Viva Engage: Microsoft Teams’ Take on Facebook

Since acquiring the social networking service Yammer a decade ago, Microsoft has been working hard to improve workplace communication through Microsoft Teams. Remember how they recently introduced the Microsoft Viva platform to help businesses with remote work with a bet that this new way of life will become the norm for hybrid or remote work?

This year, they are taking it further with the launch of Viva Engage within Microsoft Viva, a brand-new Facebook-like tool inside Teams that promotes social networking at the workplace.

What is Microsoft Viva?

Microsoft Viva is a work engagement platform that facilitates interaction, communication, and the sharing of information, resources, and insights in the workplace. It is powered by Microsoft 365 and accessible through Microsoft Teams. Microsoft says that Viva will nurture a culture that enables people and organizations to perform at their peak level from any location.

What is Microsoft Viva Engage?

Microsoft Viva Engage is a social networking platform for creating interactive online communities, discussions, and connections. It leverages the Teams’ Communities app’s functionalities. According to Microsoft, the new Viva Engage app will be an improved version of the current Yammer Communities app, with advanced functionality for establishing connections, exchanging information, expressing oneself, and building community at work.

Additionally, Viva Engage, which will be an integral element of the Microsoft Viva suite, supports Viva Connections and Viva Topics and can provide chances for community engagement, socialization, and education across several Viva domains, including Microsoft Viva Insights and Microsoft Viva Learning.

Workers from various parts of the company can use the new tool, a Yammer-based platform, to engage, ask questions of management and other employees, share personal stories, and generally feel more connected at work. Viva Engage aims to empower leaders to shape culture by allowing everyone to interact and participate in their organizations.

Viva Engage has all the functions a social networking platform would entail. You will get a user profile akin to Facebook, where you can publish updates, pictures, videos, and pretty much whatever you’d usually post on a social media channel.

Furthermore, Viva Engage allows you to express yourself through posts or stories. The new Storylines section includes a feed of postings from colleagues you follow and workplace recommendations.

Launch and Transitions

Microsoft will relaunch its Communities app for Teams as Viva Engage by August of this year. It will become available through the Teams web, desktop, and mobile apps. Current administrators of the Communities app should not be concerned, as Microsoft promises a smooth transition with minimal to no changes. Existing Yammer users can launch Viva Engage via the Teams Admin Center.

Although there is much anticipation and excitement for the launch, some current Yammer users are reluctant and confused about the upcoming transition. 

Murali Sitaram, Yammer, and Viva Corporate Vice President explain:

“Nothing is going away. Yammer simply starts contributing to Employee Experience more directly through Viva Engage, and we add new features for both Viva and Yammer customers with Storyline and Stories. We believe that social connections, individual expression, and community should accrue to customers of both productivity and employee experience categories,” 

The features that come with Microsoft Viva offer excellent communication and management solutions depending on the user’s needs. The addition of Viva Engage further makes remote work easier than ever by connecting fellow employees across states and regions and making it easy to collaborate regardless of location. Viva is a flexible platform that can accommodate different types of work structures.

The main question will ultimately be if this platform is sustainable. In the end, it’s up to your organization to determine if Viva Engage is a good fit for your team or remote work.