How to use your intranet for change management and Internal Communications

You’ve probably heard the saying “communication is key.” And it is. It’s the key to successful businesses and happy employees. But communicating is easier said than done. Especially if you’re dealing with distributed workforces and remote workers. 

We talked to Oxia Braud-Maillard, Sqorus's Communication Officer, to find out how they use their intranet to communicate important information to their employees. SQORUS is a Digital Services Company specializing in digital transformation consulting for HR, Finance, and IT functions. Their consultants work with major companies on strategic projects, on an international scale, around information systems: evolution strategy, choice assistance, integration, Business Intelligence, Data Management, support, and change management but also on issues around Cloud and Artificial Intelligence.

How to use your intranet for Internal Comms

Your intranet should be your company’s digital HQ. The place where employees, whether working in an office, in the field, or at home, come together to share information, collaborate and stay connected. 

It should not be the place where information goes to die. It’s no use having an intranet if it’s not being utilized. 

Oxia tells us the main ways to separate information:

“Depending on the information, we have different types of communications.

1. Information that doesn’t change. For example the organization of services, a long-term company project, or HR information. We keep this type of static information on our intranet Pages for users to always have access to it. 
   
   

2. Official communication from management. For this type of information, we have a dedicated Channel for all employees to receive necessary updates and news.
   
   

3. Sharing of achievements, celebrations, and common interests. We have different Channels such as “Inside SQORUS”, to share news and events. Or other channels to share experiences about different subjects (sustainability, tips & tricks, special projects, solutions, etc…). Our employees can choose which Channels they’re more interested in and participate.

How to use your intranet for Change Management

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for how to communicate change. The main thing is to make sure you are indeed communicating it. Employees who are left in the dark, or who aren’t given an explanation as to why said change is taking place, are less likely to adapt to the change in question. 

Oxia explains that Sqorus has a communal and fun culture. “For certain internal events or other happenings, we like to build suspense and tease. For example, we have a Channel around our next seminar. We tease our collaborators with some quizzes, clues, and videos… They have to guess the destination of the next seminar. We will reveal the destination only 3 weeks before the departure! So we create many communications around this event. This method leads to more engagement and builds community.

“When we changed our company’s name last year (S&H to SQORUS), we also made some videos to tease the new name, and to embark our collaborators on this change. It was a big part of our communication. We explained the entire process and reasoning behind this change and kept this information within Happeo, so everyone could find it at all times. Transparency and direct communication are key to building trust and a culture we’re proud about. ”

Utilize your intranet

Internal Communications can be a tricky business. Having an intranet is a good first step, but it’s about how you use it. Make sure to first identify what type of information you’re communicating, and act accordingly. And of course, it doesn’t hurt to add a touch of playfulness to your communications.