Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

Through its work with Phoenix and Microsoft, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council has successfully adapted to the demands of the modern workplace, embracing a hybrid working culture while leveraging Microsoft Viva Insights to support the wellbeing of its employees.

Challenge

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council began rethinking its approach to work. Deploying Microsoft Viva Insights was intended to improve efficiency and positively change work experiences for its employees.

Operating with a relatively modest IT team of 50, the council faced the daunting task of adapting to the evolving work landscape and changing employee expectations. The Council’s response was to embrace a hybrid working model for the majority of its employees. As a result, over 60% of its workforce are now defined as hybrid workers, typically working no more than two or three days in the office each week.

The council approached Phoenix with a broad goal: to support wellbeing and prevent burnout among its now predominantly hybrid workforce. It recognised the need for a holistic, software and services-based approach that could enhance collaboration, productivity, and employee wellbeing in a hybrid work environment. Understanding that the intersection of technology and human resources would be vital for the project’s success, Anthony Smith, Project and Customer Manager at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council sought the collaboration of the council’s HR department for the project.

Solution

Phoenix recommended Microsoft Viva Insights, a productivity tool within Microsoft 365 which highlights patterns in an employee’s working schedule and suggests ways to work smarter and improve work/ life balance. Best described as a ‘fitness tracker for work,’ Viva Insights provides a range of employee experience features, insights, and analysis tools, which work together to improve employee productivity, wellbeing, and effectiveness. The service is primarily accessed through Microsoft Teams, the Viva Insights website, and an Outlook plugin.

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, in collaboration with Phoenix, started their Viva Insights journey with a pilot. The pilot began with a range of assessments of the council’s Microsoft 365 data, including a wellbeing assessment and evaluations of the council’s working practices. The assessments revealed potential burnout hotspots, primarily stemming from after-hours collaboration and lengthy regular meetings. In response, Phoenix provided end-user training targeted at these specific groups and the wider user base.

Results

Feedback from users was overwhelmingly positive, with more than 450 users actively engaging with the Viva Insights app in the week following the training, compared to the previous week’s 43. This surge in usage has remained consistent, highlighting the significant impact of the initiative. Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council was impressed with the collaboration, which has led to further exploration of Viva-related initiatives with Phoenix.

By offering both personal and management-level data, Viva Insights became a transformative tool for the council. The personal insights feature, available for free with their existing Microsoft 365 licence, empowered employees to plan their working days effectively. A range of benefits emerged from the deployment: