Tips to Maximize Your Organization's Intranet
By Erin Sless - eGuide Operations Coordinator
Nope, that’s not a typo for “internet”! An intranet is a private, members-only viewing platform that companies can use to disseminate important internal information to employees. This is truly an untapped resource that many an organization does not utilize. No, the endless sea of Google Drive items in cloud storage doesn’t count!
Now that we know the basis of what an intranet is, let’s visualize the concept a little.
Here, you can see our eGuide intranet:
Just makes you wanna dive right into the thick of it, doesn’t it? We’ve designed our intranet, which we call THE HUB, to be easily navigable for a new hire and captivating enough for a seasoned employee to get to items they may need. Below is a compilation of some of the features we included in THE HUB:
Direct links to all HR paperwork
FAQs where we compile feedback from the team
Embedded videos and SOPs of project and partner resources
Sections for New Hires to set up their new technology platforms
Operations suggestion form for feedback to improve our processes
Suggestion form for items to add to THE HUB
Social media links
Information on our core values
Biggest Advantage of an Intranet: Save Time by Compiling Clear, Core Communication
I mentioned internal cloud storage in the introduction of this article. Now, with sites like Google Drive, there is indeed a search bar to help find specific items. However, it can be noisy among those items. At eGuide, we always encourage asking questions throughout our work day. However, putting core information into the company intranet helps iron out some of the basics and even intermediate questions right off the bat. Also, if someone asks a question that we know is already answered in THE HUB, then we can link that to them directly without having to dig through any files amidst a busy day.
For example, we have a Project Workflow section in our intranet. Not only does this section provide the templates an internal employee can reference at-a-glance as they pivot through a project, but there are also explanatory steps for guidance. “Why is this document used?” “When do we use it?” “What happens when we get to this step?” - all answered! This can save our most valuable resource- time. We especially encourage building an intranet when operating out of a remote work environment where work is greatly independent.
When building an intranet, walk yourself through a project from start to finish. Think of the questions you may have asked your first go-round, and add them. Think of the questions you may have asked your most recent go-round, and add them. Talk to team members about their experiences and, that’s right, add their two cents, too. Continuously add new not-yet-asked questions that come up with new hires’ experiences. These can all be spectacular reference points that will ensure the same mistakes are avoided.
After projects wind down, we host a retrospective IE an internal roundtable to talk about what went right, wrong, and everything in between. Our learning experiences in these retros keep us updated and growing and learning. We make it a point to direct any process changes to our operations team for implementation. Tied into this process is updating THE HUB’s processes, too. Build the intranet improvements into your day-to-day, and it won’t feel like such a burden to bear.
Everything isn’t always sunshine and rainbows…
Sure, this can be a timely lift to construct from the ground up. There might be a low adoption rate of internal team members actually making use of this resource or diverting away from their usual search methods. What can be done about this? Well, simply put: you have to practice what you preach. Is this something you can benefit from? If the answer is no, then how can it benefit anyone else? Start to think of workarounds to get people in there, and show them the way. For example, if you have a monthly company newsletter, then embed it right into the intranet and channel more focus on the site. Always encourage input and feedback from others. Make it a helpful group effort, and people will care.
To Conclude…
The intranet is not a source of instant gratification but, such is life, this does not mean it isn’t worth it. The exercise of creating the intranet can also be, in itself, a collaborative, informative learning experience. It is said that you are the master of a subject once you are able to explain it to someone else. Can you explain your organization’s work, or at least the niche part of it you have a direct hand in step by step? Then, building on that foundation, can you acquire the information to answer any and all questions cross-functionally, too? This can allow you to find holes and miscommunications. All in all, winding this arrow backward will help it to shoot even further the next time it is drawn.
Check out even more details of our intranet:
Want even MORE help building your intranet? Reach out to us today!
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