Why Microsoft Viva is My Favorite Microsoft Product: Mindfulness
Before the Pandemic, I was traveling frequently, and was in the mindset of discoveries outside of my home. I was constantly planning the next trip, whether it be for work or for pleasure. Although travel is a great thing, too much of it wears you out.
2020 was a year in which we all learned to be more appreciative of what we have due to being forcibly locked down. In my case, a few discoveries I made was that I have a pretty cool backyard. Tall Pine trees that sway peacefully in the wind along with some benches I made with my kids when they were small, so that we could go up there and meditate. I actually forgot I had built those. My life slowed down considerably which empowered me to find time to meditate 10 minutes a day, on those benches, write in my gratitude journal, play guitar in between my meetings, take my shoes off to ground outside, get back into drawing and get to know my family again.
Now we are about 16 months into this new life, things are slowly coming back to normal, but the world will never be the same as before. As we adapt to the change of a Hybrid workplace, change, inevitably, brings along new anxieties and concerns.
Introducing, Microsoft Viva. In summary, Microsoft Viva is a platform composed of four pillars, Insights, Topics, Connections and Learning. The pillar I am highlighting to today is Insights. Insights surfaces employee centric data via charts, notifications and suggestions, through the Power of Workplace Analytics, Power BI and AI, to help employees avoid burnout. Working long hours, with too many meetings and not enough time to slow down, is a recipe for disaster. Sitting for 10 plus hours a day, without fresh air and sunlight can lead to physical repetitive stress injuries and mental health problems. According to this study by the World Health Organization (WHO) published by the BBC, long working hours kills 745,000 people a year. Before slowing down due to the pandemic, I was a lot more impatient and scattered with all the multi-tasking I was trying to do. Life was passing me by.
Take a look at the screenshots of my Viva Insights app conveniently displayed for me in Microsoft Teams. I never thought I’d live to see the day in which these mindfulness concepts were front and center in the corporate world. The Insights app presents me with a chance to give gratitude in the form or Praise to my colleagues or meditate directly from this app with its built-in Headspace modules. Headspace is a company we have partnered with that specializes in meditation apps. Insights also exposes my to-do items for tomorrow so that I can prepare for the next day, so that I am not overwhelmed in the morning. It also suggests booking some ‘focus time’ which will set an appointment in my calendar as well as create a ‘do not disturb’ presence in Microsoft Teams during that scheduled ‘focus time’ that you can truly spend that time focusing without interruption.
When I click on the ‘More mindfulness exercises’ look at what it gives me. Mindfulness exercises via Headspace as well as relaxing music to focus or disconnect, right from Microsoft Teams!
The ‘Be kind to your mind’ graphic summarizes this new workplace philosophy nicely. Its all about being healthier and happier at work. I’m very happy that we at Microsoft are incorporating these valuable learnings into our products so that more organizations can benefit. The world changed forever in 2020, incorporating mindfulness in the workplace is one way it changed for the better.