A great intranet should make work easier. Not harder.
When it’s done right, a great intranet helps people find what they need, stay connected, and get things done easily – it’s a seamless experience. But what if your intranet is outdated? That’s when things quietly start to go off the rails.
It might not seem like a big deal at first. Just a few clicks too many, age old content, or search that fails to return. But over time, those little annoyances add up to a whole lot of lost time and frustration.
Most organisations prioritise their transformation projects according to what will build more revenue. And unfortunately, that’s where the humble intranet gets left behind.
However, remember the other side of the profit equation is cost.
We are increasingly seeing that organisations are failing to comprehend the costs of a poor intranet. Mostly because these are largely hidden but they’re also endemic.
The upside? This is fixable.
But first you need to help your leadership team understand the dire impacts of an outdated intranet.
Here are five hidden costs of a legacy intranet. And why they matter more than you think.
1. Productivity Black Holes
When employees spend valuable time searching for documents, second-guessing the right version, or navigating a cluttered intranet, productivity takes a silent hit.
47% of digital workers struggle to find the information they need to effectively do their job.
That’s nearly half your workforce working below their potential. Not because they lack skills, but because they cannot find the information they need.
It is wasting time that could be spent delivering real outcomes. These small inefficiencies quickly scale across teams and departments.
Do any of these ring true: Where is that expense form? What happened to the brand guidelines? What’s the policy on travel expenses? Am I using the right proposal template …..
The cost to your organisation:
- Delayed project timelines
- Duplicated work and version control issues
- Reduced focus and reduced employee engagement
- Wasted time, wages, and momentum
2. Communication Gaps
When your intranet lacks structure and governance, it quickly becomes a content dumping ground. Cluttered, outdated, and difficult to navigate.
In this environment, important updates get buried, key messages are missed, and cross-team communication starts to break down.
The consequences aren’t always immediately visible, but they ripple across the organisation.
The cost to your organisation:
- Miscommunication, confusion, and unnecessary rework
- Poor alignment between teams and business units
- Missed opportunities for collaboration and innovation
3. Disengaged Employees
Employees today expect the same intuitive, seamless experience from workplace tools as they do from their favourite consumer apps. When the intranet feels outdated, clunky, or hard to use, it sends a subtle but clear message: employee experience isn’t a priority.
And with users spending an average of just 5.85 minutes per workday on the intranet, there’s limited time to engage, inform, and connect. Every interaction counts.
The cost to your organisation:
- Lower employee engagement and satisfaction
- Increased turnover and reduced retention
- Greater difficulty attracting top-tier talent
4. Risk Exposure
An outdated intranet often comes with hidden vulnerabilities. Without clear governance, version control, or audit trails, critical information can become inconsistent, inaccessible, or even non-compliant.
In regulated industries, or any organisation handling sensitive data, these gaps aren’t just operational issues. They’re serious business risks.
Some examples we’ve seen are: old pricing or rate cards, unapproved templates, outdated safety procedures.
The cost to your organisation:
- Increased exposure to legal and regulatory breaches
- Inconsistent or fragmented policy management
- Loss of stakeholder confidence and brand trust
Strong information governance is essential. Not only for compliance, but for building a resilient, trustworthy digital workplace
5. Bleeding Budget
Sticking with a legacy intranet may feel like the more affordable option. But in reality, old tech often costs more in the long run. Between ongoing maintenance, IT workarounds, and a help desk flooded with intranet related requests, these hidden expenses can quietly drain your resources.
They don’t just impact your bottom line. They’re a distraction preventing you from investing in the tools and improvements your organisation actually needs.
The cost to your organisation:
- High and unpredictable support and maintenance costs
- Low return on investment from existing digital platforms
- Budget tied up in outdated, underperforming technology
When technology becomes a liability instead of a driver of value, it’s time to reassess where your investment is really going.
Ready to update your intranet?
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And there’s a clear path forward.
Check out our guide on how to convince your stakeholders that it’s time for a new intranet.
