TOP 12 Features of an HR Intranet and its Benefits for the employee experience

Sales may be the engine that drives a company, but its Human Resources Department is the corporation’s heart and soul. Both are essential for a company’s success.

The HR intranet provides multiple benefits to the company’s staff, whether they work in-house or remotely. From storing employee profiles to promoting wellness and recruiting and onboarding new employees, this intranet solution can do it all, and much more. 

What is an HR Intranet?

An HR intranet allows the corporation’s HR Department to communicate the company’s goals, values, and guidelines to employees (new and existing) easily. The company intranet links the company’s values with tangible business goals that employees can understand and identify with based on the information shared. 

HR Intranet Functions

The HR intranet is an online destination for employees to search for documents and information they need related to HR topics. If an employee isn’t able to find the information they need, they can contact someone working in the HR Department to get their question answered. The HR employee intranet can also be used to contact the HR Department privately with employee concerns. 

Who Uses HR Intranet

The HR intranet can be used by all company employees. It is a valuable place for storing all types of documents staff members may need to access during the course of their employment. Making documents available to employees online means workers can directly browse and find the forms and information they need in many cases. 

Advantages of HR Intranet

• The self-serve model allows employees to find the documents they need quickly and easily
• The HR Department can then focus on assisting employees who require their direct attention
• The HR intranet is equally available to remote working staff and those working in the company’s office(s) 

Disadvantages of HR Intranet

• Some employees may prefer a more personal model where they can interact directly with a Human Resources employee
• Employees may find policies/procedures difficult to interpret independently
• It can be time-consuming to discover precisely what your company needs in order to have the best HR strategies to increase productivity and centralize data

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Top 12 HR Intranet Features

According to Gartner, the top priorities for HR in 2023 include manager effectiveness, recruiting, and employee experience. We have compiled what we consider to be the foremost list of intranet benefits and examples here. Do you agree with our findings?

1. Convenient Location to Access HR-Related Content

The company HR intranet provides a single point of access for employees wishing to find Human Resources-related content. Any staff member with questions about the time period for changing one’s health and dental benefits, registering for maternity leave, or requesting annual leave will find answers there. Employees can rest assured that the HR intranet content will always be current. 

With an HR intranet like LumApps, you can create community spaces so the HR-related content is even easier to find. Plus, LumApps also has a built-in digital assistant that employees can use to ask the “chatbot” to help with common HR questions like how to request leave or where to find the pay schedule. 

Benefits of the Feature

The company handbook sets out policies about working hours, overtime, dress codes, annual reviews, applications for promotion, etc. It should also be posted online. Employees should also be able to access the company’s policies about on-the-job harassment (sexual and non-sexual) and what steps the company will take if it receives a complaint.

Use of the Feature

Upload the HR documents employees commonly need to access and download. This process will save workers from having to contact someone in Human Resources every time they want to request time off or make vacation plans. Depending on the intranet’s capabilities, the employee may be able to send forms directly to their supervisor for approval without having to rely on email.

2. Personalized HR Content for Employees

When employees are searching for content online, they want to get results quickly. The same rule applies when they are looking for content within the company intranet. Many people could find themselves getting bogged down if they were looking for something that specifically applied to them, and they got results that applied to everyone in the company. 

Benefits of the Feature

The personalization of the HR intranet is crucial in large global corporations where HR policies and procedures likely vary depending according to country and state. Managers may need to access Human Resources information in conjunction with working with their team members. Employees who only see HR information relevant to them will find the intranet portal much easier to navigate.

Use of the Feature

Suppose someone was looking for information in the HR intranet about their dental benefits. This person is single, with no dependents. If they start looking at all the options at different coverage levels for people with no dependents and families, it might just be enough to make that employee terribly confused. 

Modern intranets based on SharePoint can personalize employee HR content based on that staff member’s profile. Employees will only see the content relevant to the following:

• The employee’s department
• The employee’s division
• Their location
• Their role

3. Integrated Apps for Supporting Employee Self-service

Numerous people-related and HR software programs and apps exist. A typical set-up may include a core software program with multiple add-ons, such as:

• Benefits portal
• Expenses system
• HR support desk ticket support
• Learning management system
• Performance Review application
• Wellbeing app

Use of the Feature

The above is not meant to be a complete list. It is only a few examples of the options available. When these apps are integrated with the HR intranet portal, employees can access their personal information and complete basic transactions without having to log onto each application or system separately. The employee can discover how much annual leave they have remaining, book their time off, choose their benefits, or request help from the HR Department using the HR employee intranet. 

Benefits of the Feature

Some HR employee intranets include an inbox for HR Department staff. It displays notifications and reminders from the different systems, including requests that are waiting for HR staff or managers to approve. These integrations improve workflow and result in faster approval processes. 

4. Personalized Employee Onboarding

HR intranets are focused on the relationship between the employer and the employee. It starts from the time the person moves from the “job candidate” category to a “new hire” and ends when the employee leaves the company. New hires are much more likely to become long-term employees at the company if they have a positive onboarding experience. The HR intranet can help with this process by having resources for the new employee ready for them in one place on the first day of work. This can make joining a new company less overwhelming and much more welcoming. 

Use of the Feature

Dedicate an area of the HR employee intranet to new hires. This space can include a personalized message of welcome from the president or CEO. New hires should be able to find the company history and a brief summary of current projects. Also, the new employee should be directed to a list of tasks that they need to complete (with deadlines). They should be able to see a list of company contacts, including their supervisor, team members, and what team to contact for technical support. 

Benefits of the Feature

The new employee can start any company-specific training directly from the intranet, including learning software, qualifying for licensing exams, and completing mandatory safety training. 

5. Support for Training and Learning

The HR intranet doesn’t deliver training and learning programs directly, but it can play a critical role in assisting employees in accessing important learning resources. Companies can implement learning platforms that employees can access using Microsoft 365. 

Use of the Feature

This seamless integration with Microsoft software means the Human Resources Department can create pages to attract employees and encourage them to sign up for available programs. Employees may not realize they have moved from the intranet into the learning platform. 

Benefits of Feature

The HR intranet is an excellent resource for listing learning options for company employees, such as mandatory safety training. Staff who must periodically take exams to retain a professional license can also be accommodated within the platform. It can be used to list various learning formats:

• Classroom/Blended Training
• E-learning
• Webinar
• Video learning

LumApps has enterprise video management included that allows teams to manage full control of the videos without needing technical skills. The tool includes automated file encryption, security controls to determine who can download, and video enrichment like thumbnails, chapter, subtitles, and automated transcriptions. 

Employees who are interested in enrolling in training courses to qualify for promotions can log onto the training platform to see the course selections available, the instructor’s name (if applicable), the format, and a syllabus for the course. The employee can sign up for the course directly from the learning platform. 

6. Sharing Internal Job Postings

Finding candidates for specific positions within the company falls within the Human Resources Department’s scope of duties. Instead of starting the search for qualified candidates outside the company, a great fit is often found inside the corporation. 

Use of Feature

The HR Department can post the job internally so that current employees can apply for the position. At the same time, it can access employee profiles to look for employees who have the necessary skills and abilities for the job but who may not have applied. These employees can be approached and invited to apply for the open position. 

Benefits of the Feature

HR managers can access applicants’ company profiles to evaluate their applications. This powerful intranet tool allows employees to post their resumes, interviews, milestones, training courses completed, etc. Employees can also post any other information they wish to share with the company that may be useful for evaluating their suitability for open positions. 

7. Provide Better Support for Remote Workers

It can be challenging for the Human Resources Department to maintain its traditional people-building role in the digital workplace. In the post-COVID world, many employees are requesting that they be allowed to continue to work remotely. This development intensifies the challenges faced by the HR Department. 

Use of Feature

Employee wellness is a priority in the workplace. Many remote workers say that they feel lonely and isolated from their colleagues. This is a toxic situation with the potential to negatively impact the employee’s productivity. 

The HR Department plays an important role in supporting remote and hybrid workers by promoting wellness. The modern intranet has built-in communication tools to help employees feel connected. The following are some ideas to help all employees feel connected:

• Start each workday with a five-minute workout on Zoom
• Share wellness resources and tools on the company newsfeed
• Use the intranet to educate and inform employees about health topics
• Encourage all staff members to participate in water cooler conversations on a team chat channel

Benefits of the Feature

Make a point of checking in on remote workers often. Simply staying in touch and offering a sympathetic ear can make a big difference to someone who is struggling. 

8. Online Staff Directories Connect Employees

Online staff directories are a useful tool for sharing knowledge and building strong workplace relationships. To flesh out an otherwise dry employee profile, you can include a personal biography, the current projects the employee is working on, and their areas of expertise. Include a photo so that staff can put a face to the person’s name. This helps colleagues recognize each other in the hallways, when they’re getting coffee, or while participating in Zoom meetings. 

Use of the Feature

Employee profiles also assist with collaboration across the company. If someone is looking for an expert in a specific area, they can consult the online company directory to look for the expertise they need. If a colleague can assist, the employee can reach out to that person through the intranet. 

Benefits of the Feature

Employees from different teams can collaborate on projects when needed. Teams can find extra staff for projects or subject experts for specific matters directly. No input is needed from the HR Department. 

9. Increase Employee Engagement

Engaged employees are more productive and less likely to be absent from work due to illness. Companies with engaged employees also tend to have lower turnover rates. It’s crucial that HR become the leader in intranet best practices for promoting employee engagement. 

Three important factors drive employee engagement: 

• Improved communication
• Increased collaboration
• More efficient information sharing

Use of Feature

The HR intranet is a valuable data source. It can be used to track intranet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as general absenteeism, illness rates, and staff turnover. From this data, the HR manager can identify trends indicating problems upper management must address. 

Benefits of Feature

The data from exit interviews also give the HR Department a good idea about the level of employee engagement in the company. Employees leave a company for multiple reasons and not all of them relate to engagement issues. The HR Department needs to ask questions to determine whether the employee’s reasons have to do with the organization, its management, and its values. 

To get honest responses from employees who are leaving the company, conduct exit interviews online through the HR intranet portal. This strategy is a better one than asking a departing employee to sit down with the HR manager or an HR team member. The employee is much more likely to provide honest feedback to the company if they are not facing a co-worker. 

 

10. Monitor and Track Employee’s Personal Objectives

The intranet gives the Human Resources Department tools employees can use to monitor their professional and personal goals on an annual basis. Once the goals are assigned by managers and confirmed by HR, these objectives can be posted on each employee’s dashboard in their personal area. Employees can regularly review the points they wish to focus on for growth.

Use of the Feature

As the employee completes steps and reaches milestones toward their personal goals, their immediate supervisor can provide updates. The supervisor can add detailed information to the employee’s personal area for HR to review. 

Benefits of the Feature.

Rather than using a separate performance management platform to track employees’ professional and personal goals, it makes more sense to use the intranet as a single access point. Information can be stored electronically in the same platform where it can be accessed quickly when needed. 

11. Start Discussions to Get Employee Feedback

Managers and executives are realizing that listening to employees and establishing an open dialogue is a crucial part of employee engagement. Often, employees who are “on the floor” or “in the field” are closest to issues the company is experiencing. They have valuable insights into the full nature of the problem and may have creative solutions for tackling the situation. 

Use of the Feature

Through its HR functions, the company intranet is an excellent platform for keeping a finger on the pulse of how employees feel about the company and their jobs. There are several features that allow management to keep track of this important factor:

• Analytics to track the types of content employees find engaging
• Brief satisfaction polls
• Communities
• Discussion groups
• Employee comments posted on news articles and blogs
• In-depth employee satisfaction surveys

Benefits of the Feature

These features are valuable tools to help management discover what elements are currently working well for employees and what parts of the employee experience could be improved. Without regular, honest feedback, company management has no idea whether employees are satisfied. Most companies fall into a sense of false security, with “no news is good news” being the prevailing company culture until it’s too late to correct issues and employees start leaving for other opportunities.

12. Single Sign-on for All Enterprise Apps

One of HR intranets’ features is that there are multiple software options available through a single portal.

Use of the Feature

A single sign-on gives employees gateway access to multiple enterprise apps, such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Employees don’t have to switch between apps and use multiple logins to get their work done. Everything is available under one password. 

Benefits of the Feature

If an employee needs to access the content management system (CMS) and then go into their Google Workspace, it’s no problem. They can move from one app to the other seamlessly throughout the workday.

When workers don’t know where to go or who else to ask, the HR Department is the internal communications hub. This is still true in the digital workplace. The HR intranet is a valuable employee resource.

LumApps is a modern HR intranet solution that is a cloud-based platform that helps employees connect with the company mission and vision no matter their role, location, language, or device.
 

LumApps is a Leader in Intranet Packaged Solutions

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