Employee Engagement: Tools and Examples to Implement It
The term "employee engagement" refers to the sense of belonging that individuals feel toward their organization. It does not simply indicate job satisfaction, but rather the strength of the relationship that connects a person to a company.
This is why employee engagement is important, providing benefits in terms of productivity and talent retention.
In this article, we will explore the strategies that any company should adopt to strengthen its relationship with employees and see how the intranet of SharePoint Online enables their implementation.
Employee engagement: What is it and why is it important?
Many companies today talk about employee engagement, but what exactly does this term mean? In general, "employee engagement" refers to the level of involvement people have in the life, strategies, and initiatives of their company.
Understanding and strengthening this involvement is essential for creating a more stimulating work environment that can enhance the ideas and skills of the people within it.
It is, therefore, a crucial factor for the success of an organization, which largely depends on the effectiveness of the strategies implemented by corporate managers. These strategies should aim to:
- encourage employees to actively participate
- turn colleague feedback into concrete actions
- recognize each person's contribution to the company's growth
Effective employee engagement strategies lead to significant benefits in terms of productivity, talent retention, innovation, and customer relationships. In fact, various studies have shown that a more engaged workforce delivers higher-quality services, which in turn leads to a higher conversion and retention rate.
However, even when good strategies are in place, the right tools are needed to implement them.
Recently, employee engagement has gained significant momentum thanks to technologies that enable a people-centered digital workplace. A great example is the corporate intranet based on SharePoint Online, which we will discuss in more detail later.
The SharePoint intranet—especially within the ready-to-use solution from intranet.ai—is specifically designed to help companies digitize internal processes, communication, and collaboration while integrating with all Microsoft 365 applications.
In this way, it provides the necessary tools not only for carrying out daily tasks but also for boosting user engagement through:
- Modern-design news posts
- Spaces for sharing opinions and moods
- Surveys and quizzes that can be published in seconds
Additionally, blogs, newsletters, forums, discussion channels, and information boards can be created to enrich the intranet, giving users even more space to express themselves and collaborate with colleagues to build a true corporate community.
By providing employees with a digital workplace based on interaction and knowledge sharing, another significant benefit can be achieved.
This is employee branding, which is the ability to attract and retain new talent.
Employee engagement: How the SharePoint intranet supports all employees in the company
What is intranet.ai?
intranet.ai is the ready-to-use corporate intranet designed to cut implementation costs and time, and create a collaborative and modern digital work environment:
- From €3,650/year for a complete intranet
- 50+ applications, including advanced search, document management system, push notifications via Teams, organization chart, personnel profile and FAQ pages
- Integrated with SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365
Employee engagement: the role of the SharePoint intranet
An intranet is a web portal that only people within an organization can access. Inside, employees typically find all the content and resources they need to perform their tasks, gain a better understanding of the company, collaborate with colleagues, and plan new initiatives.
Essentially, it is the platform that enables the digitalization of internal processes and supports people in their work, no matter where they are.
In an intranet, you can find:
- news, announcements, and notices;
- document archives for real-time collaboration;
- an organizational chart enriched with indexed profile cards;
- workgroups to simplify project management;
- applications recommended by the company or saved in Favorites;
- etc.
It is therefore clear that an intranet allows any company to provide employees with quick access to everything they need, including dedicated spaces for pay slips, vacations, leaves, remote work, and business trips.
But that’s not all. An intranet can be expanded by integrating systems that, as a whole, offer users additional functionalities to carry out specific tasks.
This feature is particularly enhanced in the intranet of SharePoint Online, thanks to its native integration with all the applications that make up the Microsoft ecosystem.
The integration with Microsoft 365 and Viva apps, for example, allows the intranet to be extended with specific functionalities for employee engagement, such as the ability to participate in conversations from Viva Engage communities or share surveys created with Microsoft Forms.
Accessing Viva Engage conversations in the SharePoint intranet
If well-structured, the corporate intranet based on SharePoint Online does not just become a reference point for organizing work, but it can also turn into a true engine for keeping colleagues engaged, inspiring them, and strengthening their connection with the company.
As we briefly mentioned, the potential of the intranet goes beyond document or communication management, aiming to create a digital space where people work, interact, connect, and feel motivated to actively participate.
There are several strategies that can be implemented within an intranet to foster a more engaging corporate culture. In the next chapter, we will explore in detail how six of these strategies can be integrated into the intranet to turn it into the core of the activities that drive an organization, placing the people who make it possible at the center.
Employee engagement: 6 strategies to keep colleagues engaged
From social networking to contests, from killer apps designed to simplify user activities to thematic blogs, training programs, and personal profiles, each of the strategies we will explore can be implemented to encourage participation across the company while ensuring a higher adoption rate of the intranet.
1) Internal social networking
Simplifying the exchange of information is the first step in creating a more engaging corporate communication.
To achieve this, the SharePoint intranet offers various features, including likes and comments that can be enabled in news posts. Additionally, more in-depth discussions can be initiated through the integration of Yammer (now Viva Engage) within the digital workplace.
These platforms serve as a natural extension of the intranet, enhancing its capabilities to allow users to share news, updates, questions, and multimedia content within communities dedicated to company-wide communication or specific topics.
Specifically, the integration with SharePoint enables users to view and participate in community discussions that the company makes accessible within the intranet pages.
Access is further simplified through integration with Microsoft Teams, allowing users to interact with published content without interrupting their tasks within the application.
Surveys, Q&A posts, and communication campaigns are other tools that the SharePoint intranet and the integrated Microsoft 365 environment allow users to publish and share quickly, helping to gather feedback, highlight company initiatives, and keep users engaged through content targeting.
Finally, administrators have access to engagement data from corporate communities, enabling them to identify the most relevant topics for colleagues and optimize internal communication strategies accordingly.
Company communities created in Viva Engage
2) Contest
As we mentioned, the intranet is one of the best solutions for digitizing business processes, including those aimed at facilitating the generation of new ideas.
One way to stimulate this continuous innovation process is through contests, which are gamification experiences useful both for identifying new growth opportunities and for improving well-being, sustainability, and inclusivity within the organization.
How does a contest work?
People gather in groups and work together to propose solutions aligned with the goals the company has set in organizing this initiative. The theme can vary, aiming at improvements both in the relationship between the company and employees and in customer relations. To further support the process, some companies use artificial intelligence tools to analyze and classify the proposed ideas based on predefined criteria.
Once ready, the ideas are published, upon approval, directly within the intranet, where colleagues can vote for them. This not only allows the company to engage employees more in its strategies but also ensures a higher number of visits to the portal.
At the end of the contest, the most voted ideas may move on to the implementation phase, and those who proposed them could receive symbolic recognitions, such as badges to display on their profile, or tangible rewards, such as gadgets or specific corporate benefits.
Collectible badges in Viva Engage
3) Killer app
Let's now talk about pure strategy to increase employee engagement within the intranet. Let's talk about the killer app.
The killer app is the application capable of driving consistent visits to the intranet, eventually becoming users' preferred access point due to its usefulness. Every intranet should have at least one killer app to address employees' concrete needs while also encouraging the exploration of news, initiatives, and resources promoted by the company in the digital workplace.
A classic example of a killer app is access to pay slips, which guarantees at least one monthly visit from all employees. However, modern intranets can offer a wide range of experiences, including managing leave requests, viewing dashboards, or accessing training content integrated with platforms like Microsoft Viva Learning.
To ensure maximum engagement, the killer app must be accessible anytime, anywhere. Therefore, special attention should be given to creating a mobile-friendly experience, allowing users to interact with services, documents, and internal communications even on the go.
In addition, personalized notifications can be integrated to keep the corporate audience constantly updated.
Moreover, the killer app should adapt to each user's role and needs, offering tools and content relevant to their work. For example, a PM might access the intranet via the killer app to view dashboards on the status of their projects, upcoming deadlines, and tasks assigned to their team, with direct links to shared documents on SharePoint.
At the same time, an HR team member might visit the intranet to access the section dedicated to leave request management, reports on completed training courses, or resources needed to organize new initiatives.
To optimize everything, it is essential to monitor interactions using analytics tools. Analyzing which features generate the most interest allows continuous improvement of the user experience and adaptation of the intranet's offering to real needs.
Just like in the best marketing techniques, the killer app transforms a simple visit into a moment of exploration and engagement.
Accessing the SharePoint intranet of intranet.ai to book company resources
4) Thematic blogs
Corporate blogs are no longer limited to the web but have become increasingly focused on fostering engagement within the company. For example, the intranet can host blogs dedicated to the life of individual departments, where members can share their experiences, as well as updates on projects and achievements.
This initiative aims to highlight the stories of the people who make up the company, leading to the creation of a more inclusive community.
Another particularly appreciated solution is the CEO blog, featuring multimedia content such as videos and podcasts, designed to make top-down communication more transparent. If enabled, comments and reactions can also encourage dialogue between teams and corporate leadership.
The distinctive aspect of these blogs lies in their ability to move away from the traditional news format, favoring a more user-friendly style focused on storytelling. This characteristic can be further enhanced by publishing newsletters that delve deeper into the various topics covered in the blog.
Area dedicated to departments in the SharePoint intranet of intranet.ai
5) Training
Training is one of the pillars for maintaining a high level of employee engagement, and a modern intranet based on SharePoint can become the reference point for managing it effectively. First and foremost, through integration with Microsoft Viva Learning, the intranet can serve to distribute training content relevant to roles and departments.
Users can easily access courses and resources recommended by the company to develop their skills. Each piece of content can be accessed directly within the intranet or through integrated LMS systems. Among these, in addition to Viva Learning, we mention the Microlearning platform developed by our team to create an agile, personalized, and easy-to-follow training experience for busy workdays.
These tools also offer the advantage of sending automatic notifications to remind users to complete assigned courses within set deadlines, helping them manage priorities and allocate time for their professional growth.
But training should not be an isolated experience. Through tools like Viva Engage and Teams, the SharePoint Online intranet can promote greater collaboration during learning. Communities, groups, and forums can be created where employees can discuss courses, exchange views on topics, and share experiences with colleagues.
To make the experience even more engaging, training can be encouraged through gamification initiatives. Digital badges, certificates, and recognitions can be awarded upon completing courses or specific training paths, with the possibility of displaying them in personal profiles within the intranet.
Example of a training hub in the SharePoint intranet
6) Personal profiles
Personal profiles are a great tool to connect people within the same organization, making it easier to find contacts, exchange information, and, of course, increase engagement. Each user will be motivated to introduce themselves and get to know their colleagues better.
With a solution like intranet.ai, it is possible to create complete profiles that highlight skills, experience, and personal interests.
These profiles are then indexed in search to make it easier for colleagues to find them, and they are used to enrich the organizational chart and the company directory.
As mentioned, in addition to including information such as role, department, and contact details, intranet.ai profiles offer the opportunity to share experiences, soft skills, and interests that colleagues may have in common. As a result, these profiles not only provide a more complete view of people within the organization but also foster the creation of more authentic connections.
Additionally, profiles are particularly useful in facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration. When a colleague is searching for specific skills for a project, they can use the directory to quickly find someone within the organization who possesses the required expertise.
From an HR team perspective, the company directory is also useful for identifying internal talent, detecting skill gaps, and planning personalized growth paths.
Personal profiles in the SharePoint intranet by intranet.ai
Do you want a complete, ready-to-use intranet?
intranet.ai is the SharePoint Online-based solution for simplifying internal communication and digitizing business processes with minimal investment of time and money.
- 50+ features for communication and employee experience
- Branded design, customizable in every detail
- Full integration with Microsoft 365 and Viva
Giuseppe Marchi
Microsoft MVP for SharePoint and Microsoft 365 since 2010.
Giuseppe is the founder of intranet.ai and one of the top experts in Italy for all things Microsoft 365. For years, he has been helping companies build their digital workspace on Microsoft's cloud, curating the people experience.
He organizes monthly online events to update customers on what's new in Microsoft 365 and help them get the most out of their digital workplace.
FAQ on employee engagement
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement represents the level of commitment and motivation employees have towards the company they work for. A high level of engagement translates into more productive, motivated employees who are willing to contribute to the company's success.
Why is employee engagement important for companies?
A high level of engagement improves the work environment, increases productivity, and fosters innovation. Engaged employees tend to develop greater skills and positively contribute to customer satisfaction.
What digital solutions can enhance employee engagement?
Adopting technologies such as corporate intranets creates an innovative digital workplace, promoting collaboration and individual empowerment. These platforms provide resources that support employees in their daily tasks, recognize goal achievements, and facilitate internal communication.
How can an intranet improve employee engagement?
A well-designed intranet puts the user at the center, enabling information sharing, team collaboration, and access to useful resources. This fosters a positive work environment, encourages professional growth, and increases employee engagement.
What are the results of a high level of employee engagement?
High employee engagement leads to more motivated and productive employees, improving the company culture and its ability to innovate. Additionally, it positively impacts customer satisfaction and the overall success of the company.
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