Whenever anyone mentions intranet, words such as increased productivity, better communication, high organization are among the first to usually pop people’s minds. These descriptions are completely expected and understandable as they do represent all benefits of this solution. Well, at least most of them. While the majority of people would agree on these positive effects of intranets on business, some would add another one — employee experience.
In the last few years, employee experience has become an important trend in business. It represents a rather holistic observation of digital workplace, working conditions, compensation, benefits, and work-life balance among other things, which play a key role in the overall work experience of an employee. When employers meet their requirements they have got themselves very satisfied employees. Such employees are more productive and efficient hence valuable to the organization. Many different factors can affect employee experience and intranets are one of them.
Here are 6 reasons why the intranet is the key to employee experience.
Employee Recognition
Intranet software can also be used to recognize the contribution of employees and establish a rewarding system to let them know their efforts are truly valuable to the company. Coming up with this carefully created strategy and structure isn’t demanding but can have a significant impact on the motivation and self-confidence of the employees. The recognition doesn’t have to be financial. Public praise or express gratitude will do the trick. However, it should take place at the right time and not weeks after the highlight.
Discussion Stimulation
Sometimes it is hard to initiate open discussions on the business matter during the regular meetings in the office. Meanwhile, online discussions on the intranet are much easier to provoke and can result in some quite constructive ideas and suggestions. Thanks to the online feature, employees will not be facing the same fears they might have in case of face-to-face interaction. They will be more relaxed, open-minded, and creative so the ideas will flow faster than usual. These discussions are beneficial both for employers, as it seems like a great opportunity for giving and receiving feedback and employees because they can connect as a team, share thoughts, and propose improvements.
Work-Life Balance
Satisfied and happy employees are productive and efficient employees. To increase their overall work happiness and satisfaction, employers should do what they can to help them achieve much needed and wanted work-life balance. One way to accomplish this is by allowing employees to work from home. If the company actively uses the intranet, this shouldn’t be a problem. With access, log in details, and proper tools, employees can do their work regardless of their location. As a result, they will be able to successfully juggle more things at once not neglecting their private and professional matters.
Customer Service
As mentioned, the intranet boosts communication. It also positively reflects on the quality of customer service. When employees are in the know, they can be of more use to customers. Through direct access to corporate data storage and constant contact with other employees, they can answer questions as well as resolve all complaints in no time and improve customer satisfaction.
Digital Workplace Investment
Today when technology and innovation are reaching its peak, having outdated and slow digital workplaces and tools are frustrating and can ruin everyone’s day at work. The business world demands use of high technology and employees rely on certain tools to help them do their jobs properly. Modern intranet solutions integrate these tools easily. All employees have access and the apps allow a smooth workflow removing even the slightest possibility of interruption or frustration in the workplace.
Professional Development
The intranet is the ideal platform for centralizing all activities dedicated to the training and professional development of employees. Modules, courses, and quizzes, as well as achievements, certificates, and results, can be all kept in one central location. Thanks to centralization and intranet, all employees can access these files at any time and easily find what they are looking for. Furthermore, employers or other qualified people from the company carry out all training of the employees so the whole process of their professional development is managed on a central level.
Over the years, the intranet has proven itself as a great booster of employee engagement, communication, and productivity. More recently, the far-reaching effects of this business solution have been noticed on employee experience. Selecting the right intranet for the employees makes it easier to improve other components that influence their experience in the workplace as it acts as a glue that holds everything together. With a modern and functional intranet, the company is one step closer to business success.