Intranets have begun to shake off a dusty reputation and reemerge as the quiet force behind a successful organisation. How has that transformation taken place? Amy Sandys reports

In the mid-1990s, the development of an internet specifically for an organisation’s internal audience was poised to answer many of the issues which had emerged, thanks to the advent of Tim Berners-Lee’s internet almost a decade previously. Known ubiquitously as ‘the intranet,’ for communicators this new internal technology was a way to distribute vital company information not in the public domain. Its ability to instantly bring employees together represented one of the biggest advancements in technological history – and, consequently, some of the most pressing challenges.

While the term ‘intranet’ has been in use almost as long as the internet itself, its aesthetics and function have shifted dramatically in recent years. Engaging all employees over one platform is an undoubtedly commendable goal. Yet many obstacles faced by intranet distributors and users, for example lack of internal engagement, an unwillingness to adopt a digital-first model and rapid shifts in technology and employee distribution, are exactly what the intranet was created to tackle.

How internal communicators respond to this vast array of issues, some of which arise on an almost daily basis, depends on the organisation and its internal strengths. Sector notwithstanding, an intranet remains effective only as long as its owners are willing to innovate. For Scott Hitchins, senior vice president of global sales for intranet software provider company, Interact, it is often the word itself which can be problematic. Its association with dial-up connections, 1990s-style home screens and slow public sector services has done a great deal to deter corporations from updating their software, or implementing new intranet strategies.

the mistrust felt by many organisational employees. He says, “For years, intranets never really moved. For 10 years they became a comms-down way of publishing content, usually a dull non-interactive site. It was
just news for argument’s sake, it’s almost spreading propaganda rather than what the audience wants. And unfortunately, the word has never changed and the word has a stigma wrapped around it about what an intranet actually is.”
He adds, “Lots of people have said ‘digital workplace’ or ‘portal’ or ‘employee portal,’ but when anybody naturally searches in internal comms, they go back to that word – intranet.” In this sense, the term appears stuck. Instead of searching for alternative descriptions for a system whose function has essentially remained the same since it was created, internal communicators need to instead shift its remit.

Instant connections need to be made with minimal disruption to the staff workforce, in a way that unifies employers and employees alike. This, Hitchens says, is based on the simple premise of easy communications. And as for what happens when asked why companies still need an intranet, Hitchens says, “The simple answer is ‘We need to tell people what’s going on, we’re a very modern business, we need people to chat. I want the head of sales in the UK and head of sales in America to collaborate as much as possible and the sales team is globally dispersed and we need one area for the team where they can share news and knowledge, look at competitors, without having to ring each other up.’” He adds, “Email just doesn’t work for that.”

Functionality is one of the main reasons for a shift in intranet purpose and provider. Helen Pye, head of internal communications for the Treasury, explains why her organisation decided a shift in focus of its intranet was necessary. “It wasn’t modern in how it looked or in functionality,” Pye says. “We wanted something that would be easier and more efficient for the internal communications team to manage and to create good looking, engaging content across a range of devices. We also wanted to move into a more social arena, allowing people to share knowledge and information across teams with blogging and newsfeed comments. At the heart of all this is the aim of making it simpler for people to find what they need.”

Although it seems simple, ease of access is a make or break aspect of getting employees to engage with a company’s intranet system. Particularly as the past decade, which has seen a shift in the balance of power between digital and social communications in the workplace, has been characterised by platforms whose main selling point is their functionality. Pye says, “The intranet is no longer a document repository or somewhere where you passively read about the latest management initiatives. They are your gateway to organisational applications and working areas and are increasingly dynamic portals you are expected to interact with and share your knowledge through.” It is these expectations which set the intranet models of 20 years ago apart from their contemporaries – and why employee experience is a key thing to measure if improvements are to be made.

Suzie Robinsion, head of internal communications for global bookseller, Waterstones, agrees. For Robinson, having an organisation based on the purest form of communication sets an extra precedent in terms of employee expectation and functionality. This is why the company has repackaged and relaunched its internal intranet system. Robinson says, “From our perspective our intranet is our main communication tool – everything goes on there and other channels tend to point back to it. Now that we’ve trimmed it down, retoned it and relaunched it is an even better system and our users can now check on processes, work out who they should speak to if they need something, but also talk to each other using discussion boards.”

“We wanted something that would be easier and more efficient for the internal communications team to manage and to create good looking, engaging content across a range of devices”

Much like the Treasury, for Waterstones there is value in ensuring staff dispersed in locations across the country are able to access the social intranet system on a more personal level. There are, however, still merits to retaining what some deem to be more traditional functions of intranet systems. Robinson says, “We have very specific routes and types of communication on the intranet for specific forms of communication. This clear distinction, which is broadly news pieces, short actions or pieces of information, and longer-term activities, allows us to effectively position the piece of communication in a familiar way to the user.” Even this has been updated to ensure maximum satisfaction to the end user, however. “Therefore they instantly know what to do with it,” Robinson says, “Which means the article doesn’t need to cover that ground again and can concentrate on what it needs to say rather than giving a needless introduction.”

Visualisation, too, is instrumental in ensuring a modern intranet system runs effectively. Where form following function became the norm for previous intranet system models, in today’s world the distinction is less stark; aesthetics are key. For some communicators, this has meant implementing a system in which images are the key to engagement – the Treasury is an example of one organisation which recognised the value in moving away from text-heavy intranet sites. Pye says, “We moved from an intranet which had fixed tiny images on the homepage and so they didn’t really add value. We had to work hard to use the right language to encourage people to read on. Now there is more balance – we can be more image rich in our composition.”

Yet, Pye says, this was not without its issues. Integrating a social-style model into a business system required a delicate balance of research and approval. “That did throw the internal comms team a challenge of sourcing and creating the right images to support a story though,” she says. “But the whole thing looks more like what people see in their personal lives – and that helps to engage them.”

It is often this personal connection which makes the difference between employees understanding and accepting the benefits an intranet system can provide. This is partly why platforms such as Yammer have been so effective in infiltrating company intranet systems, and why in some instances, there has been little to no uptake at all. In a more customer-facing business, such as Waterstones, connecting employees dispersed across hundreds of location across the country can only succeed with a social aspect. Robinson says, “This social element is so important and really rewarding to see. People from opposite ends of the country discuss what they like most about one of our books of the month, for example. They take ideas from each other, they socialise, they realise they’re part of a larger company and then they sell more of that title because they can relay that conversation to our customers.”

Such an integrated system also helps dismantle the silos which often emerge between senior management teams, and employees at the organisation’s front. Barriers and misunderstanding caused by distance are not easy to solve – but an effective intranet can go part of the way to ensuring employee voices are heard. Robinson says, “We wanted users to continue to use comments and discussion boards to not only talk among themselves, but engage with us at head office so that we could clarify communication and also gather feedback easily to potentially change the way the company works.”

For Hitchens, as part of a company that recommends and implements intranet systems, he notes the shift to social which accompanies intranet system maturing. Yet, this itself presents challenges with engagement – particularly in older generations, throughout the more industrial sectors. Hitchens says, “There’s a discrepancy in generational terms – we see that all the time. That’s why programmes like Slack and Yammer fail, because they’re heavy social. And if you’re not social, let’s say you’re an engineering company, you’re not going to use it.” This, says Hitchens, can create a generational gap in terms of an organisation. He adds, “They’ll see no purpose, and no value, because why would you? Whereas you’ve got the younger generation coming in and social is the only way they connect outside of work. They’ll adopt it very quickly.”

Regardless of these generational gaps, there is no question that intranets are an integral cog in the wheels of any modern company. Understanding how a company works, and from what its employees can benefit, are the simple considerations which lead to the most successful system implementations. For Pye, employers would do well to remember that their employees’ feelings are largely contingent on the lengths gone to, to ensure they feel accommodated. “It’s often the first thing that people see in the morning and I’m very aware that sometimes we are carrying information that can really impact on how they feel,” says Pye. “Being able to draw people in with well- presented content delivered in a warm, friendly way is paramount to internal communicators doing their jobs well and being able to support the organisation and leaders. It is becoming more and more a barometer for employee voice and so is a brilliant opportunity for organisations to listen to and understand their staff.”