Microsoft releases Workplace Analytics tool to allow companies to boost productivity

Microsoft has released an organisational tool Workplace Analytics that allows company executives to gain behavioural insights about their employees and, thus, increase productivity. The new tool taps into ‘Office 365' apps like the email client ‘Outlook' to throw light on how the organisation spends time. It turns this data into a set of behavioural metrics for company leaders to use including time spent in email, meetings and working after-hours.The service which is now generally available as an add-on to any ‘Office 365' enterprise plan is aimed to improve employee productivity and engagement. "Workplace Analytics provides unprecedented behavioural insights that can be used to improve productivity, workforce effectiveness and employee engagement," Ryan Fuller, General Manager of Workplace Analytics at Microsoft, said in a blogpost on Wednesday.Microsoft recently commissioned a study by global research firm Forrester to find that many executives see increasing employee productivity as a top priority of organisations. 'Workplace Analytics' also offers custom query capability, allowing senior executives to look at any number of metrics to decide how to improve the company's functioning. "Workplace Analytics yields unique insights into resource allocation, collaboration behaviours and organisational networks. We integrate these insights to help our clients organise for maximum productivity," said Tom Springer, Partner at the consulting firm Bain and Company, a Microsoft customer.