The job of an internal communicator is always changing and never done.

When a workforce is disengaged and uninformed, they subsequently become unproductive and the organization’s bottom line can suffer.

An intranet or enterprise social network (ESN) is an effective solution for internal communicators. It provides a platform to communicate with and engage employees.

Ensuring the success of your intranet depends on many factors, including: accessibility and design, user adoption, a governance framework, and content management, just to name a few.

Here are 3 ways to use an intranet to improve internal communications:

• Distribute information – Whether it’s standard policies and procedures, or an internal storytelling campaign featuring videos of outstanding team members, an intranet provides a channel for distribution of company information. Consolidating your company’s news and information to a single, global intranet provides a simple access point for all employees.
• Open up communication and collaboration – Provide your employees with a platform to communicate with each other. Social intranets do a great job of creating an environment where employees, regardless of job function, geography, or job level, can form relationships and share knowledge. When your employees feel more connected to each other, they can feel more connected to your organization and their job.
• Introduce gamification into your workplace – Gamification is the application of game-playing elements into an activity, in this case a business practice. Many organizations are exploring ways of using gamification to train or motivate employees through creating healthy competition and collaboration within the workforce. An intranet can be a centralized location where gamification mechanisms – such as ratings, badges, points, certificates, rewards, etc. – can be shared.

Tell us: How are you using an intranet to improve internal communications within your organization? Let us know in the comments below.