

Each will be accessible through Teams' app sidebar. The new platform will combine four modules called Connections, Insights, Learning and Topics. Microsoft Viva collects metrics on employee productivity, well-being and education. "You can't put culture in a box," he said. But software alone won't entirely replace the social advantages of an in-person workplace. Gotta said a vendor of Microsoft's size committing to apps that emphasize workplace culture will lead to others in the industry following suit. With Viva, Microsoft attempts to fill those gaps. Missing is the sense of belonging, peer camaraderie, office folklore and gossip, Gartner analyst Mike Gotta said. The coronavirus pandemic-induced shift to work from home has created gaps in corporate cultures. "We're bringing together collaboration, learning and well-being in order to create a completely new product category." "We have participated in the largest at-scale remote work experiment the world has seen, and it has had a dramatic impact on the employee experience," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a prerecorded keynote. Microsoft called Viva its employee experience platform, or EXP, to reflect this idea. Viva is Microsoft's response to the growing consensus that work will not return to normal and will remain a hybrid of home and office work for many employees. Viva builds upon applications Microsoft already offers, such as MyAnalytics, SharePoint and Yammer.

The company announced Viva this week and said it would release the platform in stages over the next few months.
