By Cathy Dew
Congratulations. You’ve decided to build a new intranet for your business, or maybe you’ve decided to revamp the one you’ve got. You’ve set your sights on putting your employees front and center and providing them with easy access to the tools, information, and training to help them succeed. You are already formulating plans to streamline processes and enhance the user experience (UX).
You’ve assembled your team of IT experts, HR professionals, and select managers chomping at the bit to get their process maps up and operational. Everything seems to be falling into place. But there are some key members of the team you may have left out of the design equation. I’m talking about everyone and anyone in your company who can and will use your intranet.
Yes, I am suggesting that you leverage the intranet creation process to enhance company-wide employee experience.
What does employee experience have to do with intranet design?
Employee experience, or EX, is the sum total of how an employee perceives his or her connection to your organization. It includes everything from perceptions about the recruitment process to on-the-job encounters to what occurs during separation.
While companies have long realized that customer experience (CX) is a market differentiator, evidence is mounting that there is a strong relationship between CX and EX. Employee Experience informs customer experience. Put simply, positive EX means employees engage more and, frankly, care more. And that translates into positive outcomes at every operational level.
According to the former head of Employee Experience at Airbnb, anything that sets employees up for success or improves company culture should be part of EX. That includes, of course, the design and implementation of your employee intranet.
Create a positive EX by inviting all employees to participate in intranet design
There is no substitute for directly involving your team members during the planning process. An intranet should never be the product of one person’s vision. Since the intranet is a dynamic tool that is supposed to enhance the EX of everyone in the company—executives, managers, and employees alike—it makes sense to expand your definition of stakeholders to include everyone in your company.
Inviting across-the-board input on every aspect of intranet design isn’t optimal, or even possible. But there are ways to engage every member of your organization appropriately to ensure that all points of view are addressed and that every prospective intranet user has an opportunity to be heard.
Here are a few tried and true methods to garner input on key aspects of your intranet design:
- Conduct a survey that reaps reliable results. Make it anonymous, include employees and managers from all departments, and don’t restrict responses to pre-determined parameters. Allow space and time for additional comments.
- Reach out to content owners and invite them to participate in regular brainstorming sessions. You can also ask them to drill down by consulting with thought leaders in their own departments by holding informal brainstorming sessions.
- Create an email address specifically for suggestions on intranet design and functionality. Be sure to answer all emails you receive thoughtfully and with appreciation for the employee’s time and effort in offering suggestions.
- Have a contest to name the new intranet. Announce the winner at a company-wide meeting.
- Allow employees to vote on graphic design alternatives. Sometimes form can be as important as function. Just be sure that you and other stakeholders agree on the design element choices to be presented to company voters.
Enhance Employee Experience with 2Plus2
The professionals at 2Plus2 can help you design a tailored employee intranet roadmap that balances employee experience with management goals, all the while making sure that the project stays on time and on budget. Visit us online to schedule a free consultation with our team or call 510-652-7700 today.