8 Intranet & Employee App Benefits

Feb 2023
6
Mins read

You're probably already aware of the advantages of intranets, but have you considered how they can be combined with employee apps? Intranets and employee apps complement each other well, making them useful for businesses of all sizes and across industries. Learn how these technologies increase productivity by encouraging better workplace collaboration and dialogue.

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One of the primary benefits of having an intranet and employee app within a growing business is that it allows employees to quickly find and access task-critical information and communicate instantly, saving employees time and speeding up their work.

When you’ve got a fast growing business ensuring employees are engaged is key. It's not just about making sure employees feel like they're part of something bigger; it's also about helping them grow professionally and succeed in their role.

An Intranet and Mobile Employee App helps you do this through enabling employees to communicate about work-related activities and announcements. It helps you rally your people around the priorities of the business through stories, conversations, and shared resources and encourages them to take action.

Intranets promote conversation and collaboration, so everyone can shine at work.

The combination of an Intranet and an Employee App provides businesses with these additional advantages:

1. Encourages communication

Intranets are one of the best ways to boost employee engagement across web and mobile platforms.

Communication at scale

Businesses can scale up and communicate more easily thanks to an Intranet. By its very nature, internal communication is frequently time-sensitive. As a result, it should be simple to produce communication campaigns. It should also be visually appealing, easy to consume and when necessary, elicit action from employees. Intranet solutions provide companies with familiar tools to accomplish this. Companies can share important announcements and updates that are more targeted and relevant to their employees.

Open communication 

Employees can stay informed by following social feeds and receiving announcements and notifications. They can get involved, join, and start a conversation with coworkers. Ultimately, Intranets promote transparency, foster a connected workplace, and allow everyone to learn from one another, all of which are critical for moving work forward.

2. Collaborate

Collaboration is the basis for teamwork, and teamwork is the basis for success.

Intranet workspaces promote team collaboration by allowing teams to exchange answers and ideas through conversations, which result in faster query resolution.

The coordination of tasks is also simple. Teams understand what needs to be done and in what order, and everyone involved can track task progress using task management tools.

Most jobs require documents and files, and an intranet provides growing businesses with cloud storage for all types of files, allowing teams to quickly access and share information so they can work more efficiently together.

3. Set Priorities and Goals for Project teams

When it comes to motivating employees, clarity is essential.

Scientists investigated what factors in the workplace motivate employees to bring their BEST selves to work. 
And one key factor emerged as essential: CLARITY

When a company uses an intranet employee app, employees can track their own progress towards tasks and receive feedback that helps them correct course as needed. This means that employees understand what success looks like and what they should prioritize, rather than working on low-priority activities that do not align with the company's goals.

65% of Workers Want Clearer Tasks and Priorities

It's not enough for your team to simply be told what needs to be done—they need to know how they're doing and when they can expect to see results. 

That is why an employee engagement app that combines communication, task management, and insights is critical.

If you're looking for a way to keep your employees motivated, consider using an employee engagement app that includes task and project management to:

  • Provide workers with a bird's-eye view of the entire process so they can see what's coming up and where they fit in.
  • Make sure you provide clear priorities so everyone knows what's on their plate next.
  • Task management informs people when they are on track and when they are not, allowing them to make necessary adjustments (it also facilitates two-way feedback).

4. Uplift Culture

If your employees work from home, in the office, or are deskless and work from many locations, the only way to reach everyone at work and unite them around your brand and culture is through an Intranet and mobile app.

These solutions offer the best option for workers to celebrate and connect with other coworkers they don't often get the chance to interact with. They get to learn about new programs and initiatives as well as celebrate each other's successes, which magnifies culture.

Social features, such as group chat, help employees learn about broader initiatives in which the company gets involved, such as philanthropic or volunteer programs. These Intranet features inspire and inform staff and let them participate in these efforts. Intranets can amplify your company culture in ways that email newsletters and emails can’t.

5. Boost solid employee connections 

If your workforce is dispersed across multiple locations, open communication helps them feel as though they belong. A feature-rich Intranet app provides them with the tools they need to feel more connected throughout the workday.

Through beautifully organized news, stories, celebrations, and videos, employees can stay up to date on important company announcements and activities. They can start or join in on discussions with coworkers and leadership. Promoting two-way communication at work leads to increased trust.

Attention spans are short, but when it comes to critical company announcements that employees need to see, Intranets push these messages to the top of the news feed and notify users. As a result, crucial messages will be seen right away.

Employees can get to know one another better by using a corporate people directory. Employees can learn about others simply by viewing their profiles. They can see an employee's preferred pronoun, interests, skills, role, experience, and personal photo headshot, creating a strong sense of belonging, connectedness, and inclusivity.

6. Engage and empower people at work

Executive teams and management are constantly concerned with reducing employee turnover. How do you keep employees motivated and improve their daily experiences? 

It all comes down to employee engagement, which is based on a variety of factors such as recognition, shared purpose and goals, clear communication from leadership about business goals, and the ability to give feedback. All of these issues can be addressed with the use of an intranet and a mobile employee app.

An Employee Intranet and Employee App will achieve Engagement by: 

Building Connections

These technologies encourage communication by encouraging people to talk and share ideas, help employees form stronger bonds by sharing ideas and feedback, and align people around the corporate purpose, vision, and strategic goals, which supports employee engagement.

Simplifies Information Discovery and Use

Rather than relying on a slew of difficult-to-use apps and services that make it even more difficult to find relevant content quickly, An Intranet is designed to help employees find everything from project documents and knowledge to work policies and files. Furthermore, they can access all of their tasks assigned by managers in one place! This reduces frustration by making it easier to find answers and information. 

Find Experts and Assistance at work

Employees can find experts and start a conversation with them right away by using an employee app or Intranet. With a team directory it means quicker responses and decisions. Furthermore, integration with existing apps and platforms makes day-to-day work even more efficient. 

Empower people at work

People who work from home or in different time zones have fewer opportunities to make formal and informal connections with their coworkers and can feel siloed. With an intranet and an intranet mobile app, employees are more likely to join in and talk to each other through features like comments, group chats, surveys, topics, and daily news and communication.

As a result, employees are inspired and believe that their ideas are valued. By including surveys, businesses can benefit from a continuous feedback loop. 

When combined with analytics, all of these signals from your intranet or employee app show where to focus your attention and how to make your workplace healthier and more empowering for everyone. 

7. Encourage Transparency

Transparency in the workplace can take many forms. Nowadays, salary transparency, hiring practices, and diversity are hot topics. 

The free flow of information between executives, managers, and employees is referred to as "workplace transparency".

Transparency is about being open and honest about the business’s goals, successes, failures, feedback, and other metrics. In a workplace that encourages transparency, employees feel comfortable offering input, providing feedback, sharing experiences, and asking additional questions, but only when it is hardwired into their culture.

An intranet is an ideal technology for increasing transparency by:

Updating teams on changes or possible changes as soon as you have news. It reinforces that they are important and builds trust in you, knowing that you will always keep them informed.

Communicate expectations frequently and on time in chat and groups. Keeps everyone aligned on what they need to do at work.

Sharing the status of your business performance with your employees. Share information about goals, expected revenue, or and even when you’re underperforming or undergoing a downturn. It creates a culture of transparency that helps employees look for solutions that will solve problems and help the company to correct course. 

Centralize access to resources and people to achieve work goals. A mismatch between job demands and employee resources causes most workplace stress. An intranet helps workers collaborate and accomplish goals with less effort. Teams that have access to organizational resources, such as task-critical information from documents to processes and procedures, and can start conversations with colleagues to solve problems are more likely to be customer-centric, committed, and productive.

8. Inspire employees in your organization

It's more important than ever to keep your employees inspired.

And it's not just the big things; it's also the little things. From the most recent company news and strategies to project updates and new hires, as well as social moments important to your team and culture.

At work, there is no shortage of inspiration. Clear and frequent communication has the power to motivate people at work.

Up to 85% of employees are most motivated when they are kept up to date on company news, strategy, and accomplishments. 

An Intranet and mobile app for employees do more than just make it easier to talk to each other. They also make it easier to share accurate information, set clear work priorities, and rally everyone to work toward the same company goals. As a result, people feel closer to their teams and the company.

Poor communication costs businesses money. 1 in 5 have lost business due to poor communication at work.

Your employees can be motivated by things like the CEO praising a team for launching a new product line or HR letting teams know about new training and development opportunities. Employee experience platforms (Intranet and Mobile Employee App) allow executives to energize and share success with one click, creating a culture where employees are engaged, communicate more, and are less likely to leave!

Why an Intranet and Employee App Is Beneficial For Multiple Industries

Advantages For Healthcare

Better Communication: An intranet and enterprise communication app can give healthcare workers a central place to share information, work together, and talk to each other.

Productivity Gains: These tools make many routine tasks, like submitting requests, getting approvals, and keeping track of them, faster and more efficient.

Improved Patient Care: Giving healthcare workers quick and easy access to policy, procedures, updates, and news allows them to make more informed decisions and provide better care.

Improved Data Management: Centralized data and information storage in an intranet make it easier to manage, access, and share critical information.

Improved Employee Engagement: Employee apps allow healthcare workers to stay up to date on company news and events, as well as check shifts and opportunities for professional development and collaboration.

Safeguarding Sensitive Information: Secure intranets and employee apps prevent unauthorized access to data.

Advantages For Construction & Engineering Businesses

Better Teamwork and Decision-Making: An intranet and employee app provide a centralized platform for employees in the construction and engineering industries to collaborate and share information instantly.

Enhanced Project Management: These tools streamline project management processes, such as task tracking and project timelines. Teams can check task updates directly in the field.

Improved Communication: An employee app helps improve communication between employees and contractors by providing a centralized platform for exchanging information.

Increased Efficiency: By automating common tasks like time tracking and project updates, construction and engineering companies can save time and become more efficient as a whole.

Better Data Management: An intranet provides a secure, centralized location for storing and accessing project files and documentation, making it easier to manage and share information.

Employees working in remote areas can access documents on their phones, even when they're not connected to the internet.

Improved Employee Engagement: An employee app provides a platform for construction and engineering employees to stay informed about company news events, safety and training opportunities.

Improved Safety: An Employee app provides easy access to safety rules, procedures, and training materials, helping to improve safety on the job site.

Advantages for Charities and Non Profits

Open Communication: An intranet and team app boost communication by providing a centralized place for charity and non-profit employees to share information, collaborate, and communicate.

Increased Productivity: These tools make many low-value routine tasks, like submitting requests, getting approvals, and keeping track of them, easier and faster through automation.

Improved Volunteer Management: An employee app can give you a place to manage volunteer schedules, assign tasks, and keep track of volunteer hours. This makes it easier to organize your volunteers.

Enhance engagement with donors: Team apps help to keep donors informed about their work and impact, which builds strong relationships and increases engagement with the organization they volunteer in.

Better Data Management: Centralized data and information stored on a cloud intranet makes it simple to manage, access, and distribute critical information.

Improve Fundraising: A mobile employee app is the ideal tool for managing fundraising campaigns, tracking donations, and communicating with donors, helping to increase fundraising success.

Greater Staff Engagement: A mobile employee app keeps non-profit and charity employees up to date on news, announcements, and activities. It helps them connect with others and work together by letting them join relevant groups and start conversations, and get help from coworkers.

Advantages for Retailers'

Enhanced Customer Service: An employee communication app gives staff quick access to information on products and merchandise, inventory levels and company communication, which ultimately leads to better service to customers.

Sales Tracking: Retail companies can see, track, and keep an eye on sales performance by using an intranet and a workforce app. Set team goals with task management and share instant feedback using chat to stay on task. 

Support Employees: A staff app helps to improve employees' morale, commitment, and sense of ownership over their work through the use of tools like surveys, feedback loops, and employee recognition.

Training and development: Using an employee app, retailers can improve employee skills and productivity by giving staff members access to a variety of learning resources, checklists, and documents.

Scheduling and Shift Management: The app can simplify shift scheduling and management, reducing the administrative workload and ensuring that shifts are filled efficiently.

Good Communication: An intranet and employee app can provide a centralized platform for retail employees to effectively share information, collaborate, and communicate.

Increased Productivity: Using task management in an intranet and employee app benefits retail organizations by allowing them to organize, prioritize, and track work and projects in a precise way. This improves efficiency, accountability, and output while decreasing the likelihood of errors, delays, and missed deadlines.

Performance management: Retail firms can utilize task management analytics to measure and monitor employee performance, including task completion rate and feedback, allowing employees to continuously grow and thrive in their roles.

Having an intranet and an employee app is good for business

There are many benefits, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach. The best way to ensure success is to gain a better understanding of what your employees and business actually needs.

CentricMinds is a one-of-a-kind employee experience platform that provides numerous key benefits to businesses.

Here are a few features that distinguish CentricMinds Intranet and Employee App from other solutions in the market:

CentricMinds provides organizations with powerful insights into their employee experience, including data on employee engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction.
CentricMinds provides an ecosystem of tools that support key elements of a great employee experience, such as connection, communications, knowledge documents and content, access to people and experts, task management, Insights & Analytics, and the ability to optimize and automate employee requests.
CentricMinds places a strong emphasis on privacy and security, giving organizations peace of mind that their data is secure and protected.

Overall, CentricMinds gives teams a complete solution that helps improve employee engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction. CentricMinds can assist organizations in creating a great employee experience that supports their business goals and objectives by providing a variety of powerful tools.

Contact CentricMinds to find out more about how our Employee App and Intranet are assisting businesses in communicating, tracking, analyzing, and improving operations and employee engagement.