Guest commentator: Eric Patel, Vice President, Solutions Architecture, IT Solutions, @PickITS
The Right Software Can Bridge Your Employee Connectivity Gap
Cultivating a positive and productive work environment can be challenging in today’s remote workforce. It has long been thought that creative ideas and productivity are best facilitated through in-person social interaction; however, utilizing software will help your teams effectively collaborate while being physically apart, bridging the employee connectivity gap.
Intranets, often an overlooked repository of HR and corporate communications materials, are recently being revived by firms looking to capitalize on investments already made in a secure and employee-centric platform. Intranets are private, internal networks customized for your business that maintain and structure information so that it’s easily accessible to employees. Whether all or some of your workforce is remote, intranets are a robust and dependable solution for connecting employees.
How a Multi-faceted Intranet Connects Employees
With an intranet, your employees gain a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from any device. In other words, an intranet can be your firm’s one-stop location for company and employee-centric resources.
You can integrate your company’s videos, training platform, branding materials, customer relationship management system, documents (e.g., an employee handbook), and more for easy, 24/7 access. This approach is especially helpful to HR teams during onboarding and training, as new employees have everything they need in a convenient location.
Moreover, using an intranet to create team sites provides customization and specificity to ensure that your team works cohesively toward the same vision. Keeping team-specific tools and projects in a centralized location further facilitates transparency, collaboration, and accountability.
In essence, an intranet keeps employees connected with each other and your company while streamlining operations, augmenting organizational transparency, and ensuring data governance.
SharePoint as an Intranet
If you don’t already utilize a corporate intranet, the tools you need to create one may already be included in your technology stack. If your organization has adopted Microsoft 365 Business, SharePoint (a web-based collaboration solution) is included! Numerous organizations utilize SharePoint as the foundation for their intranet, as it is customizable and integrates well with the applications most businesses use.
A multi-faceted intranet is only one example of a software solution that keeps employees connected. As technology evolves and the workplace becomes more digital, embracing software and using it to the fullest will continue to streamline employee collaboration and communication.
Upcoming Event
Benchmarking Greater Philadelphia's Livability: A Healthy & Livable Program
Wednesday, November, 9, 2022 | 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Virtual
Join us as Econsult Solutions shares the findings of their new Metropolitan Livability Index. This tool assesses ten key measures, including health, housing, leisure, and transportation in the metropolitan areas of Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Pittsburgh, and D.C. The presentation of their findings will be followed by a panel discussion about what we can learn from these indicators, our region's rank within, and what efforts are already underway by those working to enhance the livability of their communities. Be a part of the conversation that helps determine how the business community can lead the Greater Philadelphia region towards this aspirational future.
