools. Viva Insights uses AI to help individuals and teams monitor and improve their productivity and well-being, and it does this in a way that’s both personalised and non-intrusive.

What benefits does Viva Insights offer to employees?

PERSONALISED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BETTER WORK HABITS

We all have our own work styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Viva Insights recognises this and provides tailored recommendations to help you manage yours better, balance your work and personal life, and help you build healthy work habits.

For example, Viva Insights might suggest taking a break after a long meeting, or prioritising tasks based on their importance and urgency. These recommendations are based on hard data that lives in the background, but it’s also tailored to your work preferences.

INSIGHTS INTO COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION

Teams are the backbone of most businesses, but they can also be a source of stress and confusion. Viva Insights provides data-driven insights into how individuals and teams are collaborating and communicating. This can help identify bottlenecks, areas for improvement, and even positive trends that can be amplified.

For example, Viva Insights might show that a team is spending too much time in meetings, or that certain teams are not being included in important discussions.

This information, when put into context of the business and the team/s in question can be used to make specific changes that improve teamwork and productivity, but don’t necessarily affect the wider business.

SUPPORT FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Mental health and wellbeing are increasingly important topics in the workplace (and frankly, they should be). Viva Insights includes features that support these areas, such as mindfulness exercises and suggestions for taking breaks.

Viva Insights might recommend taking a walk or doing a breathing exercise to reduce stress and improve focus. These small interventions can have a big impact on overall well-being, and Viva Insights makes them easy and accessible, and with the integration of ‘Headspace’ exercises and activities, users can be confident that the activities will be relevant, thoughtful and developed by professionals in the mental health space.

There is so much more to Viva Insights

This is just the skin of the Avo though.

Viva Insights runs deeper than the butter on my toast, and the automatically generated reports can give you a quick look into some really interesting metrics that can highlight potential concerns you didn’t even know existed, as well as showing you reasons to celebrate your workplace culture.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your productivity and well-being at work, give Viva Insights a try. Depending on your Microsoft licensing, you may have access to the feature-limited ‘seeded’ version which can give you a head start, or alternatively reach out let’s have a chat if you’re keen to know more.