Microsoft Viva vs Workvivo

March 10, 2025 | Author: Adam Levine
10
Microsoft Viva
Microsoft Viva is an employee experience platform that brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights in the flow of work. Powered by Microsoft 365 and experienced through Microsoft Teams, Viva fosters a culture that empowers employees and teams to be their best from anywhere.
11
Workvivo
World’s leading employee experience platform that simplifies employee communication and drives engagement. Workvivo is designed to create a more connected and inclusive work culture
Microsoft Viva and Workvivo are both cunningly disguised as "employee experience platforms," which is corporate jargon for "places where your boss pretends to care about your well-being." They both let you communicate, engage and collaborate, which, in the wrong hands, could lead to actual productivity. Both exist in that peculiar space between being useful and being yet another thing you have to check between emails, Slack messages and the creeping existential dread of Monday mornings. They work on both desktop and mobile, because there's simply no escaping them.

Microsoft Viva, in true Microsoft fashion, was birthed in 2021 from the depths of Redmond, Washington and immediately became best friends with Microsoft Teams, whether Teams liked it or not. It comes in neatly segmented modules like Viva Learning (where you learn), Viva Insights (where you get told you’re not working enough or working too much) and Viva Engage (which hopes you will). It’s mostly for large enterprises, which means it thrives in the vast bureaucratic wilderness of spreadsheets, PowerPoint decks and endless meetings that should have been emails.

Workvivo, on the other hand, emerged in 2017 from the green pastures of Ireland with the radical idea that employees might actually want to enjoy internal communication. It looks like social media, which means people are far more likely to use it, at least until they realize it’s still work. It caters to mid-sized and large companies that think "culture" is more than just an HR buzzword. Zoom, spotting something refreshingly non-Microsoft, snapped it up in 2023, presumably in a move to make virtual meetings slightly less soul-draining.

See also: Top 10 Intranet Portals
Author: Adam Levine
Adam is an expert in project management, collaboration and productivity technologies, team management, and motivation. With an extensive background working at prestigious companies such as Microsoft and Accenture, Adam's in-depth knowledge and experience in the field make him a sought-after professional. Currently, he has ventured into entrepreneurship, owning a thriving consulting and training agency where he imparts invaluable insights and practical strategies to individuals and organizations, empowering them to achieve their goals and maximize their potential. You can contact Adam via email [email protected]