Why an Intranet is Important for Engaging with Employees

Does your company have an intranet?  Intranets are internal networks built for the exclusive use of employees and staff within an organization. They facilitate communication and collaboration, as well as providing access to essential information and resources. In today’s digital world, an effective intranet is vital for employee engagement and productivity. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the most important features needed on an intranet to ensure success, along with exploring the future of intranets in terms of their impact on employee engagement. 

What Makes a Good Intranet?

When it comes to designing a successful intranet, there are certain key components that must be considered. The intranet should be easy to use and navigate: users should be able to find what they are looking for quickly, without becoming overwhelmed or frustrated by complex menus or confusing layouts. Content is key; an intranet must provide relevant and up-to-date information that is both engaging and useful for employees. An effective intranet should also be secure: authentication protocols should be in place to protect data from unauthorized access or misuse. 

Top Features Needed on an Intranet for Employee Engagement 

In order to create an effective intranet that meets all these criteria, certain features need to be included in its design and development. These include: 

  • Robust search capabilities: One of the hallmarks of a good intranet is strong search functionality; users should have no trouble finding the information they require quickly using keywords or filters.  
  • Collaboration tools: Intuitive collaboration tools enable teams across different departments or locations to communicate effectively with each other through shared workspaces or instant messaging systems such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. By making workflows easier and more efficient, these platforms can greatly improve productivity levels among employees.  
  • Personalization options: Different users have different needs—a successful intranet needs to cater for this by allowing personalization options such as custom views or tailored feeds based on individual preferences (e.g., language settings). 
  • Social media integration: Incorporating social media elements into an intranet adds a layer of interactivity that helps foster collaboration between members of a company in a fun way (e..g., like-buttons). On top of this, it also increases employee engagement by allowing them to share meaningful content with their peers easily.

The Future of Intranets for Employee Engagement 

With technology advancing at such rapid speeds, there are increasing opportunities for companies looking at improving their employee engagement through better use off intranets. Examples include:

  • Natural language processing algorithms such as AI chatbots that can automate simple tasks such as answering frequently asked questions—a feature made popular by customer service software like Zendesk but now being used in HR related areas too! 
  • Cloud-based solutions like GoogleDrive allow teams across different departments or countries collaborate together easily via shared documents or spreadsheets securely over the internet. 
  • Mobile apps versus web versions open up possibilities too – allowing employees stay connected even when on-the-go! Ultimately though apart from utilizing technology – understanding how people work best together remains paramount towards achieving truly successful outcomes.

No matter what the size of your business is, there are ways to set up an intranet in order to to support employees. Let us know if you’d like to talk about what approach would work best for you!