If you’re from an organisation looking to improve internal communications and productivity, you’ve probably considered implementing an intranet. Yet, you may have asked yourself "are intranets still relevant?" Yes! Intranets have been used by businesses for decades with the goal of increasing employee productivity through more effective communication and easier access to important company documents.
Read on to learn more about:
- What is the Modern Intranet?
- Modern Intranet VS Traditional
- Do companies still use intranets?
- Reasons Why Intranets Are Still Relevant
- How does an intranet fit in with the modern digital workplace?
- How to choose the best intranet for your company
What is a Modern Intranet?
With the advancement in technology, many organisations are turning to intranet alternatives to keep their workforce up to date. However, as the workplace has evolved over the years. Work isn’t just about turning up, completing your work for the day and getting paid at the end of the month. Modern-day employees look for a workplace that values a strong culture and has a great sense of community - something that should be present throughout your intranet.
A modern intranet not only supplies employees with the tools they need to carry out their jobs but gives them a unique experience and insight into your organisation. Your intranet should act as the hub of your company where employees can go to;
- Find out the latest internal news and updates
- Collaborate with colleagues on different projects
- Connect socially with colleagues
- Find the right tools they need to do their job
Recommended Reading 📖: What is An Intranet? The Ultimate Intranet Guide
Modern Intranet VS Traditional
Like with most technology, the intranet has evolved over the years into a platform that employees can use to make their working lives easier, allowing them to access important tools in an instant. Of course the best company intranet for you will depend on your own objectives and specific criteria. Here are a few examples of what you can expect within both a modern and traditional intranet.
Traditional Intranet Characteristics
If you’re stuck between a modern or a traditional intranet, you’ll have to analyse both in detail to determine which one is best suited for your organisation. Here are some of the main characteristics of a traditional intranet:
IT Built
A traditional intranet is usually built in-house through an IT professional; because they’re built by an IT professional, this makes them difficult to use and requires a lot of training for employees to be able to maintain the intranet.
Longer deployment
Due to their complexity, traditional intranets require rigorous testing meaning that they take longer to deploy. This then wastes valuable time and resources.
Poor UX
A traditional intranet usually has poor UX that includes text-heavy content making it difficult for employees to find what they are looking for instantly.
Modern Intranet Characteristics
On the other hand, the main characteristics of a modern intranet include:
Purpose-built
An ‘out of the box’ purpose-built platform eliminates the risk of the intranet failing and can be accessed by employees instantly after launch.
Useful UX
A modern intranet is designed with the employee experience in mind, making it easy for employees to find what they are looking for.
Quicker deployment
Due to the modern intranet being purpose-built, this means that the intranet can be deployed instantly ultimately serving the employees needs quicker.
Little training
Little training is required with a modern intranet making it easy for employees to update and maintain over time.
Recommended Reading 📖: What is An Intranet? The Ultimate Intranet Guide
Do companies still use intranets?
Intranets have been around since the late 90’s, with the more traditional, functionality/practicality based intranet dominating the workplace during the early days. Originally they were built for broadcasting information and content. But are traditional intranets outdated?
Due to their complexity and poor user experience, the traditional intranet is becoming obsolete. We have to remember that the workplace has evolved dramatically since the birth of the traditional intranet and unfortunately the intranet didn’t seem to move along with the technological shift. For example, we’re living in a digital age that is dominated by mobile and because of traditional intranets being desktop-based they aren’t useful for a large proportion of the working population.
While traditional intranets may be losing their relevance, there is still a growing demand for modern intranets and digital workplace technologies.
5 Reasons Why Intranets Are Still Relevant
Although traditional intranets may be taking a back seat, the modern intranet is very much still alive and kicking. The advancement in technology and the presence of a digital workforce has enabled modern intranets to develop their technology to create a system suitable for all types of workers.
Here are five reasons why intranets are still relevant to the modern-day workforce;
They are easily accessible
Employees can access their intranet at any time from anywhere in the world thanks to mobile. Having an intranet that can be accessed by mobile is vital for its success. A mobile intranet is the key to increasing engagement across your company and means that employees always have access to the latest information.
They promote workplace culture and social interaction
A study by Glassdoor found that 56% of employees valued strong workplace culture over pay when it came to applying for a role. A modern intranet is not only a place to distribute the latest company news and information but it’s a space to let your company culture shine through. It’s the window into your business.
Over the past year, the workplace has seen many challenges and the need for a strong company culture couldn’t be more relevant. With Oak there are many ways you can incorporate your company culture into your intranet; our employee recognition feature enables users to celebrate employee achievements which help boost morale and improve employee engagement throughout the company.
We also understand the importance of keeping workforces connected which is why our unique intranet has a number of inbuilt social features such as instant messenger, a main timeline feed where employees can share images and videos and Hubs where employees can collaborate on common interests. Social collaboration in the workplace is a must as it strengthens relationships and improves employee wellbeing.
Better employee experience
Modern intranets have the tools to make employees' working life easier and eliminate hassle. They give employees easy access to important information and company policies without the need to ask a manager where they are located.
Oak’s unique Search functionality enables employees to locate all content, past or present, quickly. Search is a valuable tool that has the power to save your employees time and be more productive.
You can measure employee engagement
Your intranet is the perfect place to measure employee engagement and satisfaction with ease. Employee engagement is the key to maintaining valuable employees so it’s crucial you keep on top of it.
Oak’s Pulse Surveys feature is an extremely useful tool that you can use to measure employee engagement and enhance employee experience. They can be created in minutes and give you everything you need to collect valuable data from your people.
They are safe and secure
An intranet is a closed, private network making it less susceptible to the risk of external threats. This gives you peace of mind knowing important company information and documents are being stored safely.
Recommended Reading 📖:
- What is An Intranet? The Ultimate Intranet Guide
- 31 Intranet Features Your Company Needs
- Building an Intranet: The Ultimate Beginners Guide
- Benefits of Intranets With Examples
- Intranet Content Ideas to Create The Best Company Intranet
How does an intranet fit in with the modern digital workplace?
Intranets are powerful tools that facilitate company-wide communication, improve employee experience and enhance productivity making them extremely relevant to the working world of today.
More recently we have seen drastic changes in the way we work which has ramped up the need to connect workforces. Remote working has taken centre stage over the last year with 76% of office workers not wanting to return to the office full time after the pandemic. Among countless other things, an intranet is vital to remote workers as it gives employees a space to access company updates and information, drives internal collaboration and boosts employee productivity. Finding the best company intranet for your business can be a tall order - if you're interested in making the right choice
Want to see more?
Get a demo with one of our digital workplace experts and see how Oak could work for you.