As remote/hybrid work has skyrocketed, we’ve all seen how the paradigm shift has underscored the importance of digital to employee experience (EX). And while an astonishing number of innovations have been unleashed rapidly, the past few years have revealed shortcomings in the workplace applications many of us use to drive company culture and foster employee engagement from a distance.
When employees work in a hybrid or exclusively remote environment, the importance of effective workplace applications is magnified. If digital tools aren’t actively making their jobs and lives easier, or worse, if they’re making work more difficult and less productive, the stage is set for increased frustration and decreased satisfaction and engagement. Digital fatigue, app fatigue, and meeting fatigue have been on the rise, and the compounding problem of overcomplicated tasks and an interrupted, disjointed workflow is taking a toll on EX.
In the “The Definitive Guide 2021†report on EXOpens a new window , global research analyst Josh Bersin notes, “The post-pandemic era is quickly becoming defined by employee experience: how your organization shapes the way people work and live — from productivity to flexibility, well-being, health, and everything in between.†The same report found that companies “leveraging the right EX strategies are 5.1 times more likely to engage and retain employees†and that “the right technologies are vital to a great EX.â€
In an environment where employees are revaluating major life choices and considering quitting their jobs in record numbersOpens a new window , it’s time for EX leaders to address the issue head-on. Fortunately, many companies have an existing resource in their digital toolbox that can be incredibly effective: the employee intranet.
The modern, next-generation intranet is evolving as it has so many times before, and companies are now reexamining how to design and implement the technology successfully. At Cisco, we, too, are in the midst of embracing this EX challenge and reimagining how a multifunctional intranet can simplify the services we offer employees. Our goal is to deliver an engaging, unified, frictionless digital workspace designed with empathy, personalization, inclusivity, and connection in mind. Here are three reasons why I believe casting a new vision for your intranet is one of the best ways to bolster EX.
1. Boosts Productivity and Engagement
With increased virtual and hybrid work, employees are often working longer hours, absorbing more stress, and feeling less productive. Too many clicks, open windows and apps, and repetitive tasks can lead to decreased productivity and poor adoption.
An intranet designed around employees’ needs can minimize unnecessary complications and simplify tasks while delivering the right content, news, and actions to each employee. Services and information that not only look different but are also spread out around the existing intranet can be aggregated, so the user enters a seamless, minimal-click experience with everything they need and use most often right in front of them. Starting with a simple, consistent design is a great first step to reducing confusion. Employees in a hybrid work environment should be able to be productive from anywhere they choose on any device, so building a mobile-first model is important.
2. Encourages Learning and Career Growth
The headaches of earlier intranet iterations often included a poor, one-size-fits-all user experience. But employees are now demanding consumer-grade experiences tailored to them and their specific needs.
A modern, inclusive intranet can support multiple types of workers and styles of work. It can be tailored entirely and audience-specific, personalized by role, department, language preference, device, interests, and stage in the employee lifecycle. The needs of a recently hired employee who is learning where to find people, knowledge, systems, and expertise will differ from more established team members who are building skills and looking for further career growth. A customized intranet can fit directly into a “flow of work,†as Bersin calls it, that suits each individual.
See More: How Effective Workplace Learning Can Help Fight The Great Resignation
3. Builds Human Connection and Employee Well-being
One of the aspects of an employee experience platform that matters most to me is that it’s designed to be more than a productivity platform. Instead, it should be focused on team members as individuals and human beings. As we evolve Cisco’s intranet, we’re working to ensure ours is designed with an emotional and empathetic side that connects to employees’ interests, values, and well-being. We care about them and want to enable their career journeys by making it easier to accomplish what they are looking to achieve. Our goal is to help them reach their full potential during their time with our company.
We’re also aiming to enable experiences that allow them to communicate and collaborate faster and easier with fellow employees throughout the globe — to create a greater sense of community and belonging.
It’s clear that a well-designed, next-gen intranet can revitalize EX while helping an organization meet its business goals. With talent retention more important than ever during an era of record-high quit levels, the need to drive this value has never been greater. That’s why the time is now for every EX leader to ask themself: if we can supercharge, simplify, and harmonize the digital employee experience … why not do it?
Have you considered using a next-gen intranet to boost employee experience? Let us know how you plan to do it on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .