Microsoft Viva: Viva la (working) revolution!

Last week was a big week for Microsoft aficionados the world-over with the launch of Viva, including for us here at Changing Social. But this announcement felt different. Hear from Changing Social MD Steve Crompton  as he explains more about what Viva means to him, the Changing Social team and clients.

Granted, we can get a little carried away at any Microsoft announcement here at Changing Social HQ (we do like to geek out on all things M365 after all), but this time was different.

Viva really struck a chord with us. All of us, and for the same reason. We need this, our clients need it and moreover, they want it.

Let’s wind back the clocks a year to February 2020. We were busy working with a number of clients around the world helping them understand how to make the most out of their O365 subscriptions.

At that stage, some of these clients were looking at Teams, some were concentrating on SharePoint and others wanted to move their storage to OneDrive.

As much as we were banging the drum about the power of the O365 suite to support collaboration, it didn’t really seem like anyone was ready to have the conversation. Yes, they wanted to reap the benefits of it (who wouldn’t?) and on paper, it certainly seemed like a good idea, but no one was pushing for it.

At least not in a meaningful way.

Then the pandemic hit and we spent March and April getting our existing, and swathes of new clients, set up to work remotely. We equipped them with the skills and tools, supported them with Digital Champions communities and helped them develop use cases for their new technologies.

The interest in M365 was high. People got on board with Teams and started using it for their meetings and document sharing, and we started to see the green shoots of collaboration. We’d even seen colleagues catching up for quizzes and Teams-based yoga classes. Connecting and collaborating under duress but collaboration no less.

Then just as everyone was getting used to this way of working remotely, developing new skills and getting into the hang of working out loud, they were called back into the office. Then a few months later, they were asked to work from home again. And so the hokey-cokey went on – you put one foot in lockdown, you take it out…

And with it went the enthusiasm for connecting and collaborating, especially on a social level. People got tired of online drinks and as winter set in, so did our anti-social behaviour.

But if there is a silver lining to this past year, it has to be the positive effect the pandemic has had on working remotely and the ability for us to be productive and effective from wherever and whenever we choose to work. Technology like M365 has enabled this to happen.

And Microsoft Viva couldn’t have come at a better time to remind us of this.

Viva has people at its heart. The employee experience platform aimed at helping people share, learn, engage and manage their wellbeing seems to fill the void we’ve all been looking for.

Recognising that behind every screen is a person, Viva provides a place for people to connect with colleagues for not only work but for social and wellbeing reasons. With tools plugged into Teams, we will be able to manage our own wellbeing and keep an eye on colleagues to support them through tough times.

With remote working comes negative side effects of long hours, isolation, physical and mental wellness issues. Viva aims to support employees to connect more and provides tools to help them manage these facets of their lives.

So, for us at Changing Social, Viva didn’t just mark another great product from Microsoft (although we happen to think that too) but it marked a step change in our working revolution.

By focusing on people who are using the technology and what they need to be healthy, well rounded, productive employees, Viva is going to be a great tool in helping us navigate this new way of working, and promises to provide a really positive addition to the M365 suite. We can’t wait to start working with our clients to help them adopt this great new tool.

Viva la (working) revolution!

Changing Social is a certified Microsoft Adoption and Change Management Partner. We specialise in Microsoft Adoption and Change to help our clients adopt Office 365 in days, not months. If you would like to adopt Office 365 in your organisation and find out more about our services, including Office 365 training, please contact us via the form below or email us at [email protected]