by Fionnuala Malone, Digital Marketing Executive with Intelligo Software who provide Corporate HR Software and Payroll Software
An intranet is a private computer network that exists within a business which facilitates internal communication and collaboration using the same technology as the internet. Intranets can offer features such as document management, team workspaces, social tools, a staff directory and more. There are many benefits to implementing an intranet within your business to improve efficiency and performance and these are outlined below.
1.Improve Internal Communication
An employee intranet can facilitate clear dialogue among staff and leadership. An intranet can be set up in such a way to enable internal conversation through forums on different subjects. Employees can easily share new ideas, offer feedback and suggestions and communicate with other employees working in different locations or from home. Relevant information such as staff news, internal memos and announcements can be stored centrally and accessed easily by any staff member at any time.
2.Increase Employee Engagement
An employee intranet can inspire staff to contribute more fully to projects and initiatives. By logging into a shared space every day, staff are regularly connected to each other and to the goals and mission of the business. The intranet can act as a daily ‘team huddle’ that can unite, motivate and inspire employees. Your team can meet easily, without having to reserve a room, set up equipment and as an added bonus, there’s an automatic record of the meeting for future reference.
3.Enhance Knowledge Management
In most companies, information is stored in multiple locations such as network drives, email, Google Drive and on individual computers. An employee intranet provides a central location for information that can be accessed at any time by any member of staff. All important information is available and can be located at a glance. Using this type of system prevents overlap, allows employees to obtain the files they need and makes the paperless office more efficient.
4.Develop Employee Collaboration
One of the most important benefits to a team-focused organisation is collaboration. With such emphasis on teamwork, how does it work in practice especially when you have different members of the team in different locations or working remotely? One of the main benefits of an employee intranet is streamlined collaboration. Employees can work together on daily tasks and longer-term projects by sharing files, conversations and relevant data in one central location. This can be more secure than sending information by email and be more efficient than teleconferencing in many cases.
5.Improve Human Resource Management
A HR system can be a beneficial component of an effective employee intranet which can simplify many HR processes. An intranet can provide employees with information on policies, benefits and company updates. Having a centralised information location means that time spent onboarding new employees is reduced and existing employees can access their data, request time off, apply for internal vacancies and more.
