The modern workplace is undergoing a drastic transformation in terms of technological advancements and changing work culture. This has resulted in companies across the globe discovering new ways to collaborate and communicate with their employees, using intranet software as a social tool to reengage end-users. One of the best ways to engage, inform and empower your employees in the workplace is by providing content that is genuinely interesting, with topics that truly resonate with your end users - which is why your Intranet News is the cornerstone of your company intranet.
Studies by PWC and Gallup have indicated that companies with engaged employees have 51% lower employee turnover rates and 33% more profitability. On the contrary, the annual cost of employee disengagement for companies can prove to be quite expensive - to the tune of $450-$550 billion.
Most companies do not realize how valuable their internal communications actually are to their business. The fatal mistake a large majority of companies make is failing to recognize the significance their news articles play in driving intranet engagement and employee motivation. Many companies failed attempts at driving ‘employee engagement’ centres around ‘top-down’ communications, where the only intranet news articles revolve around ‘Company Updates’ about processes and procedures – which, let’s face it, are as dull as dish water and are no way to energise or engage your employees. Having a more well-informed workforce that is provided with relevant news articles, which genuinely speak to your employees as individuals is the key to unlocking a happier, more engaged employee.
If you’re ‘company updates’ just aren’t cutting it with employee engagement, here’s some best practice advice on how to think outside the box with your intranet news, that will help you get over the hurdle of ‘top down’ communications.
The Growing Importance of Company News Your employees are inquisitive fellows who are always on the lookout for news stories, whether its core company developments or spotlight success stories about their colleagues. When it comes to boosting engagement with your internal comms, our top tip will always be to maintain an informal, sociable tone of voice that speaks of your company’s intranet as a community, giving the impression of being ‘one family’ with a flat hierarchy of free-flowing information. By being more conversational and speaking to your employees as individuals and not subordinates, they are more likely to feel valued and show deeper level of commitment towards your organization. There is increased motivation to work harder and contribute to the success of the overall organization.
It’s always good to have a central hub of information for your employees to share their thoughts and suggestions, boost their knowledge and gain valuable insights into your organization and their fellow colleagues. Your company’s intranet news allows them to stay well informed with the latest happenings, which helps your employees feel more involved, if the content of the company news is presented in a fun and interesting manner.
Top Ideas to Re-Energise Your Intranet News: Rather than issuing a newsletter, your company intranet can be used as a powerful medium to share interesting and inspiring stories, and it doesn’t just have to be corporate news…make it fun!
- ‘Employee of the Month’ features
Encourage staff recommendations / ‘shout outs’ and success stories
- ‘What We Do’
Spotlight stories from within your company, each week featuring different departments, offices, roles or locations so your employees have greater insight into other areas of the business.
- Micro-Blogging by Employees
Share news stories from people ‘on the ground’
- Competitions & Events
Showcase charity and social events or inter-departmental competitions, i.e. Bake Off, World Cup Sweepstakes, Race for Life events etc.
- Photos, photos, photos!
Bring news stories alive with image galleries. And not just stock-imagery, whatever your news story get actual photos of your events and your employees to truly get your staff engaged.
- Did You Know…???
Share facts about the company that no one knew, or run competitions and quizzes based on company knowledge.
- Food
let’s face it, anything about food is going to drive engagement.
Also consider…
Weekly Blog Posts by Your CEO Make your company news more personable by including a weekly blog post by your CEO. Break down the barriers between management and your employees by putting your CEO centre stage, and encourage two-way communication by providing your employees with the means to ask the CEO questions and contribute to the conversation…ensuring you’re your CEO responds. Give your news stories an interesting angle by sharing your CEO’s opinions on the company’s direction and discussing core topics and issues relevant to your employees. If your CEO is seen as being relatable, as well as someone who actively listens and responds to their employees, it creates a more transparent working environment where employees feel management understands their needs and values their opinion.
At the end of the day, be transparent by sharing both successes and failures Your employees are curious to know what’s happening in your company, including the good, the bad and the ugly. At the end of the day, your employees want to be kept well-informed about the goings on in your company, so don’t keep them in the dark, even if its bad news. Hiding information from your employees can denote distrust, so always be honest with your employees. Even if it is bad news, give them a pep-talk or some pros to go with the cons so that they know management is there to support them. Whether you’re discussing financials, company awards, customer feedback, redundancies or new client wins, your employees deserve transparent news stories.
For other tips on how to drive intranet engagement, see our other intranet guide:
Interested in boosting your intranet engagement? Speak to our intranet software specialists to see how the Hub could help you boost employee engagement and productivity, and make your internal communications seem seamless. Call: 020 7099 6370 Email: hub@pancentric.com
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