How to Leverage Intranet for Better Employee Engagement

Promoting organizational knowledge sharing is an essential managerial responsibility. Knowledge is an important asset to be developed, retained, shared, and applied to solve problems. There are various knowledge sharing tools, methods, and best practices that foster collaboration, break barriers and drive success. But how much does sharing knowledge with others in an organization have to do with enhancing employee engagement?

We’ll discuss this later on in this article.

First, a basic awareness of what employee engagement is.

What is a company intranet?

Imagine a digital playground that’s just for your organization. It's like a secure little corner of the internet where your team can come together to chat, share ideas, work together, and keep up-to-date with all the company happenings. But it’s not just about communication – it’s also a powerhouse of workplace productivity and tools. From document and task management tools to calendars and project trackers, it's a one-stop-shop for all things work-related. It’s also got a superpower – it can connect people across the globe in real time, making it perfect for companies with remote workers or multiple offices. So, in a nutshell, a company intranet is like the digital heartbeat of an organization – a central hub that brings everyone and everything together, fostering a vibrant and cohesive company culture.

Is intranet still used?

Absolutely! Intranets aren't just hanging in there, they're more important and cooler than ever in our super-digital world of work. Gone are the days of basic information-sharing intranets; now, they're like virtual office spaces where you can do everything! These modern intranets aren't just for shooting off quick messages, but they're also places where your team can collaborate, share knowledge, and even have a little fun. Companies of all sorts are loving their intranets, using them to keep the chat flowing, work organized, and even to give a shout-out to team wins. The tech wizards haven't stopped there, they're constantly using modern, intranet platforms and software pimping out intranets with cool features like task trackers, file sharing, social networking and even custom extras to suit your work vibes. So yes, intranets are still kicking it, and they're more powerful and relevant than ever!

What Is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement refers to the extent to which employees are passionate and motivated to put effort into working for an organization. An engaged employee is often motivated and committed to their company's mission and work ethic. Engaged employees believe being actively inspired and committed to their roles in an organization contributes to its success.

According to Tim Ruthledge, the author of Getting Engaged: The New Workplace Loyalty, a truly engaged employee is attracted to, fascinated, and inspired by their work. They are also committed to the future success of the company. 

What Are The 5 Cs Of Employee Engagement?

The 5 Cs of employee engagement are blueprints that leaders of organizations can follow to increase the engagement levels of their workforce. There are many steps that management can take to improve employee engagement, but these 5 are the main focus of this piece as they are often overlooked in favor of other well-known measures. The 5 Cs of employee engagement are:

• Care
• Connect
• Coach
• Contribute
• Congratulate 

Care

As a manager or a team leader, express care for the team's well-being, rather than assuming it is always implied. Turn your concern toward both the mental and physical well-being of your employees, assuring them that the company values them just as much as its mission. 

As leaders and managers, ‘Care’ can lead to engaging interactions with employees. This allows for an evaluation of general employee well-being and their other interactions: with their work environment, workload, and even co-workers, which includes their ability to participate in sharing knowledge with others. 

Connect 

Your demonstrated willingness to listen also encourages employees to approach leaders with their problems without fear of backlash. Connected employees are more relaxed at work, even if it might seem a little ironic, leading to higher productivity. They have a sense of belonging and satisfaction and are happier to turn up at work, so they can and will operate at their most efficient.

Coach 

With just the first two steps above, the employee engagement process and benefits have already been well-stimulated. 

However, to see more specific and quantifiable results sooner, coaching is a key employee engagement knowledge sharing practice. Leaders who are actively involved in pointing their employees in the right direction can reach organizational goals faster. This is especially true in startups.

It is also important to teach employees the values and work ethics of the company during onboarding and at regular intervals. For other important things you should know before establishing a startup, check out these three tips for anyone who wants to start a company. 

It is, no doubt, important to hire employees that are capable on their own, but a knowledge sharing session now and then can create the environment for exponential growth. Coaching should not be conflated with micromanagement, commonly recognized by employers and employees alike as counterproductive. 

The concept of Managing Up is also a skill that can be acquired at this step of employee engagement. This skill, if mastered, helps employees work seamlessly with their managers. 

Contribute 

Collaboration in a work environment can speed up innovation, which leads to solved problems and other forms of results. As you make your contributions, encourage your employees to share their ideas and perspectives on tasks.

As mentioned in the Care step, it doesn't help to assume that your interest in employee welfare is public knowledge. This C also encourages you to let employees understand that no one knows everything — not even you. The most insightful information can come from the unlikeliest employee. Consider their diverse perspectives and give constructive feedback instead of dismissing them. 

You can encourage contribution through daily standups, townhall meetings, or one-on-ones. You should also use knowledge sharing platforms to store all your pooled information. This way, daily standups and meetings don't have to be a waste of time. Learn how to make your daily standup meetings more effective. 

Congratulate 

Acknowledging an employee's hard work is the perfect way to start and end the employee engagement process each time. When you appreciate an employee, they go into the next task with the aim of being as productive as the last time — if not more. Highlighting what they did right will help them understand the practices to engage in again and how to make the most of the process. It also increases self-confidence and the feeling of being valued within the company.

Other C’s of employee engagement include:

• Communication 
• Clarity
• Career
• Convey
• Confidence

What Is The Relationship Between Intranet and Employee Engagement?

Knowledge sharing and intranet is vital to keep employees interested and involved in their work. This idea is also seen in the 5 Cs. 

To do well at work and to be fully engaged, employees need to understand their tasks and goals - this is "knowledge" or "intention". They need to know what to do, how to do it, why it's important, who is involved, and other important details. This understanding helps them perform better, stay engaged and remain interested in their work.

In short, knowledge sharing in the digital workplace is an essential element in the workplace inspiration of employee engagement in an organization. Done well, knowledge sharing for employees will have positive effects on employee engagement and efficiency. Let’s take a look at how these effects manifest.

How Does Knowledge Sharing Impact Employee Engagement?

Knowledge sharing facilitates employee engagement at each step of the 5 Cs of employee engagement. Caring, connecting, coaching, contributing, and congratulating all need you to share knowledge at a fundamental level. Arguably, the biggest impact of knowledge sharing on employee engagement is that it makes it possible in the first place. 

Other noteworthy effects are:

• Increased commitment: In 2019, LinkedIn released a Workforce Learning Report. The report showed 94% of employees would spend more time working for an organization if they had a higher chance of learning.

• Connection with and among employees: Employees who get engaged in their work by receiving and sharing knowledge from one another tap into a more connected form of engagement.

• Employee retention: The relationship between employee engagement and retention is captured in a report by Gallup’s State of the American workplace. The chances that an employee is willing to stay at a workplace are significantly higher if the employee already has a strong bond with the company's goals and objectives. 

Adopting essential knowledge sharing best practices can undeniably amplify these outcomes, and transform your firm into a hub of engagement, innovation, and retention. All in all, it’s important to remember that knowledge sharing isn't just a nice idea; it's an investment in your organization's most precious asset — its employees.

Implementing Knowledge Sharing For Employee Engagement

With proper organization, you can tailor your knowledge sharing employee engagement strategies to your specific company. A few common practices should fit in most standard organizations, though. These include

• A knowledge sharing platform
• An internal knowledge base for documentation
• Knowledge sharing sessions
• Mentoring and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange
• Continuous evaluation and improvement.

These and more make up our list of ten exceptional knowledge sharing practices to stimulate employee efficiency. Implementing these knowledge-sharing strategies can seem daunting. However, Assembly makes it easier. Our platform offers powerful tools that can streamline workflows and increase employee engagement. With meaningful recognition and rewards features, Assembly doesn't just improve workplace satisfaction, it stimulates a knowledge-sharing culture. Get started with Assembly today.