When creating a new intranet, many organisations focus their efforts on the site’s design and which applications to include. Although these are important considerations, I think it’s equally important to plan how you want your staff to engage with their site.
I find it’s a good idea to create a plan for the following:
- How staff are expected to engage with the site as a whole
- How staff are expected to engage with specific content
You may want to promote your site as an inclusive environment, where all your staff are encouraged to express their opinions. An effective way of doing this is to invite staff to give their feedback on their intranet. By responding to the feedback you receive, you let staff know you are listening, giving you the opportunity to explain why certain decisions have been made, or why content is in a particular place.
Alternatively, you may want to restrict commenting to a select number of employees. Whichever way you want employees to engage with their site, make sure your approach is consistent.
You’ll also need to bear in mind that not all comments you receive will be positive. Be prepared for how you plan to respond to negative feedback. You may decide to remove negative comments completely or moderate responses, whichever approach you choose, ensure it’s consistent.
When it comes to engaging with specific content, I find that providing an incentive often helps. An organisation I worked with wanted to encourage their staff to update their contact details. Employees were told that if they updated their contact information that week they would be entered into a prize draw.
Allowing comments on intranet content such as articles and blogs is mutually beneficial. Not only do your staff get to have their say, you also discover which content matters most to them, helping you to keep your site relevant. With a site that’s relevant to them, your users are more likely to keep coming back.
For further tips on how to engage your intranet audience subscribe to our 27 helpful ideas.
