10 features every intranet must have

Intranets are a vital communication tool for organisations. They can be used to promote and share company news, publish policies and procedures, and provide a space for employees to collaborate.  An effective intranet can help to improve employee engagement and productivity. For an intranet to be truly effective, it must have certain key features. These features will make sure that the intranet is user-friendly, informative, and engaging.

1. A responsive design

These days, more and more people are accessing the internet from their mobile devices. This trend is only going to continue, so it’s important that your intranet is designed with a responsive layout. This will ensure that employees can access it from any device, at any time.

2. A user-friendly interface

Your intranet should be easy to use, even for employees who are not tech-savvy. It includes using consistent page layouts, accessible fonts and colours, and an aesthetically pleasant look and feel. If your intranet is difficult to use, employees will simply not bother using it.

3. A clear and consistent navigation

Navigation should be intuitive and self-explanatory. Your users should be able to find information on the intranet by browsing, understand their current location and the path they took, as well as being able to go back from where they started.

4. A search function

Your intranet should have a search function that allows employees to find information quickly and easily. The search function should be robust and return relevant results and let users filter returned results by certain parameters.

5. Company policies, official documents, and forms

Creating an area on your intranet that has the most up-to-date versions of all your company forms, policies and official documents not only saves employees time but also eliminates the risk of using the wrong version.

6. A news feed and announcements

A regularly updated newsfeed is a great way to keep employees up to date on company news and announcements. While announcements could be used for short and sharp operational messages, news could be reserved for more lengthy articles with supporting media content.

7. An employee directory

An employee directory is a helpful way for employees to find contact information for their colleagues. The directory should reflect up-to-date organisational structure and be searchable.

8. The organisational structure

The organisational structure should include names of business units and teams, describe what employees do, and whom they report to. At a minimum, your organisation structure should include employees’ titles and basic hierarchies.

9. HR information

This can cover everything from pay and benefits to processes such as booking a vacation time or training. Including this content on your intranet can save a lot of time for HR executives, as employees can find the answers to questions themselves.

10. Quick links

To increase adoption and employee engagement an intranet should include quick links to frequently accessed systems, applications, documents, instructions, etc. Often quick links are added on the home page of the intranet so users can easily access them.

In summary

These are the top ten features that must be included on any intranet. Depending on the size, needs and maturity of your organisation there are other intranet features that will benefit your intranet and employees.

By making sure that your intranet has at least the above features, you can be sure that it will be user-friendly, informative and engaging.