After what was a year of much uncertainty and instability, the start of 2021 gives us a chance to reset and focus on the areas of opportunity and growth. So where should we be directing our budgets and attention?
Check out our list of the top five intranet forecasts to keep on your radar over the coming year. The general feeling seems to be one of consolidation – ensuring the features we have are working to their best capacity and really contributing to productivity, both in and outside the office.
1. Integration
It will come as no surprise that Teams integration is a hot topic: Teams in your intranet or your intranet in Teams. Or maybe you’re wondering are SharePoint intranets even still relevant in the age of Teams?
With hundreds of other apps and services that can enhance your intranet and connect users with the tools they need to reduce context switching and drive productivity, you need to be thinking about more than just Teams.
Start by identifying the key applications being used in your organisation. Then look at how they fit within your Digital Workplace. Integrating and connecting these applications with your intranet can be pivotal in driving adoption and making significant productivity gains.
2. Engagement in the Hybrid Workplace
In the wake of Covid-19, many organisations have had no choice but to shift their workforce to remote work, with some much better prepared than others. It’s predicted that 25-30% of the workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.
With two different and parallel modes of working now the norm, the intranet will be key to maintaining a sense of continuity and connection, bridging the gap between those in the office and those at home and ensuring consistent communication.
Learn more about the new workforce & what technology is needed to maintain a happy and productive workplace.
3. Measuring Intranet Success
No longer are organisations just implementing an intranet and not taking into consideration actual employee usage. Improvements in available reporting is resulting in a greater focus on measuring and optimising content and user experience.
How are staff interacting with content? Are certain pages provoking longer conversations or being shared more often? Can knowledge gaps or sudden changes in sentiment be identified and addressed?
Data and analytics will be instrumental in delivering an intranet that meets and responds to the needs of your organisation.
4. Remote Onboarding
For some businesses where staff are now working predominantly from home, the opportunity to induct new staff personally just is not there. Hence, the need for a robust remote onboarding programme that incorporates cultural values, practical set-ups and training as well as social introductions.
Your intranet is the logical platform to run your onboarding and here’s our tips on how to onboard your new team member remotely.
5. Personalisation
A ‘one size fits all’ communication approach is not enough for your organisation’s intranet. Did you know that you can target news and announcements so that only staff in a specific department or office location see it? Personalisation is key to ensuring that the right people are seeing the right message at the right time. This will reduce unnecessary distractions and keep employees focused.
What do you think?
Got your own thoughts on what is going to be a priority in 2021? Drop a comment below or send us an email to join the conversation.
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