The ability to view analytics data in collaboration and productivity software is not new; such products have long provided admins with a snapshot of app utilization. Typically aimed at gauging user uptake and tracking deployment progress, these metrics were otherwise limited in their wider business use.
Recently, however, software vendors have begun to add more sophisticated analytics that shine a light on broader organizational working patterns and trends.
“The big shift happening now is from adoption analytics to thinking about employee experience more broadly,” said Angela Ashenden, a principal analyst at CCS Insight. “You start to build organizational and HR metrics into the analytics framework; it goes beyond just adoption to being much more about business enablement.”
What’s next for remote workers? A virtual ‘water cooler’
Lack of connection has been a constant issue for remote workers, but a slate of new apps promises to make social interactions easier no matter where employees are. Will people gather in the virtual breakroom? Credit: Dreamstime
For all of the successes of the pandemic-forced shift to remote work, replicating the casual interactions that happen naturally in the office the impromptu team lunch, informal hallway chat, or a quick strategy session by the coffee machine has been a lot harder when working from home.
These seemingly innocuous conversations and connections can benefit both workers and employers, improving wellbeing, sparking innovation and even boosting productivity. A growing number of start-ups such as Donut and Tandem are now looking to connect remote colleagues more effectively with “water cooler” and “virtual office” style apps to address the disconnection many workers feel.
Thinkstock / Margarita Lyr / Getty Images
For all of the successes of the pandemic-forced shift to remote work, replicating the casual interactions that happen naturally in the office the impromptu team lunch, informal hallway chat, or a quick strategy session by the coffee machine has been a lot harder when working from home.
These seemingly innocuous conversations and connections can benefit both workers and employers, improving wellbeing, sparking innovation and even boosting productivity. A growing number of start-ups such as Donut and Tandem are now looking to connect remote colleagues more effectively with “watercooler” and “virtual office” style apps to address the disconnection many workers feel.
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Microsoft
Microsoft s launch of Microsoft Viva on Feb. 4 marks a new chapter in the company s employee applications strategy, one which builds on its increasingly dominant position in employee productivity and collaboration with Teams to embrace the burgeoning field of employee experience.
Viva combines tools to support employee engagement and well-being, learning and knowledge management, as well as experience analytics, all delivered through Microsoft Teams. In many cases the capabilities on offer have been available in disparate applications, however the reorganization into a single platform casts them in a new light geared at business users beyond the IT department. The platform also sees some of Microsoft s previous acquisitions playing a more central role.