Microsoft's New Community-Building App

Helping employees reconnect across the organization is among the reasons Microsoft created its soon-to-be-released Viva Engage product. The app builds on the foundation created by its Yammer platform to help foster community and camaraderie in organizations and give employees a way to make connections beyond everyday business interactions by providing tools for personal expression.

Dan Holme, product lead for Viva Engage, said Microsoft's research pointed to a strong need for such a product. A recent study by the technology giant found that 43 percent of leaders believe that relationship building is the greatest challenge of hybrid and remote work.

"As we talked to our clients, they told us that connections across different groups and functions in their companies—the social fabric of the organization—had taken a hit during the pandemic," Holme said. "Our own data also showed that relationships across business siloes had frayed. While people had been connecting virtually for work meetings, all of the other types of relationships typically formed in the office were disappearing."

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