15 Easy Ways to Increase Intranet Employee Engagement

Most of our customers come to us wanting to improve employee engagement. They know that internal communication is often the biggest struggle for disengaged employees, and that’s where our product can help. The Creative Social Intranet is all about people. It’s a platform where every need, knowledge resource, and person is easily accessible. The more users log in, the more connected they become with colleagues and the company.

Intranet software has a lot of advantages, but you can’t just assume it will work on its own. You need to understand its features, what your employees need, and how you want to communicate with them. You also need a rollout plan and leadership who prioritizes your workplace culture. When you put all these pieces together, you build a place where people want to show up and do their best.

Here are 15 simple worker engagement ideas to help you make the most of your intranet:

1. Keep it simple.

The great thing about today’s intranet software is that it can be customized to fit each company’s specific needs. However, sometimes companies go overboard with too many features and tools, making the intranet difficult to use. If your company intranet is too complicated, people are not going to use it. That’s why we recommend a simpler approach when planning your intranet design.

A digital workplace that is easy to navigate will be far more enticing to staff members than a complicated one. The goal is to make their lives easier by connecting them to important information quickly. If you keep this in mind, you’ll see adoption rates and employee engagement in your intranet increase.

2. Use employee polls & surveys

Employee surveys provide an opportunity to get feedback from your staff, but you need to be careful with the questions you ask. You should also have a plan for what you’ll do with the information you collect. This is your opportunity to identify potential areas of improvement within your intranet and organization. Be sure to leave space for open-ended answers during the conversation, and welcome constructive criticism. Always keep in mind that creating a successful employee engagement strategy is an ongoing process. Send out multiple surveys throughout the year – if you want employee engagement to improve, you must stay engaged with your employees.

3. Create a launch strategy.

Your entire staff needs to be comfortable with your company intranet for it to be successful. The best way to get everyone on the same page is to have a clear and concise intranet launch plan. Whenever you’re looking to improve employee engagement–whether it’s with your intranet or company–strong communication from the top down and bottom up will always be your foundation of success. The same goes for your rollout plan.

Every company is different, but there are a few key elements you’ll want to incorporate into your launch plan. Make sure to communicate the importance of your intranet to your entire organization, and share a clear set of goals with your managers to ensure that everyone is using the intranet for the right reasons. You’ll also need to spend time training everyone on how to use the software and make sure that all questions are addressed. By following these steps, you can launch your intranet with success.

We’ve found that when customers are offered both in-person group training and video demos, rollouts are far more successful. You can make things even more fun by incorporating a scavenger hunt or championing different employees on your intranet.

4. Establish clear objectives from the start.

It’s important that your staff knows what to expect from your intranet software from the very beginning. As you know, setting clear goals and communicating effectively with your team is key to success in any business venture. By working with other people who are experts in specific areas, you can help ensure that your intranet software meets all of your team’s needs and expectations.

You’ll want to explain to your staff how they should use the intranet. If you’re trying to increase collaboration, let them know that projects will be assigned and stored in the Cases tool. This way, everyone knows what they need to do and where to find it.

5. Let your intranet be the keeper of vital information.

If you want to increase intranet engagement, give members an important reason to go there. Use your document management system to store documents on your intranet that are important or pivotal for your organization. This will make it a resource library for your company. When an employee needs a legal form or company logo, they will be more likely to find it on your intranet.

You can use your intranet to post announcements and updates. This is a great way to share monthly notes from your CEO and company updates with everyone in your organization. You can also guide users to specific content with quick links on the top of your homepage. Make your intranet the voice of your organization. By opening up dialogue and getting higher-ups to be a part of the conversation, you’ll create a true community in your intranet.

6. Make use of employee records.

Intranet user engagement is increased when the software has social aspects. This is because people want to engage with other people, not a computer. Employee profiles help with this by providing pictures and building a directory that connects colleagues.

It can be helpful for members to fill out their profiles and upload headshots so that everyone can remember who’s who in the company. By including personal interests, a bio summary, or even a fun fact, you’ll allow your staff to connect on a deeper level. By keeping an updated employee directory, everyone will be able to easily find the information and people they need.

7. Host focus group discussions.

Even if you think your digital workplace is running smoothly, there’s always room for improvement. Focus groups are a great way to pinpoint areas that need attention. Plus, your employees will appreciate that you care enough to meet with them during work hours.

A stay interview is a powerful tool to keep your star employees from leaving. But, just like any other interview, you need to determine who will lead your focus group. The CEO? HR? A department head? If you want a productive conversation, you need to make sure the right people are part of it.

The best way to get to the bottom of employee engagement issues is to ask your staff what needs tweaking.

8. Promote your intranet.

It’s important to market your intranet on a regular basis, whether it’s brand new or you’ve been using it for years. There are lots of ways to attract people to your intranet, like streaming pages on monitors in the office or including links to blog posts in company newsletters. You can also use your intranet gamification feature to highlight different employees in your company email and intranet.

The intranet shouldn’t be something that your team members feel like they have to use. If you can show them how it can be beneficial and let them explore it on their own terms, they’ll be more likely to come back to it.

9. Make use of your intranet news feed.

The newsfeed is your community’s live stream of everything happening within your organization. It is the quickest and most direct way to see what colleagues are up to. By conveying the benefits of the newsfeed – seeing peer achievements, the latest questions from colleagues, announcements, and ongoing projects – you’ll see your employee engagement greatly improve.

10. Your intranet can help you onboard new hires.

If you want to increase employee engagement, introduce your new hires to the intranet right away. By doing this, you’ll not only show them the importance of the intranet, but you’ll also give them the tools they need to succeed. From training videos to Q&A forums, your intranet will be their go-to source for everything they need to know about your organization.

11. Start making your employee intranet engaging.

It’s no secret that people like having fun. If you want better intranet engagement, make sure you include entertaining content! What good is developing a digital social community if there’s nothing social about it?

Post photos from company events, create a Space for everyone to socialize, and encourage emojis and interaction on posts in your intranet. Stiff environments are uncomfortable ones. Make your workplace culture one that motivates and inspires everyone.

12. Update your calendars.

It’s easy to improve productivity and engagement with an intranet calendar. You can keep staff informed about everything important, like holidays, meetings, and special events. And with some platforms, you can sync with Outlook so every calendar is consistent and up-to-date. Plus, every space can have its own calendar, so different departments, projects, or company initiatives can share important dates. So if you use your intranet calendar, your members will too.

13. Boost content creation.

When everyone is contributing to your intranet, your community grows. Encouraging your staff to create wikis and share articles is extremely powerful – you are motivating them to engage with their peers and your organization.

You are also creating an environment where everyone has a say. When employees are empowered to contribute to their organization, they feel valued. Use your intranet as a tool to boost morale and employee engagement within your company.

14. Intranet Provides a Centralized Platform for all apps.

The majority of modern business models emphasize convenience, and your intranet is no different. To make your intranet more appealing, centralize all the apps and software your business uses on a daily basis. Your staff will be grateful when you organize essential software for them in one easy-to-reach place.

15. Set an example.

It’s not enough to just tell your employees what you want, you have to lead by example if you want to see real change. If you’re not using or participating in your company’s intranet, how can you expect your employees to? Show them that you’re invested in the company’s intranet and its success by being an active user yourself. This is perhaps the most important thing you can do to improve employee engagement.

It’s important for community leaders to be visible and present within their social communities on a daily basis. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as leading discussions, posting relevant content, and checking in with community members. By doing these things, community leaders can set a good example for others.

Finally, the conclusion.

There are lots of ways to get employees more engaged with your intranet. But it takes effort to make it happen. When you do, you’ll see your business grow.