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Unlocking the Power of Employee Experience with Microsoft Tools

For enterprises, the key to staying ahead isn’t just about cutting-edge technology or innovative products — it’s about investing in the people who make it all happen. And the urgency of addressing employee experience (EX) has never been more pressing.  

According to a 2024 report by MyPerfectResume, approximately 88% of U.S. workers feel burned out at work.  

A survey by the job search site Monster found that 95% of people said they were looking for, or plan to look for, a new role in 2024.  

As companies worldwide grapple with the challenge of keeping their workforce engaged and productive, they’re turning to technology to help. But technology alone isn’t enough to establish an exceptional employee experience. First, organizations need to understand where they’re falling short — and then use technology to help fill the people strategy gaps.

6 Core Competencies of Organizations with an Outstanding Employee Experience

A positive employee experience thrives at the intersections of performance, growth, and connection. With that in mind, organizations with strong EX tend to excel in six different core competencies:

  1. Performance: Goals across various levels and stakeholders within the organization foster a sense of purpose.
  1. Connection: Leaders help employees build and nurture relationships that strengthen organizational bonds.
  1. Engagement: Managers institute robust processes and resources that drive performance.
  1. Growth: The organization promotes continuous learning and professional growth.
  1. Productivity: Leaders can help their direct reports work more effectively and efficiently.
  1. Wellbeing: Employees have a healthy work-life balance.

Taken together, these core competencies attract top talent, keep top talent challenged, and make top talent more productive — all of which lead to a better bottom line.  

In fact, organizations that committed to employee engagement in times of economic uncertainty performed twice as well financially as organizations that deprioritized it. By the end of 2022, the most engaged outperformed the S&P 500.

Knowing where your organization stands can help you determine where tools can unlock employee engagement and help you build the kind of experience your employees want.

How Microsoft Tools Support Each Core Competency

Microsoft’s employee experience platform, Viva, is designed to enhance the work environment by integrating communication, knowledge, learning, and insights into a unified experience within Microsoft Teams. Not so coincidentally, each Microsoft tool connects directly to each EX core competency.

Performance

Microsoft’s EX tools align teams with each other and employees with their managers by integrating goal-setting and tracking into daily workflows. Executives set organizational objectives using OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), which flow down to each individual, connecting their work to broader company priorities. And because these goals are stored in a central location, leaders have visibility into goal progress across the organization.

To facilitate goal setting and planning, Microsoft Copilot generates OKR recommendations, enhances existing OKRs with conversational AI, and automatically summarizes OKR progress.

Connection

Microsoft’s EX platform helps every employee feel connected to each other and the company’s vision. Within Viva Connections, you can create targeted experiences for each part of your business, with access to useful resources for their specific department and an open invitation to join conversations with their peers.

Other broader company information can be displayed at the same time, helping employees see how what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis impacts the business. A more open and transparent online community helps create a workplace dynamic where everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinion knowing their voices are heard.

Engagement

Microsoft Copilot uses AI to automatically identify and organize knowledge across the organization. It creates topic cards and pages with relevant information, experts, and resources, surfaces topic information contextually within Microsoft 365 apps, and helps employees find and learn about unfamiliar terms, projects, or policies faster. Research by Forrester found that tools in the Viva Suite reduced onboarding time-to-full-productivity by 50%.

Microsoft Teams has other customizable engagement features, too. Employees can form social communities around interests, job types, and other topics, breaking down silos and encouraging dialogue across the business. Leadership can even hold virtual town halls and facilitate Q&A through Teams. Microsoft Copilot even offers conversation starters to encourage employees to participate and gives leaders a list of suggested comment responses they can use to stay active and present despite their busy schedules.

Growth  

It can be tough for employees to know what courses to take to further their careers — particularly if learning is spread across hundreds of apps and links. Microsoft’s EX platform centralizes learning content from various sources, like Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn Learning, and other third-party providers, and then integrates learning into the flow of work through Microsoft Teams, allows for sharing and recommending learning content among team members, and enables tracking of learning progress and completions.

Microsoft recently rolled out an AI-powered skills gap engine that helps leadership understand gaps in their organization’s learning and automatically gives tailored recommendations and skills-enriching experiences through various Microsoft 365 apps, teaching employees as they go about their daily work.

Productivity

Microsoft’s Copilot dashboard also gives managers an inside view into their team’s progress, instantly highlighting star players who deserve recognition for their hard work and contributions.

Managers can even leverage built-in conversational AI tools to ask specific questions about their team’s performance — such as “How well is my team adopting AI tools?” — and get personalized reports in return. They can also use Viva Insights functionality to build their own custom reports that analyze collaboration and help them understand and optimize individual and team work patterns. They can even use Microsoft’s analytics to gauge employee resilience post-major business changes.

Well-Being

Using AI to analyze work patterns, Microsoft’s EX software shares personal insights with each employee to help them reduce burnout and improve their productivity and overall well-being (while protecting their privacy).

Managers can also use this data to drive better team habits and identify trends and opportunities for improvement. For instance, with Microsoft, managers can:

  • Conduct recurring meeting audits
  • Quantify their team’s business resilience
  • Identify the different ways each team member works
  • Measure their own effectiveness as a leader

And they can encourage team behavior with customized nudges, tailored to each person’s goals, productivity, KPIs, and, most importantly, their well-being.

3 Strategic Advantages of Implementing Microsoft EX Tools

Microsoft’s employee experience tools offer several benefits that extend beyond immediate operational improvements, positioning your organization for sustained success in a competitive market.

1. Long-Term Financial Gains

For one, a positive work environment — enhanced by EX tools — increases overall workplace morale. This, in turn, reduces conflicts, fosters a more harmonious and efficient workplace, and keeps employees engaged with their work and their colleagues.

Not only does this lead to productivity gains, it also decreases employee churn, dramatically reducing the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training new employees. Research by Forrester shows that improved employee retention as a result of a Microsoft Viva implementation has a roughly 330% ROI.

Moreover, employees who feel valued and have access to wellness programs are generally healthier and less likely to take sick leave. Engaged and satisfied employees are also more productive, which translates into better business performance and increased revenue.

2. Competitive Advantage

Companies known for excellent employee experiences have excellent employer branding. Because of that, they attract top talent more easily, giving the company a distinct advantage in the job market.

Furthermore, a positive employee experience fosters an environment of innovation and creativity. When employees feel valued and motivated, they are more likely to contribute their best ideas. This culture of innovation is critical to driving business growth and maintaining a competitive edge in the industry. By investing in EX software, organizations can create a workplace where great ideas flourish, leading to sustained business success.

3. Enhanced Performance

Engaged employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles, resulting in higher quality work and better customer satisfaction. Microsoft’s comprehensive suite of EX tools helps employees:

  • Set clear goals
  • Maintain a healthy work-life balance
  • Take advantage of continuous learning opportunities
  • Access the organization’s support systems when they need them most

Additionally, Microsoft’s EX tools enable managers to gather feedback and understand work patterns, allowing them to address issues proactively and improve team dynamics with data-backed strategies.

Real-World Impact: Viva Boosts Employee Engagement For a Global Retailer

A major global retailer was struggling to keep their employees engaged with siloed insights and a lack of communication between employees and their managers — particularly with a highly dispersed workforce.

To get back on track, the retailer partnered with Launch to leverage Microsoft’s employee experience tools to the fullest. Their multi-pronged approach included:

  • Creating a unified platform for communication and engagement, significantly improving information flow and employee alignment.  
  • AI-powered insights to help managers understand work patterns and address issues proactively, leading to better employee well-being and productivity.
  • Centralized learning to give employees easy access to training materials, boosting skill development and career growth.
  • Streamlined knowledge management, making it easier for employees to find and share critical information.
  • Nudges to find optimal times for one-on-ones, remind employees of pressing tasks, and automatically provide report updates to avoid companywide emails.  

Post-deployment, the retailer saw a significant increase in employee engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction, with employees feeling more connected to the company and better supported in their roles.

Maximize Employee Potential with Microsoft Viva

Viva offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges of modern workplaces, empowering employees to stay connected, be productive, and continuously develop their skills, all while fostering a healthier work-life balance.

But it’s tough to implement the right tools at the right time in the right way. And that’s where Launch Consulting comes in. We can help you take advantage of Microsoft’s EX suite in ways that get the best results out of your employees, decrease turnover, and develop a culture of data-backed innovation and performance in the age of AI.

Start boosting employee productivity and gaining a competitive edge with our introductory 90-day pilot.

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For enterprises, the key to staying ahead isn’t just about cutting-edge technology or innovative products — it’s about investing in the people who make it all happen. And the urgency of addressing employee experience (EX) has never been more pressing.  

According to a 2024 report by MyPerfectResume, approximately 88% of U.S. workers feel burned out at work.  

A survey by the job search site Monster found that 95% of people said they were looking for, or plan to look for, a new role in 2024.  

As companies worldwide grapple with the challenge of keeping their workforce engaged and productive, they’re turning to technology to help. But technology alone isn’t enough to establish an exceptional employee experience. First, organizations need to understand where they’re falling short — and then use technology to help fill the people strategy gaps.

6 Core Competencies of Organizations with an Outstanding Employee Experience

A positive employee experience thrives at the intersections of performance, growth, and connection. With that in mind, organizations with strong EX tend to excel in six different core competencies:

  1. Performance: Goals across various levels and stakeholders within the organization foster a sense of purpose.
  1. Connection: Leaders help employees build and nurture relationships that strengthen organizational bonds.
  1. Engagement: Managers institute robust processes and resources that drive performance.
  1. Growth: The organization promotes continuous learning and professional growth.
  1. Productivity: Leaders can help their direct reports work more effectively and efficiently.
  1. Wellbeing: Employees have a healthy work-life balance.

Taken together, these core competencies attract top talent, keep top talent challenged, and make top talent more productive — all of which lead to a better bottom line.  

In fact, organizations that committed to employee engagement in times of economic uncertainty performed twice as well financially as organizations that deprioritized it. By the end of 2022, the most engaged outperformed the S&P 500.

Knowing where your organization stands can help you determine where tools can unlock employee engagement and help you build the kind of experience your employees want.

How Microsoft Tools Support Each Core Competency

Microsoft’s employee experience platform, Viva, is designed to enhance the work environment by integrating communication, knowledge, learning, and insights into a unified experience within Microsoft Teams. Not so coincidentally, each Microsoft tool connects directly to each EX core competency.

Performance

Microsoft’s EX tools align teams with each other and employees with their managers by integrating goal-setting and tracking into daily workflows. Executives set organizational objectives using OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), which flow down to each individual, connecting their work to broader company priorities. And because these goals are stored in a central location, leaders have visibility into goal progress across the organization.

To facilitate goal setting and planning, Microsoft Copilot generates OKR recommendations, enhances existing OKRs with conversational AI, and automatically summarizes OKR progress.

Connection

Microsoft’s EX platform helps every employee feel connected to each other and the company’s vision. Within Viva Connections, you can create targeted experiences for each part of your business, with access to useful resources for their specific department and an open invitation to join conversations with their peers.

Other broader company information can be displayed at the same time, helping employees see how what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis impacts the business. A more open and transparent online community helps create a workplace dynamic where everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinion knowing their voices are heard.

Engagement

Microsoft Copilot uses AI to automatically identify and organize knowledge across the organization. It creates topic cards and pages with relevant information, experts, and resources, surfaces topic information contextually within Microsoft 365 apps, and helps employees find and learn about unfamiliar terms, projects, or policies faster. Research by Forrester found that tools in the Viva Suite reduced onboarding time-to-full-productivity by 50%.

Microsoft Teams has other customizable engagement features, too. Employees can form social communities around interests, job types, and other topics, breaking down silos and encouraging dialogue across the business. Leadership can even hold virtual town halls and facilitate Q&A through Teams. Microsoft Copilot even offers conversation starters to encourage employees to participate and gives leaders a list of suggested comment responses they can use to stay active and present despite their busy schedules.

Growth  

It can be tough for employees to know what courses to take to further their careers — particularly if learning is spread across hundreds of apps and links. Microsoft’s EX platform centralizes learning content from various sources, like Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn Learning, and other third-party providers, and then integrates learning into the flow of work through Microsoft Teams, allows for sharing and recommending learning content among team members, and enables tracking of learning progress and completions.

Microsoft recently rolled out an AI-powered skills gap engine that helps leadership understand gaps in their organization’s learning and automatically gives tailored recommendations and skills-enriching experiences through various Microsoft 365 apps, teaching employees as they go about their daily work.

Productivity

Microsoft’s Copilot dashboard also gives managers an inside view into their team’s progress, instantly highlighting star players who deserve recognition for their hard work and contributions.

Managers can even leverage built-in conversational AI tools to ask specific questions about their team’s performance — such as “How well is my team adopting AI tools?” — and get personalized reports in return. They can also use Viva Insights functionality to build their own custom reports that analyze collaboration and help them understand and optimize individual and team work patterns. They can even use Microsoft’s analytics to gauge employee resilience post-major business changes.

Well-Being

Using AI to analyze work patterns, Microsoft’s EX software shares personal insights with each employee to help them reduce burnout and improve their productivity and overall well-being (while protecting their privacy).

Managers can also use this data to drive better team habits and identify trends and opportunities for improvement. For instance, with Microsoft, managers can:

  • Conduct recurring meeting audits
  • Quantify their team’s business resilience
  • Identify the different ways each team member works
  • Measure their own effectiveness as a leader

And they can encourage team behavior with customized nudges, tailored to each person’s goals, productivity, KPIs, and, most importantly, their well-being.

3 Strategic Advantages of Implementing Microsoft EX Tools

Microsoft’s employee experience tools offer several benefits that extend beyond immediate operational improvements, positioning your organization for sustained success in a competitive market.

1. Long-Term Financial Gains

For one, a positive work environment — enhanced by EX tools — increases overall workplace morale. This, in turn, reduces conflicts, fosters a more harmonious and efficient workplace, and keeps employees engaged with their work and their colleagues.

Not only does this lead to productivity gains, it also decreases employee churn, dramatically reducing the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training new employees. Research by Forrester shows that improved employee retention as a result of a Microsoft Viva implementation has a roughly 330% ROI.

Moreover, employees who feel valued and have access to wellness programs are generally healthier and less likely to take sick leave. Engaged and satisfied employees are also more productive, which translates into better business performance and increased revenue.

2. Competitive Advantage

Companies known for excellent employee experiences have excellent employer branding. Because of that, they attract top talent more easily, giving the company a distinct advantage in the job market.

Furthermore, a positive employee experience fosters an environment of innovation and creativity. When employees feel valued and motivated, they are more likely to contribute their best ideas. This culture of innovation is critical to driving business growth and maintaining a competitive edge in the industry. By investing in EX software, organizations can create a workplace where great ideas flourish, leading to sustained business success.

3. Enhanced Performance

Engaged employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles, resulting in higher quality work and better customer satisfaction. Microsoft’s comprehensive suite of EX tools helps employees:

  • Set clear goals
  • Maintain a healthy work-life balance
  • Take advantage of continuous learning opportunities
  • Access the organization’s support systems when they need them most

Additionally, Microsoft’s EX tools enable managers to gather feedback and understand work patterns, allowing them to address issues proactively and improve team dynamics with data-backed strategies.

Real-World Impact: Viva Boosts Employee Engagement For a Global Retailer

A major global retailer was struggling to keep their employees engaged with siloed insights and a lack of communication between employees and their managers — particularly with a highly dispersed workforce.

To get back on track, the retailer partnered with Launch to leverage Microsoft’s employee experience tools to the fullest. Their multi-pronged approach included:

  • Creating a unified platform for communication and engagement, significantly improving information flow and employee alignment.  
  • AI-powered insights to help managers understand work patterns and address issues proactively, leading to better employee well-being and productivity.
  • Centralized learning to give employees easy access to training materials, boosting skill development and career growth.
  • Streamlined knowledge management, making it easier for employees to find and share critical information.
  • Nudges to find optimal times for one-on-ones, remind employees of pressing tasks, and automatically provide report updates to avoid companywide emails.  

Post-deployment, the retailer saw a significant increase in employee engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction, with employees feeling more connected to the company and better supported in their roles.

Maximize Employee Potential with Microsoft Viva

Viva offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges of modern workplaces, empowering employees to stay connected, be productive, and continuously develop their skills, all while fostering a healthier work-life balance.

But it’s tough to implement the right tools at the right time in the right way. And that’s where Launch Consulting comes in. We can help you take advantage of Microsoft’s EX suite in ways that get the best results out of your employees, decrease turnover, and develop a culture of data-backed innovation and performance in the age of AI.

Start boosting employee productivity and gaining a competitive edge with our introductory 90-day pilot.

Back to top

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