Some people enjoy working at home – that much is clear. It brings with it many potential benefits, such as increased flexibility. However, there’s also broad agreement that the effects of lockdown working have caused teams to become socially disconnected. We’ve also seen a significant increase in cases of burnout and stress-related wellbeing and mental health problems.
Glint is a program designed to help manage these issues. Looking after employees and team members is a vitally important part of work these days, as staff are asked to handle greater workloads from more isolated positions.
In this article, we’ll discuss Glint and how it can positively impact your workplace culture. We’ll also touch on the recently announced partnership with Microsoft through Viva Insights.
What is Glint?
Glint is an online tool that helps you see your organisation from your employees’ perspectives and understanding their feelings. Of course, in a pre-internet environment, this kind of research could be done through physical surveys, interviews, or just generally mixing with the crowd. However, since many people now spend at least some of their working time online, this option is substantially more difficult.
Glint is all about allowing staff to openly discuss their difficulties, enjoyments, fears and suggested improvements in one place. Crucially, the data Glint collects is anonymous (or ‘de-identified’). This anonymity helps employees feel more comfortable discussing the things with which they struggle without fear of repercussions.
Recently, Glint and Microsoft partnered through the latter’s Viva Insights program. Viva Insights collects data (again, anonymously) on how employees work. Through combining Viva Insights with Glint, managers and directors can see patterns in working methods and emotional wellbeing side-by-side.
Organisations can expect to see much greater productivity and efficiency by looking after workers. It’s a win/win.
How does Glint work?
Glint works by collecting feedback from employees through customisable surveys. The answers provided by staff are kept completely aggregated, anonymous and encrypted through the program’s data protection policies and safeguards. This prevents even managers and directors from knowing who said what.
The information Glint collects can then be sorted for workplace leaders to see how their staff feel, giving them an unprecedented insight into the workplace culture, such as:
- What is the average employee’s satisfaction level?
- Are any teams overworked?
- Should there be stricter protocols in place around working hours?
The questions you could pose are virtually limitless, and the feedback will help you understand how improvements can be made.
The recent collaboration with Viva Insights means you’ll be able to see how employee wellbeing intersects with working habits on Microsoft 365, providing an in-depth view of how the mental health of your team members affects their productivity.
What impact does Glint have on workplace culture?
Negative workplace culture might be summed up as lack of motivation, low-quality work and low morale. These can often be caused by mental health stresses, either in the workplace or at home, such as toxic or manipulative managerial interactions, poor working conditions or messy family situations.
In stark contrast, a positive workplace culture should involve taking everyone’s opinions on board, working together to create an efficient environment in which employees grow and thrive in their respective positions.
Through the collection of employee wellbeing data, leaders have a unique perspective on how they can reduce staff members’ stresses and frustrations. Even the simple act of showing your workers that you care for their mental health will provide an instant boost to morale.
Of course, it’s imperative to follow up on what the data suggests needs changing or improving. It’s one thing to collect the responses, but the next step is to follow the feedback up with actions.
By working with your staff in this way, their effectiveness as a team will progress. On top of this, Glint will help lead to improvements in individuals’ personal wellbeing and reduce their risk of burnout. As a result, your overall organisation will become more efficient and retain staff much longer.
How Vantage 365 can help
Vantage 365 is a Microsoft 365 specialist. We regularly work with Viva Insights, and we’re excited to see Microsoft and Glint strike up this partnership. We’re sure that – provided it’s used efficiently – this collaboration will have an extremely positive impact on all virtual or hybrid workplaces.
We know that setting a new Microsoft 365 program up – or even running and maintaining an existing one – can be difficult. That’s why we offer a range of services, including designing and building bespoke ICT solutions for your business. You may also be interested in our consultancy services or digital strategy and governance guidance. If you need any help setting up and maintaining Viva Insights and Glint, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
We can be contacted through our email (hello@vantage365.co.uk) or via phone at 01384 593720.