HR intranet: 5 features that will boost HR's productivity
In this article we address the experience of corporate digitisation with particular reference to human resources.
We cover the following points:
• How HR can empower their work remotely
• What are the benefits of the intranet for human resources
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What you will find in this article
- How HR can manage work remotely
- Which benefits human resources derive from the intranet
- Do business training with the intranet
HR Intranet: remote working also for human resources
In the current climate, where over 4 million individuals in Italy alone have transitioned to remote work setups, the dynamic of workplace operations, particularly within Human Resources, has undergone a significant shift. As employees navigate the digital terrain from the confines of their laptops, it prompts reflection on how traditional notions of human interaction translate into a remote setting.
The question arises: How can the intrinsic aspects of human connection be effectively fostered in a remote work environment? Despite initial reservations, remote work proves to be not a limitation but rather an opportunity for empowerment, particularly when supported by intelligent platforms capable of comprehending, optimizing, and even forecasting human resource behavior.
In this context, the HR intranet emerges as a crucial ally. Serving as the gateway to your company, it embodies a multifaceted tool designed to streamline and enhance various business processes. Its significance becomes even more pronounced when considering the pivotal role HR plays in organizational dynamics.
So, let's look at the many ways the intranet can facilitate HR work.
Welcome portal: an engaging welcome even at a distance
Even amidst the challenges of remote work, the hiring process persists, underscoring the need for Human Resources to possess tools that can seamlessly guide new employees through their onboarding journey. Providing a robust introduction for each newcomer is paramount, and the HR intranet is the ideal platform for furnishing them with essential information tailored to their needs.
Within this dedicated intranet area, newcomers can access pertinent details, ranging from the company's mission and culture to specifics about their role, department, and avenues for contacting colleagues. By consolidating these resources in one accessible space, the intranet empowers new hires to find answers to their initial queries efficiently while encouraging direct interaction with their peers across the organization.
A well-maintained and evolving intranet, therefore, prioritizes employee engagement. By fostering a culture of interaction and involvement, the intranet cultivates a sense of awareness among users and contributes to their overall satisfaction. Through this emphasis on engagement, the intranet becomes more than just a repository of information—it becomes a dynamic hub that facilitates connection, collaboration, and a sense of belonging within the company.
Job posting: intranet and human resources
Certainly, one of human resources' primary responsibilities is recruiting new talent for specific positions within the organization. However, instead of immediately resorting to external searches, HR can leverage the potential talent pool within the company. It's common for employees to seek new opportunities or transitions within their careers, making internal job postings on the intranet an invaluable resource.
Employees can access a curated list of available positions through the intranet's job posting feature, complete with application deadlines and job requirements. This empowers them to explore alternative roles within the company with just a click, aligning their skills and interests with potential opportunities.
Simultaneously, HR can manage the application process through a dedicated area on the intranet, where they can review colleagues' profiles who have expressed interest in specific open positions. This internal recruitment approach fosters a sense of opportunity and mobility within the company and encourages retention by providing avenues for career growth and development.
To streamline the evaluation process, HR can utilize another innovative tool offered by the intranet: the "My Profile" section. This personalized space serves as a digital company CV for each employee, continuously updated with relevant information such as interviews, achievements, training courses, and other pertinent details. By accessing this comprehensive profile, HR gains deeper insights into each candidate's skills, experiences, and contributions, facilitating more informed decision-making during recruitment.
What is intranet.ai?
intranet.ai is the ready-to-use corporate intranet, designed to reduce costs and implementation times, thus creating a collaborative and modern digital work environment:
- Initial price of 3,650 €/year for a complete intranet
- 50+ applications, including advanced search, document management system, push notifications via Teams, personal profile, and FAQ pages
- 100% integrated with SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365
View annual goals
The intranet is invaluable for human resources in effectively monitoring company-wide and individual annual goals. Whether these objectives are qualitative or quantitative, once they are designated by leaders and endorsed by HR, they can be prominently featured in each employee's personal area on the intranet, providing a clear focal point for personal and professional growth.
Employees can enrich their area with additional information or activities pertinent to their goals, ensuring transparency and alignment with their direct managers and HR. This collaborative approach facilitates a smoother pathway toward goal achievement, with stakeholders having visibility into progress and potential areas for support or adjustment.
While numerous performance management platforms exist in the market, integrating goal tracking within the intranet offers distinct advantages for HR. It consolidates all pertinent information related to progress in one accessible location, eliminating employees' need to navigate multiple systems or platforms. This single access point enhances efficiency and fosters a sense of cohesion and clarity within the workforce.
By seamlessly integrating external goal management tools with the intranet, employees benefit from a unified platform to easily access work documents, track progress, and stay informed about their annual targets. This streamlined approach simplifies the goal-setting process and empowers employees to take ownership of their development and contribute meaningfully to the company's overarching objectives.
Surveys and anonymous reports on the intranet
Human Resources plays a pivotal role in ensuring the company's success by understanding and addressing the needs of its employees. A crucial aspect of this is gathering feedback to gain insight into the dynamics within the organization. The intranet is a powerful tool for Human Resources to facilitate this process effectively.
Regular short surveys featuring a mix of open and closed questions and rating scales can be conducted via the intranet. These surveys, conducted every two weeks or so, provide a quick and efficient means of gauging employee sentiment regarding various aspects of their work, team dynamics, and individual contributions. By fostering such regular communication channels, Human Resources ensures that employees remain engaged and supported, mitigating potential feelings of isolation or disconnection.
However, surveys may not always capture all aspects of employee experience or uncover sensitive issues. To address this, the intranet can also provide a platform for anonymous reporting. This allows employees to raise concerns or provide feedback without fear of reprisal, enabling Human Resources to gain insights into potentially overlooked or sensitive issues within the company.
Engaging intranet training
Enhancing training via the intranet presents an opportunity for Human Resources to foster a more engaging and interactive learning experience for employees. By leveraging innovative methods on the platform, HR can stimulate interest in company training, incentivize participation, and recognize achievements effectively.
One approach is establishing a system where employees can request specific training content or courses through the intranet. This empowers employees to shape their learning journey, ensuring that training initiatives align closely with their professional development goals and the company's strategic objectives.
Moreover, HR can introduce a rewards system for participation in training and accomplishments. For instance, employees could earn points or virtual badges for completing training modules, achieving qualifications, or providing valuable feedback to improve training services. These rewards can be tracked and displayed within each user's "My Profile" area on the intranet, showcasing their progress and contributions to the broader company community.
Additionally, HR can promote transparency and recognition by making training achievements visible in the company directory or intranet leaderboard. This celebrates individual successes and inspires a sense of healthy competition and motivation among employees.
By actively listening to employees' training requests and feedback, HR is committed to supporting professional growth while ensuring alignment with company objectives. Through these initiatives, the intranet becomes more than just a platform for delivering training content—it becomes a dynamic hub for fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and personal development within the organization.
HR Intranet: Conclusion
In conclusion, the HR intranet is a multifaceted tool indispensable in navigating the complexities of modern workforce management. Its myriad functionalities, from facilitating remote work and streamlining recruitment processes to fostering employee engagement and promoting continuous learning, underscore its pivotal role as the backbone of Human Resources operations.
By harnessing the power of the intranet, HR professionals can seamlessly navigate the evolving landscape of talent management, leveraging innovative features to adapt to changing workplace dynamics and meet the diverse needs of employees. The intranet is a central hub for fostering transparency, collaboration, and organizational effectiveness, from onboarding new hires to monitoring performance, gathering feedback, and providing growth opportunities.
As technology advances and workplaces evolve, the HR intranet remains at the forefront, growing with the workforce's needs. Its ability to integrate with external tools, leverage data analytics, and provide personalized experiences underscores its relevance in driving HR strategies forward.
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Giuseppe Marchi
Microsoft MVP for SharePoint and Microsoft 365 since 2010.
Giuseppe is the founder of intranet.ai and one of the leading experts in Italy in all matters related to Microsoft 365. For years, he has been assisting companies in creating their digital workplace environment on the Microsoft cloud, focusing on people's experience.