How To Make the Best Company Intranet

What makes a good company intranet?

The modern intranet should be easy to use for all employees, regardless of their technical skills. It should be available from anywhere (on any device) at any time.

The best intranet software should provide an easy way for employees to share information with each other, as well as with customers and suppliers. At Friday, we have noticed several forward-thinking and remote-first companies building their own intranets as a hub for their workers, including Stripe, Automattic, Zapier, and Shopify. 

Our focus is on solving the "what's going on" problem that distributed teams and scaling companies face.

Instead of jumping into ad-hoc project management tools to see what people are doing or sifting through the constant chatter in Slack, we think you should be able to log in to a single tool to see and share what's going on at work.

A good intranet should answer these 4 questions:

• What are people working on?
• Who do I work with?
• Why does my work matter? 
• How does my work connect to a bigger purpose?

What is the purpose of a company intranet?

At its core, the purpose of an intranet is to help employees stay connected.The company intranet is the place where employees can find information about the company, its products and services, and its culture. It’s also a place where they can find out what’s going on in the company.

Why should a company use an intranet?

An intranet is a private network that uses the Internet to connect employees within an organization. It can be used for internal communication, collaboration and sharing of information. 

1. Securely and safely communicate

An intranet allows companies to communicate with their employees in real time without having to go through public channels like social media or email. This helps them keep sensitive data secure and also enables faster decision making by allowing all stakeholders access to relevant information at any given point in time. 

2. Improve internal communication & productivity

Ideally, an intranet can eliminate some of the gaps in the flow of information and glue together your company handbook, your culture, and important company information. Think of it as your cloud HQ for the most important things at work. 

What if your intranet could: 

• Reduce your time spent in meetings
• Encourage your employees to say thanks and know each better
• House important discussions 
• Be the central point of contact for onboarding, announcements, and company info

That’s what Friday is all about. 

3. Knowledge management

With increasing turnover rates ( 2.8 years on average for employees between 25 and 34 ) and looming retirement, capture subject matter expertise and knowledge from your current employees is essential. That’s where knowledge management comes in. Intranets can centralize your work activities and create a knowledge hub for ideas and best practices to pass on to future employees. 

What features should a modern company intranet have?

The modern intranet should be easy to use for all employees, regardless of their technical skills. It should be available from anywhere (on any device) at any time. The modern intranet should provide an easy way for employees to share information with each other, as well as with customers and suppliers.

When implementing a new intranet for your company, consider the following:

• Integrations
• Cloud-based
• Distributed and remote capabilities
• Customizations

Overall, intranets have proven they can enhance employee engagement. By keeping the same tools, calendars, and files together, you create a more cohesive digital operating system for team communication.

How have company intranets changed?

Intranets have evolved from being a simple repository of information to becoming an integral part of the business. They are now used for collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing within organizations. This has led to increased adoption by companies across industries as they look at ways to improve their internal processes through automation and digitization.  

How do you organize a company intranet?

A company intranet is organized based on the needs of the organization. It can be structured around departments, business units or processes. The structure should make it easy for employees to find information and collaborate with each other--especially in an asynchronous way as more companies go remote or hybrid.

What benefits does a modern company intranet provide?

A modern company intranet is a digital platform that allows employees to collaborate and share information with each other. It also helps companies automate their internal processes, improve employee productivity and reduce operational costs.  Think of it as an integrated, centralized hub for the most important stuff at work free from noise and distractions.

What are the disadvantages of an intranet?

An intranet is not a replacement for an extranet--which can allow outside or guest access. An extranet allows external users to access the company's data and information, while an intranet restricts access to employees within the organization only. This can be disadvantageous in situations where companies need to share sensitive information with their partners or clients. This is something to consider as you purchase intranet software. 

Another disadvantage of traditional intranets is that collaboration between different departments within the organization was limited because of the traditional modes of communication--such as email or Slack. A tool like Friday employs team check-ins for daily stand-ups and meetings, as well as being a complement to Slack which solves some of these traditional intranet problems. 

What is the best intranet platform?

The best intranet platform is one that can be customized to suit the needs of your business. It should have a simple and intuitive interface, which makes it easy for employees to use. The platform should also allow you to add new features or functionality as per your requirements. 

We reviewed the top intranet software platforms in this post. 

What should I put on my intranet homepage?

The homepage of your intranet should be informative and easy to navigate. It should have links to the most important pages on your intranet--such as your most important company goals, check-ins from employees on their work, and your company values. Other items could include an employee directory, big company announcements, and company job openings. 

How can I promote my company intranet?

You can promote your company intranet by making it accessible to all employees. You should also make sure that the platform is easy to use and has a simple interface, so that even new employees can get used to it quickly. If you implement regular work check-ins that integrate with the apps your company already uses (like calendars and task management apps), then promoting your company intranet will not be burdensome because employees will return again and again. 

How do I create a company intranet?

To create a company intranet, you will need to choose an intranet platform. You can then customize the interface and features of the platform as per your requirements. Once this is done, you can make it accessible to all employees so that they can use it for communication and information sharing within their organization. 

How Friday Solves For Your Company Intranet

As an intranet for your company, Friday is an integrated, centralized hub for the most important stuff at work. Glue your work together in one place, free from noise and distractions. Friday brings together many of the apps you already use, making it simpler for employees to engage with your company announcements, big picture goals, and to have fruitful conversations.

Best Features:

• Digital HQ that centralizes your most important work in one place.
• Modern and clean UX.
• The only intranet purpose-built to complement Slack and work chat.
• Posts make it easy to share company-wide announcements and see who viewed them.
• Team profiles and employee directory to get to know coworkers.
• Add-ons make Friday simple at first, yet extendable over time.
• Integrates with all systems of record, like HRIS, Project management, and work chat.
• Goal/OKR tracking, perfect for executive buy-in.
• Company handbook for onboarding new hires in minutes vs. hours.
• Use no-code widgets to build out your company home in a few minutes instead of months!

Pricing:

• Individual Pro: $4 per month. Perfect for individuals who want to see how Friday works
• Teams: $6/per person /month. An offering for teams who want to use Friday as a small group
• Company/Enterprise: For entire organizations who want to create a customizable company home.

Use Friday for free. No credit card required. Try all the features for the first 2 weeks.