Over the past few years, remote work has transitioned from what was once considered a company perk to workplace normality. According to recent U.S. Census data, the total number of remote employees between 2019 and 2021 has tripled from 5.7% to 17.9%. To support remote positions, many companies have been incorporating modern intranet software.
Intranets are private networks dedicated to storing an organization’s files, resources, and databases. They also provide employees with tools for communication, project collaboration, and a network of social options to keep them connected, even while working from home.
Below are just some of the many benefits a modern intranet can offer your remote workforce.
Having a centralized hub for information allows for more precise methods of communication. Intranets can be used to highlight and share internal news and updates in one convenient place. Examples include company-wide announcements, department updates, new policies, upcoming events, industry news/articles, and any additional information relevant to employees.
Communicating with your company through an intranet not only draws attention to critical information at a given time, but it establishes a historical communication database for future reference. Remote employees can feel they are receiving the most up-to-date news to stay informed. The days of information lost via email are in the past.
As tantalizing as remote work is, it can come with some serious social and productive disadvantages. Your employees may be spread across multiple states, time zones, and even countries! According to Buffer’s 2022 State Of Remote Work, 24% of remote employees state that loneliness is their greatest struggle when working from home.
Luckily, intrants are designed for collaboration and connecting teams. Modern intranets provide users tools for document collaboration, individual team sites, and process building. For the social aspect, there are systems for user commenting/posting, social forums, and polls. Organizations can even utilize these systems to provide acknowledgments and praise to employees. The truth is nothing can replace in-person interaction but creating spaces for remote employees to interact and work together proves essential in a remote environment.
The perks of working with an intranet extend past social and communicative. One of the most compelling reasons to invest in an intranet is data management. An organization’s resources should always be easily accessible and accurate.
Resources could include PTO information, employee benefits, training models, standard operating procedures, expense reports, and even entire internal processes to name a few. With an intranet, internal resources scattered across multiple platforms can now be consolidated and housed in a one-stop shop for employees.