Why the youngest workers love intranets (at least good ones)
Every year begins will predictions that intranets (as well as email) are finished. Then, as the year progresses, both digital workplace services continue to evolve and improve, ignoring the predictors of their decline.
Many of us older workers can remember all too vividly when large enterprise intranets were embarrassing, offering limited channels of communication, knowledge and engagement.
But the intranet world has been quietly getting better, enabled through better technology, governance, usability, speed and functionality – year on year.
Also, an unexpected generational boost has arrived. Younger millennials (and those still at school and college) are entering the workplace expecting a high-performing intranet as standard – so that they can do their jobs.
Unlike the baby boomers who grew up with struggling intranets that, at best, acted as news channels, this younger workforce is accustomed, from school and university, to accessing intranets that work well, providing useful services that make their lives easier.
This means that intranets are actually now on an upward curve, free from the associations of the past.
They are seen to provide an essential “digital front door” into any organization of even a moderate size and to act as a place where work is made easier.
Functions that younger workers expect from a modern intranet are:
- the ability to find people and expertise
- to be able to get questions answered through incorporated collaboration
- accurate up-to-date information about the organization – offices, locations, parking, travel, food, etc., etc.
- news on what their employer is doing globally and locally
- all the standard interactive HR services on pay, time off, expenses and pensions
- fast access from any device or location
- an excellent look and feel.
It is true that not all intranets tick all of these boxes, but many do and the others are planning, or are already engaged in, getting better.
The good news is that ensuring intranets meet these and other needs is an investment that is critical to the organization – remember the newest and youngest employees want and expect your intranet to be excellent.
Is your intranet or digital workplace recognized for its excellence?
The Digital Workplace of the Year 2018 Awards celebrates organizations and practitioners who have excelled at creating well-executed, high-performing digital workplace environments.
Submitting an entry will give you and your organization the opportunity to share your digital workplace achievements with peers and to gain global, industry recognition!
Start your entry today!
RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
- NEW! FREE REPORT: Digital workplace integration: Key approaches to drive benefits
- FREE REPORT: How mature is your digital workplace?
- BLOG: 5 essential skills we need now – for the digital workplaces to com
- PODCAST: My new boss is a robot
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Find out how usable
your intranet is via benchmarking
Categorised in: Digital workplace
