In days of old most employees learned company information via the water cooler. Of course, rumors abounded, skewing one's understanding on how many vacation days they've accumulated, and if the cute red head in accounting really was a married parent of three.
Luckily, this ambiguity can become clearer through company intranets: the informational extravaganza of our time. Chris Hayes, director of online marketing for Middleberg & Associates, sees a fully functioning system helping:
- Employees share their documents.
- Databases stay maintained and easily accessed.
- Centrally locate common forms like timesheets, and expense reports.
- Compile, send, retrieve and assimilate internal surveys.
- Discussion boards with long distance, private communications.
- Facilitate chat rooms, which can be used in crisis management situations.
Another benefit to having an intranet falls within the HR/employee relations arena. Here, Hayes says, company employees can use it to amend their 401K particulars and tax preferences, to find out how many vacation/sick days they've accumulated, and privately reference company policies and procedures. (Or like if that redhead in accounting is single.)
But besides being an aid to the HR department and an interoffice dating service, intranets allow companies to improve employee relations in ways never before possible.
Andrew Eberle, vice president of technology for Weber PR Worldwide, commands a system that not only helps employees communicate with each other, but also guide them toward achieving their career goals. "Within our system is a career development section called 'Best Practices.' If a person sees a position or career that interests them, they can click to that area and find out what attributes are needed to get there."
It works like this. Let's say the cute red head wishes to leave his accounting duties for the greener pastures and glossy glamour of sales, but he knows no one within the sales department, and, doesn't feel comfortable inquiring.
At Weber he can privately click to the sales site and see what responsibilities its department heads look for when screening new hires. Also, if he wants a mentor, the system has choices accompanied with their attributes. Once found, a private email can be sent to that person proposing a meeting.
Intranet enthusiasts also use games and contests to boost office karma. Brian Muys, director of PR for Best Software, a corporate resource management firm, coupled one of his company's product launches with the blockbuster movie Stars Wars: The Phantom Menace.
"When we introduced our FAS (Fixed Asset System) product line, we connected it to the movie by having the office vote on which of the employees looked most like a character from the show. 'May The FAS Be With You' was the game's title and prizes were awarded to the winner." Unfortunately, the winner resembled Yoda.
Trouble-shooting Tips
One of the biggest traps to avoid when building an intranet is information overload. Everyone will have a different agenda on what it should contain. Having all of it will force users to click too many times and lose interest altogether.
"A well planned out system is one that is made from a consensus," says Hayes. "Department heads must first agree on what should be on [the page] before anything is written."
Don Grage, VP of operations for IXL, echoes Hayes' sentiment. "It's better to have half the information and make it easier to find than the other way around. All material should be no more than three clicks from any front page."
Another mess to avoid is remote inaccessibility and security breaches. In the past, dodging such calamities meant hiring expensive, third-party experts to install leased lines to off-site offices. Now, it's different. All that is needed is a PC-based server that allows Internet/ browser access.
On the cost side it's a gray area. For some systems, like Weber's immense structure, the upkeep, especially for employee relations, is surprisingly manageable. Compaq, on the other hand, with an intranet system connecting hemispheres and interpreted in several languages, keeps a legend of full time staffers busy.
But in most cases, the savings generated by intranets far outweigh the costs. "Expense report processing went from $80.00 to $4.00 per client," touts Epicentric's Oliver Muoto. Others save over six digits annually by not reprinting office directories and other support material.
(Andrew Eberle, Weber PR Worldwide, 617/520-7051; Don Grage, IXL, 703/848-2700, Chris Hayes, Middleberg & Associates, 212/699-2563; Oliver Muoto, Epicentric, 650/787-5567; Brian Muys, Best Software, 703/709-5200, x 3829)