Viva Engage

Overview

As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, Viva Engage (formerly known as Yammer) is a private social network that gets you connecting to others at Bishop’s University, sharing information across teams, collaborating on documents, and organizing around communities. Some communities have already been created on Viva Engage (such ITS, Buildings and Ground, and the Research Office). User can follow the communities they wish to discover. Each department and faculty at Bishop’s can start a community to share information  and announcement about their respective office. Members can opt in to follow a specific community. 

What’s more, using the Viva Engage network helps build a body of knowledge that’s instantly accessible by any coworker at any time and from any device. In addition, users can also start common interest communities (such as jogging, knitting, star gazing, carpooling).  

What is the difference between Teams and Viva Engage? 

Teams is best used to “talk to people with whom you are actively working” whereas Viva Engage enables you to “engage with member of the Bishop’s community with whom you aren’t actively working”. 

Watch this short video to get a brief overview of Microsoft Viva Engage 

Click this link to learn how to Access Viva Engage.    

Click this link to learn how to Manage Email Notifications in Viva Engage.  

Sessions will be scheduled in the coming weeks. 

Post a question or send a private message to  vivaengage@ubishops.ca  with any specific questions.  

Your activity on this network is governed by the following requirements:  

  • Everything in Viva Engage stays in Viva Engage! (No public posts or Tweets, and so on).
  • Do not post confidential information into the main feed.
  • Be respectful to other members. It’s acceptable to disagree, but please do so in a respectful manner.
  • Add value with each post.
  • You are responsible for the material you post to Viva Engage.
  • It is important to substantiate ideas, but please keep messages brief and to the point.

Get started by following these best practices:  

When you first access Viva Engage, you will be prompted to read and accept the Acceptable Use Policy: 

Viva Engage Acceptable Use Policy 

The admin of the Bishop’s University network requires you to accept this policy to join: 

Welcome to Viva Engage at Bishop’s!  Viva Engage is a collaborative platform designed to help Bishop’s University employees connect, learn, and build community.  Join one or more communities. Create your own community. Discover colleagues with shared interests. You’re encouraged to participate positively by sharing knowledge, ideas, announcements, and achievements. By using Viva Engage, you agree to adhere to the “Bishop’s University Computing Acceptable Use Policy”, which is a PDF you can find at this link. Failure to comply may result, at a minimum, with suspension of access to this service. 

You must accept these conditions to access Viva Engage by clicking on the call-to-action button. 

  • Once you have accepted, you are ready to start navigating Viva Engage.
  • Select the colleagues you want to follow. Posts from these colleagues will appear in your Following feed. To see all company posts, select All.
  • Fill out your profile information. Complete the Expertise and Education sections and add a profile picture.
  • Customize your email preferences in the Notifications section.
  • Before asking a question, use the search bar and explore the Topics feed to explore existing content. This will help limit repetitive messages.
  • Browse the directory of Communities and join the communities that you find relevant. If a specific community (your department or activity of choice) doesn’t exist, you may submit a request for the creation of a new one and invite members of your team and the community to contribute to contribute. For best results, use communities as a replacement for existing email listservs.
  • Employees wishing to create a new Community in Viva Engage can request one by placing an Octopus ticket of the type “Viva Engage – Create a Community”.
  • Community requests will be evaluated for approval.
  • Viva Engage now allows users to share information, announcements to the entire Bishop’s community without the need to wait for messages to be released via listservs such as notices@list.
  • Add topics, links, pictures, and events to posts when applicable.
  • Use the Viva Engage FAQs, and How To Guide to help clarify common concerns.
  • Take time to explore Viva Engage. You’ll get the hang of it!
  • We encourage members of the Bishop’s community who use this new platform to engage in professional, positive participation by sharing knowledge, announcements, and achievements.
  • Viva Engage includes a built-in feature that allows users to report inappropriate content directly through the platform. 
  • When a report is submitted, it is directed to the Communications Office.  When necessary, the Communications Office will consult Human Resources to assess the situation and determine the most appropriate course of action.
  • Any content deemed inappropriate—such as offensive posts, comments, or images—will be promptly removed from the platform.
  • Any user who fails to maintain a respectful and professional environment on Viva Engage may have access to the platform suspended.

NOTICES@LISTS: What is next?

Starting September 2024, the Communications Office has been working with the Department of ITS and Human Resources to address the findings from the TalentMap Survey. The survey findings indicated that internal communications needed to be improved, namely the volume of emails sent through listservs such as notices@lists.  To reduce the number of emails sent to listserv, most messages destined to faculty and staff have been redirected through the Daily Notices drafted by the Communications Office. We will continue to use the Daily Notices to bring information to the community until such time as it  is deemed no longer necessary. However, every employee now has access to Viva Engage where they can post information directly avoiding the delay in waiting for someone to release a message through notices@lists.

Criteria for messages to go through notices@lists. Information shared via email must pertain to:

  • Safety/Security
  • Information deemed essential to the University’s operations (Principal’s Office, Vice-Principal Academic and Research, Secretary General, Human Resources, Business Office, Payroll, Buildings and Grounds, Health and Safety, ITS)
  • Periodical newsletter associated with various departments encompassing many topics (such as Office of Research and Graduate Studies, Sustainable Development Office, Foreman Art Gallery).

These are basic criteria and can be adjusted over time. Every department contributes to the University’s operations. However, some information would be better shared via Viva Engage (hours of operations, introducing new employees, upcoming events, new publications by research professor)

Events will continue to be promoted via the Events calendar on the Bishop’s University Website. The calendar provides a centralized location for all events happening on campus (sometimes off campus) which is accessible to the Bishop’s community, local patrons, prospective students and their families. We invite the community to send information about their upcoming events.

Reaching Bishop’s University students

Through a survey conducted by the Student Representative Council (SRC), the Bishop’s student community has expressed dissatisfaction about the number of emails they receive on a daily basis.

As such, the SRC will continue publishing their newsletter to minimize the number of email messages.  They will increase the periodicity to 3 times per week starting during the first week of classes in September. Information must be submitted through the SRC’s website: https://busrc.com/the-dish/

Messages that meet the following criteria will still be released via email through students@lists. 

Information shared via email must pertain to:

  • Safety/Security
  • Information deemed essential to student success (such as Principal’s Office, Vice-Principal Academic and Research, Vice-Principal Student Affairs, Secretary General, Business Office, Student Account, Registrar, Buildings and Grounds, Health and Safety, ITS)
  • SRC Governing announcements and policies
  • Periodical newsletter associated with various departments encompassing many topics (Careers and Transition Services (CATS), Office of Research and Graduate Studies, Sustainable Development Office, Foreman Art Gallery).