Microsoft announced today a several new features coming to the Viva Insights app in Teams that will help employees address the challenges associated with remote work while maintaining their wellbeing. The company is bringing Headspace mindfulness guides, a new focus mode, and quiet time settings to the app.
Starting later this month, you will be able to access guided meditations and mindfulness exercises from Headspace via Viva Insights in order to stay focused and relaxed. Microsoft noted that weekly meeting time on Teams has more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began, increasing stress for users.
In addition to stress caused by back-to-back meetings, employees often deal with a flood of alerts and distractions as well. Later this year, Microsoft will launch a new focus mode in Viva Insights to address those challenges. With focus mode, you will be able to plan your break time, set a time during which you"ll focus on important tasks, and listen to background music from Headspace.
Viva Insights will also add a quiet time setting later this year to let you mute mobile notifications from Outlook and Teams beyond your working hours. It will essentially give you the time to disconnect and spend time for yourself with no distractions. The option to set quiet time will be available directly from Teams and Outlook mobile apps. IT admins can also set policies to silence notifications after work hours across their organization when these capabilities roll out.