Research has shown there is a large gap in engagement among employees. Around 60% of employees report dissatisfaction about their jobs, particularly in regard to communication issues (about.com/human resources). If a company is to connect with the customers they aim to reach, the efforts should begin from within, with the employees, as they are the infrastructure of the business and must be interconnected. This is where a social intranet would be a critical tool to implement.
An intranet is essentially the professional version of social media. Because of social networking’s huge impact on our everyday lives, it’s been intertwined into business models for improved work relationships and communication among company administration members and employees. As a private network, it is accessed only by staff of the organization and remains unavailable to the public.
Most people are aware of and have used e-mail, social networking sites, Google services, or Dropbox for communication, team collaboration, and file sharing; there are a plethora of other tools, apps, and technological modes for discussing projects. Despite the usefulness of such methods, they can be disorganized, mixed in with non-work items, and the information can be dispersed among many tools. An efficient way to combine all of these uses onto one platform is an intranet. As a system meant for the eyes of organization insiders, it is under the company’s control. It would be in the company’s best interest to utilize an intranet for efficiency and security.
Company-wide communication, resources, conversation, employee feedback, email and live chatting, document sharing – all of this is on one platform, freeing up the apps and devices usually used. It allows members to share ideas and have organized threads among employees in real time. The company can facilitate announcements, as well as articles or blog posts. It minimizes the junk of non-work environments, making the space organized and productive.
Businesses with an intranet are linked with improved relations among employees, better engagement, and job satisfaction. One of a company’s main priorities is to promote its values and goals to the employees. However, it is difficult to know if the message gets across without the proper means of receiving feedback, outside of self-report surveys. With intranet, a place where employees can describe their thoughts and criticisms, it’s very different from filling out a limited multiple-choice question asking for a satisfaction rating. This mode of communication shows that employers and administration truly care about their individual employees; they are invested in the company’s productivity and corporate interactions. An intranet is a smart way to improve job-satisfaction, thus creating a health community for employees. Its collaboration aspect is phenomenal for efficient, productive work. There are opportunities for sharing ideas, projects, notes, continuous updates on projects and accountability. Progress is faster, innovation is promoted, and good well-being within a company is upheld.
Another important component of a social workplace like a corporation necessitates that there is communication between many employees. For this aspect to flourish, there needs to be an environment in which everyone is connected and familiar, everyone has an equal chance to speak regardless of position, and where the employees’ ideas are respected and acknowledged to promote better work and productivity. Employees are more likely to work better and feel better about their work if there have a strong social network within the company. Such networks in turn increase loyalty to the cause, thus increased competition with rivals.