From Information to Innovation: Leveraging an Employee Intranet for Growth and Success

From Information to Innovation: Leveraging an Employee Intranet for Growth and Success

Having a successful workplace often comes down to finding the right balance of efficiency and employee satisfaction. For businesses seeking consistent productivity, an employee intranet portal can play an essential role in creating the required balance. Having an accessible, centralized platform for information, collaboration, and communication for employees is crucial to the success of any organization.

What is an employee intranet?

Employee intranet is an internal communication platform that is designed to improve communication and collaboration among employees. It is a private network that can only be accessed by authorized personnel and includes features such as messaging, forums, document sharing, and other tools that are designed to improve workplace productivity and efficiency. The primary purpose of an employee intranet is to provide a centralized location where employees can access the information and resources they need to perform their jobs effectively. This can include company policies, training materials, performance metrics, and other important data. They can also help to reduce the time and resources required to manage internal communications and administrative tasks. This makes implementing an employee intranet a cost-effective solution.

Benefits of employee intranet

Boosts employee engagement:

• An employee intranet portal can be a great tool for increasing engagement in the workplace.
• Quick and easy access to all the information needed
• Improves the flow of information between employees and management
• Encourages collaboration, discussion, idea sharing, and a sense of community
• Everyone can stay informed about any changes or updates on policies or procedures
• Creates a more unified work environment that inspires engagement among its employees

Enhances productivity: 

• Employee intranet can enhance productivity in the workplace
• Helps employees access helpful resources quickly and efficiently
• Facilitates communication among team members and departments
• Particularly beneficial for companies with employees in different geographical areas
• Enhances efficiency, leading to better time management
• Can contribute to overall productivity growth within the organization

Fosters transparency: 

• Employee intranet fosters transparency within the organization
• Centralizes information and resources for easy access
• Ensures everyone is well-informed on news, changes, and policies
• Helps prevent misunderstandings and miscommunication between departments
• Allows managers to create channels for discussions and gain valuable feedback and insights from all employees

Smooth onboarding: 

• Employee intranet can facilitate smooth onboarding of new staff
• Provides an easy way to organize and store onboarding materials like job descriptions, policy manuals, and training guides
• Helps streamline communication between mentors and mentees
• Offers a repository of instructional materials and support documents
• Provides schedule reminders, project updates, and other relevant messages to support the onboarding process

Ease of access: 

• Employee intranet provides ease of access to critical data
• Cloud-based solutions are gaining popularity in the workplace
• Enables real-time collaboration across the organization
• Facilitates secure sharing of data
• Offers a single integrated platform for easy access to information

What should be on an employee intranet?

If you are planning to set up an employee intranet software, it is essential to ensure that it contains all the necessary information and features that will help your employees be more productive and engaged. Here are some things that you should consider including in your employee intranet:

• Company news and announcements: Make sure that your intranet includes a section for company information, such as new product launches, upcoming events, and changes to policies and procedures. This will help keep your employees up-to-date with the latest developments within the organization.
• Employee directory: An employee directory is a valuable resource for employees to find the contact information of their colleagues. It should include information such as names, titles, email addresses, phone numbers, and departmental information. 
• Training and development resources: An intranet for employees can serve as a platform to provide access to training and development resources, such as online courses, videos, and other educational materials. This can aid employees in developing new skills and enhancing their performance.
• Project management tools: If your organization has multiple teams working on various projects, you may want to consider including project management tools on your employee intranet. Some must-haves are tools for task tracking, project scheduling, and collaboration.
• Employee benefits information: Your employee intranet software should also contain a section dedicated to employee benefits. This could include information on healthcare benefits, retirement plans, and other employee perks. When you share this information, you can assist employees in comprehending the worth of their benefits and enable them to make well-informed choices regarding their healthcare and retirement plans.
• Social and community features: It is essential to include social and community features on your employee intranet, such as discussion forums, blogs, and social media feeds. These features will help employees to connect with one another and build a sense of community within the organization.
• Performance management: An employee intranet can also be used to manage employee performance. Some important features would be performance reviews, goal setting, and feedback. These features will help employees understand their performance expectations and identify areas for improvement.
• Employee recognition: Employee recognition is an important part of building a positive work culture. Your intranet should include features such as employee recognition programs, shoutouts, and other ways to acknowledge employee accomplishments. This helps in boosting morale and fosters a sense of appreciation among your employees.
• Newsletters and internal communications: Your employee intranet can also be used to distribute internal communications, such as newsletters, memos, and other important updates. By using the intranet as a distribution platform, you can ensure that all employees receive the same information at the same time.
• Time-off/Working status: If your organization operates in multiple time zones or has a time-off system, your intranet could include features that allow employees to update and track their availability. 
• Employee surveys: Employee surveys are a valuable tool for gathering feedback and insights from your workforce. Your intranet should include features for conducting surveys and collecting responses, which can then be used to make improvements and changes within the organization.
• Knowledge management: Your employee intranet can also be used to manage knowledge within the organization. Some features that will help would be a knowledge base, wiki, or other tools for sharing information and expertise.

Reasons why employees might not be using your existing employee intranet

Despite the many benefits of intranet, many organizations struggle to get their employees to use it. We have outlined some of the reasons why employees fail to use the intranet and what you can do to address this issue.

Lack of awareness

In many organizations, an intranet is not given the attention it deserves, and employees are not properly informed about its features and benefits. This lack of awareness can lead to low adoption rates and a general lack of interest in the intranet. To address this issue, organizations need to promote their intranet platform through various channels. This can include email campaigns, social media announcements, and in-person training sessions. By actively promoting their intranet platform, organizations can increase employee awareness and encourage them to use it.

Poor user experience

Numerous intranet platforms are not designed with the end-user in mind and are difficult to navigate and use. This can lead to frustration and a lack of motivation to use the platform. To address this issue, organizations should invest in user experience design and ensure that their intranet platform is intuitive and easy to use. This can involve conducting user research and testing to identify pain points and areas for improvement. 

Lack of relevance

Intranet platforms can be a valuable resource for employees, but only if the content is relevant to their work. If the intranet platform is filled with irrelevant or outdated content, employees are unlikely to use it.  To address this issue, organizations need to ensure that the content on their intranet platform is relevant to their employees. This can involve curating content that is specific to each department or job function, as well as regularly updating content to ensure that it remains current and useful.

Inadequate training

Inadequate training is a critical reason why employees fail to use the employee intranet. Even if employees are aware of the intranet platform and its features, they may not know how to use it effectively.  To address this issue, organizations need to provide adequate training to their employees on how to use their intranet platform. This can involve creating training materials, hosting training sessions, and providing ongoing support to employees. 

How do you build an employee intranet?

Step 1: Define objectives and goals

The first step in building an employee intranet is to define its objectives and goals. What do you want the intranet to accomplish? What specific problems are you trying to solve? For example, you may want to improve internal communication, increase productivity, or simplify HR processes. 

Step 2: Identify stakeholders

The next step is to identify the stakeholders involved in the intranet project. These stakeholders may include IT professionals, HR staff, and department heads. It is important to involve stakeholders in the planning process to ensure that their needs and requirements are taken into account.

Step 3: Choose a platform

There are many platforms available for building an employee intranet. Some organizations choose to build their intranet from scratch using custom software development, while others opt for off-the-shelf solutions such as Auzmor Office. The choice of platform will depend on factors such as budget, IT infrastructure, and the specific needs of the organization.

Step 4: Design the user interface

The user interface (UI) of the intranet is critical to its success. The UI should be intuitive, easy to use, and visually appealing. It should also be consistent with the branding and culture of the organization. Designing the UI involves creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to test usability and functionality.

Step 5: Develop and test the intranet

Once the UI design is finalized, the development process can begin. This involves coding the intranet, integrating it with existing systems, and testing it for bugs and errors. 

Step 6: Launch the intranet

Once the intranet is developed and tested, it is time to launch it. To ensure employees know how to use the intranet effectively, it's important to provide training and support alongside the launch. Additionally, communicating the launch to all employees is necessary to make them aware of the new platform and its benefits.

Step 7: Maintain and update the intranet

Building an employee intranet is not a one-time project. It requires ongoing maintenance and updates to ensure that it remains relevant and effective. This involves monitoring usage, collecting feedback from employees, and making changes as necessary. Regular updates should be made to the content, features, and functionality of the intranet to ensure that it remains a valuable tool for employee Or, you can skip the hassle and opt for a competitive employee experience platform, like Auzmor Office, that offers all the features you would need. This will not only be cost-effective but will improve your organizational efficiency manifold. 

What to look for when choosing an employee intranet

When selecting an employee intranet, it’s important to look for certain features that will serve the needs of your organization. Consider the following: Onboarding and support: Starting off by providing employees with an easy-to-use and intuitive onboarding process can have a positive impact, allowing for a smooth transition and building strong relationships among co-workers. This helps ensure that employees quickly adapt to their new roles and contribute value to the team, without the need for expensive or time-consuming training sessions and reducing frustration. Scalability: When considering intranet platforms, keep in mind that you don't have to buy a package that comes with features you won't actually need. Instead, search for pricing structures that let you select the appropriate amount of features for your current needs and then add more as necessary in the future. This approach will ensure that your team is satisfied and that you can predict your budget in the long run. User-friendly interface: A user-friendly intranet makes it easy for employees to find the information they need quickly. A good intranet should be intuitive, with customizable menus and search features that make it easy for employees to navigate. Access control: An effective intranet should have user-level access controls that allow you to limit access to certain areas and restrict certain files based on the employee’s role. This helps ensure that sensitive information is kept secure. Flexible content management: A good content management system allows you to organize and store all your digital information in one place, making it easier for employees to find what they need. Team collaboration tools: Team collaboration tools like chat, message boards, and document sharing make it easy for employees to collaborate on projects from anywhere. Usage analytics: An effective intranet should have analytics tools to help you track usage and identify any areas where employees may be having difficulty. Personalization: Allowing employees to customize their intranet experience can help make it a more user-friendly and enjoyable way to access corporate resources.  Mobile capabilities: Having a mobile-friendly intranet makes it easy for employees to access the system on their phones, tablets, or other devices. Intranets are an essential part of any workplace, whether it be a small business or a large corporation. They provide a way for employees to communicate easily and efficiently, which leads to a happier and more productive workforce. If you want to enhance communication within your company, one option to consider is implementing Auzmor Office. This comprehensive solution offers a wide range of features such as a social intranet, people hub, channels, analytics, and more. Click here to book a FREE 30-minute consultation with our experts!