When we talk about intranet today, a two-tier society quickly crystallizes. Employees who sit at their permanent workplace every day and employees who are on the move and rarely or never sit at a PC. Some have the privilege of being able to access an intranet and obtain information, while others are denied this information. Conclusion: Only a part of the employees is sufficiently informed and is aware of the daily events in the company. You might think that this only affects a few employees? Unfortunately, the reality looks different. According to the study by Emergence, only about 80% of employees worldwide have the privilege of always being at a workplace. This means that the remaining 20% of people, so-called non-desk employees, will still not have access to an intranet in 2020.
What consequences do these facts have?
Non-desk employees are poorly informed as a result of the lack of access to sources of information. Some of them are lucky enough not to have access to the intranet, but do get information in the form of a notice board or an information screen. By the time the non-desk employees are able to consume the information, however, it is often already outdated and out of date.
As we now know, poorly informed employees are often less motivated and consequently less productive. In addition, the lack of direct and timely communication means that non-desk employees are less integrated into the corporate culture and thus less in line with the corporate strategy. Particularly in the case of major changes in the company, these employees are then quickly unsettled because they are not sufficiently informed about current events and they do not know what is happening and why. In addition, they cannot share their opinions and thoughts on issues of conscience. As a result, low motivation and great uncertainty lead to higher staff turnover.
What is the solution?
Basically there is no reason why non-desk employees should not have access to an intranet, even if they do not have a PC or laptop. The reason for this is quite simple: nowadays almost everyone owns a smartphone and would therefore already have all the necessary prerequisites for using an intranet. The real problem is that many intranets are still not mobile enabled. However, our ahead Intranet is fully mobile-capable and therefore easily accessible even for non-desk employees.
What conclusion can be drawn from this?
Non-desk employees should also have easy and uncomplicated access to a reliable source of information from which they can obtain important and up-to-date company information. In addition, they should also have the opportunity to participate in company discussions or to exchange information digitally with other employees. Not only are all employees at the same level of information, but the internal exchange of information and the associated exchange of knowledge will also be considerably reduced. After all, corporate communication is also about equality. If this can be guaranteed, employees are more satisfied and motivated. Conversely, this leads to greater productivity, from which customers and thus the company will benefit.
