Two employees talking at an office water cooler about SharePoint intranet

•

The Digital Watercooler: How to Improve Employee Engagement with a Modern Intranet

Book a Consult

Keeping employees engaged and connected in today’s hybrid workplace isn’t just a cultural challenge—it’s a technological one. With teams working across different locations and time zones, organizations need to get creative to stay connected. A modern intranet can be that solution, serving as the central hub where employees engage with company updates, connect with leadership, celebrate achievements, collaborate seamlessly, and are able to access the information they need quickly. 

When integrated into your team’s daily workflows and existing toolsets, an intranet becomes a dynamic space that strengthens workplace culture and improves communication. But technology alone isn’t enough. A successful intranet requires a thoughtful rollout strategy to ensure employees embrace it as part of their daily routine. 

So, how can you improve employee engagement with a modern intranet that truly brings your team together? In this article, we’ll explore: 

Let’s dive in! 

The Evolution of Intranets: From Information Storage to Culture Hub

Intranets have come a long way. Once primarily used for document storage and one-way communications bulletins, today’s intranets function as an effective employee engagement software, helping organizations shape company culture, foster collaboration, and keep employees connected. 

Instead of being a static repository, a well-designed intranet serves as the digital heartbeat of your organization—reinforcing values, creating shared experiences across locations, and providing employees with the tools they need to stay informed and engaged.

A modern employee engagement platform strengthens culture by:

  • Creating shared digital experiences – Whether employees are in the office, working in the field, or tuning in remotely, an intranet provides a common space where everyone can stay informed, contribute ideas, and feel part of the team.
  • Making leadership more visible – Leaders can use the platform as part of their employee engagement strategies, sharing company updates, highlighting key initiatives, and opening channels for direct bottom-up communication. 
  • Encouraging recognition and celebration – From peer-to-peer shoutouts to milestone announcements, an intranet provides an easy way to acknowledge contributions and build a sense of community.
  • Re-enforcing company policies and procedures — A well-structured intranet ensures employees have easy access to HR policies, workplace guidelines, and security protocols. For example, IT teams can use it to post regular cybersecurity tips, while HR can centralize benefits, compliance updates, and DEI initiatives—ensuring employees stay informed without sifting through emails.
  • Serving as a departmental communication hub – Teams can create dedicated spaces within the intranet as part of their internal communications strategy, sharing updates, wins, and important initiatives. Whether it’s Sales posting quarterly goals, Marketing announcing a new campaign, or Operations rolling out a process improvement, the intranet helps break down silos and keeps teams aligned.
  • Effortless information access – Intranet can make it easier for employees to quickly find and retrieve essential documents, resources, and updates, streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity.

When implemented effectively, an intranet becomes a culture driver. And beyond engagement, there are measurable business benefits. Gallup studies show that strong company culture correlates with higher productivity, retention, and overall business performance.

So, how can organizations design an intranet that delivers these results? It starts with understanding the right tools and best practices for employee engagement strategies.

Designing an Intranet That Works

A successful intranet starts with intentional design. It should be functional, intuitive, and tailored to the needs of your organization. From structure to branding, these elements help create an intranet that employees actually want to use:

  • Custom branding and design – A branded intranet feels like an extension of your company, not a generic tool. Incorporate logos, colors, fonts, and personalized layouts to make it visually engaging and intuitive.
  • Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 – Ensure employees can move easily between their intranet, Teams, Outlook, and other productivity tools for a frictionless experience.
  • Dedicated team and department sites – Create structured “digital neighbourhoods” where teams can share updates, collaborate on projects, and access department-specific resources.
  • Automated data feeds for real-time insights – Leverage Power Platform to interact with and surface relevant business data, such as outstanding invoices for finance teams or real-time sales metrics for leadership, directly on their home page.
  • RSS feeds and dynamic content – Keep employees informed by pulling in live updates, such as stock tickers, industry news, or internal analytics.
  • Structured pages for policies and procedures – Make HR policies, compliance documents, and IT security updates easily accessible, reducing the time employees spend searching for important information.

Driving Engagement After Launch

Even the best-designed intranet won’t be effective unless employees actively use it. News and announcements should be regularly updated to keep teams informed about leadership updates, key initiatives, and company milestones as part of an effective internal communications strategy. To foster a sense of community, organizations can implement recognition and celebration programs, such as peer-to-peer shoutouts, automated work anniversary notifications, and employee spotlights.

Encouraging interactive and community-driven content—like discussion forums, Q&A sections, and knowledge-sharing spaces—helps employees see the intranet as more than just a resource hub. Intranet champions within each department can drive engagement by modeling usage and promoting new features, while leadership participation sets the tone for adoption. Finally, leveraging analytics and feedback loops allows organizations to track usage trends, refine content strategies, and continuously improve the intranet experience based on employee needs.

Best Platform for Intranet: SharePoint?

One of the most common questions we get is: what’s the best platform for intranet? SharePoint stands out for its flexibility, security, and deep integration with Microsoft 365. Some key advantages include:

  • Scalability and customization – You can adapt the intranet to fit your organization’s size and needs, whether you’re a startup or an enterprise.
  • Security and governance – You can keep sensitive company data protected with built-in access controls and compliance features.
  • Seamless collaboration – Your employees can work on shared documents, access knowledge bases, and communicate in real time without leaving their workflow.
  • Ease of use – Once it’s launched, creating new SharePoint pages is relatively simple without the need to write code. From an employee’s perspective, SharePoint is easy to learn and use. 
  • Ease of adoption — If your business already uses Microsoft 365, it’s likely that your employees are already familiar with SharePoint and how it integrates with services like Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word, and other tools. This makes it easier to pick up and integrate with other services when it’s time to launch.

Change Management Best Practices to Encourage Intranet Adoption

Rolling out an intranet isn’t just about launching a platform—it’s about driving real adoption. Without a clear change management strategy, even the most well-designed intranet can go underused. Successful implementation requires a thoughtful approach: 

1. Identify Key Stakeholders and Champions

Adoption starts from the top. Engaging leadership early ensures visibility and support, while identifying departmental champions helps drive grassroots adoption. These champions can serve as go-to resources, encourage participation, and provide feedback to refine the intranet over time.

2. Prioritize Initiatives for Early Wins

Before launching an intranet, it’s essential to align it with organizational priorities. Work with key stakeholders to identify high-impact initiatives—features or functionalities that solve real problems and provide immediate value. To determine which initiatives to implement first, consider:

  • Does it solve a real problem?
  • How many people will use it?
  • Can it be built in a reasonable time frame?
  • What’s the return on investment?

By focusing on high-impact, easy-to-implement solutions, organizations can achieve early wins that drive adoption and engagement from the start. Collaborating with IT and business leaders to map these initiatives on an impact vs. effort grid can help prioritize the best starting point and ensure long-term success.

A graphic sharing a SharePoint Intranet Deployment Strategy

3. Implement a Phased Rollout Strategy

Rather than launching the intranet company-wide all at once, consider a phased approach. Start with a pilot group—perhaps one department or a select group of power users—to test functionality, refine features, and work out any initial challenges. Once optimized, roll it out in stages, providing tailored training and onboarding for each group.

4. Align with Existing Workflows

An intranet should feel like an enhancement, not an extra step. Integrate it with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and other daily-use tools so employees can seamlessly access information without disrupting their workflow. For example, publishing a News page in SharePoint and having it automatically show up in Outlook and Teams ensures company updates are seen in a space employees already use.

5. Provide Hands-On Training and Support

Adoption isn’t automatic—employees need to know how to use the intranet effectively. Launching an intranet scavenger hunt contest is a fun way to introduce the intranet to your employees. Offer interactive training sessions, quick-start guides, and video tutorials to help employees feel confident using key features. Additionally, create a central intranet help page where users can find FAQs, troubleshooting tips, and support contacts.

6. Measure Engagement and Iterate

Use analytics and employee feedback to continuously improve adoption. Track metrics like page visits, engagement with news posts, and interaction levels in discussion forums to see what’s working (and what’s not). Regular check-ins with employees can provide insights on what features are most valuable and where adjustments may be needed.

Ready to Build Your SharePoint Intranet? 

A modern intranet can strengthen your company’s existing culture and collaboration. But for it to be successful, it needs the right mix of thoughtful design, strategic engagement, and structured change management.

If you’re looking for guidance on how to improve employee engagement with intranet to enhance your workplace culture, Convverge can help. Our team specializes in designing and implementing SharePoint intranets that integrate seamlessly with Microsoft 365, align with your business goals, and provide an exceptional user experience.

Let’s build an intranet your employees will love using. Contact us today to get started.

Contact Us

Contact Us
More to read