SharePoint - Designing for Engagement

This is a mural commissioned by The Big Hearts Project and was recently unveiled in Lancashire. Its inversion has caused some discussion. The Argentinian artist Seba Cener is renowned for painting upside down to "change people's perspectives" The mural which was commissioned in the fishing town of Fleetwood. It is to appreciate the local fisherman who risk life and limb to bring back food to the local community and who have no sense of time of when they will be back into their families arms. The Big Hearts Projects was created by The Butterfly Effected CIC and hosts arts therapy workshops, mural projects, and outreach programs. Their spokesman said "these murals do more than beautify areas, they will spark important dialogue surrounding issues such as addiction, mental health, LGBTQ+ rights and child poverty. Bringing down stigmas and bringing us closer together." Well it made us stop and think and has sparked a conversation in our office this morning. Design, when used effectively, is engaging and thought provoking. It has divided opinion with the locals in Fleetwood too, some baffled by the upside down image and others loving its difference and what it represents. Engagement is powerful and a critical concept in every business and every life.

In today's fast-paced business world, ensuring the success of your digital workplace starts with an effective intranet solution. For your employees to truly adopt and benefit from the platform, it must solve real challenges and offer better solutions than alternative technologies or communication channels. A modern intranet should not only drive productivity but also nurture company culture and streamline communication. 10 Ideas to Drive Employee Engagement on Your Intranet The battle to attract and retain top talent goes beyond just offering competitive pay and office perks. Employees need to feel a deep connection to their organisation’s mission and be engaged in its success. Your intranet is the perfect platform to build this connection, foster collaboration, and drive productivity. Here are ten ideas to enhance engagement: 1. Keep it Current Keep your employees informed by providing regular updates and alerts through push notifications, pop-ups, or ticker feeds. It’s important to give employees the option to manage these notifications to prevent information overload. 2. Recognition and Appreciation Employees need to feel valued, and an intranet can help combat feelings of invisibility. Implement recognition features like badges, shout-outs, and peer-to-peer acknowledgments to foster a culture of appreciation and engagement. 3. Social Features for Connection Social features such as liking, commenting, and tagging are great for fostering a sense of community. Incorporating forums or Q&A sections also enhances collaboration, transparency, and communication between teams. 4. Personalisation for a Tailored Experience Personalised experiences drive higher engagement. Tailor content based on an employee’s role, location, or department, and allow users to customise their dashboards and notifications. This makes the intranet more relevant and user-friendly. 5. Promote Usage and Awareness Maximise intranet usage by promoting it through various channels, such as newsletters, internal emails, or social media posts. You can also designate intranet champions and create video tours to onboard new users. 6. Provide Training and Development Resources Offer employees opportunities to grow by providing training and development resources via the intranet. E-learning modules, knowledge repositories, and career development tools show your commitment to their growth, encouraging frequent visits to the platform. 7. Encourage Community-driven Content Invite employees to contribute to the content ecosystem of the intranet, keeping it fresh and engaging. Employee-generated content not only adds variety but also encourages a sense of ownership and pride within the community. 8. Seamless Integration with Business Tools For the intranet to be a true productivity booster, it must seamlessly integrate with other business tools, like Microsoft Teams, the Outlook calendar, HR tools or project management platforms. This centralisation of tools reduces friction in workflows. 9. Optimise for Mobile Accessibility As flexible working still features heavily in our workspaces, it’s vital that your intranet works flawlessly on smartphones and tablets. Optimising for mobile devices ensures that all employees, especially those working remotely or in the field, stay connected and engaged. 10. Onboarding New Hires Effectively The intranet is an excellent tool for onboarding new employees. Use multimedia content, tutorials, and interactive elements to introduce new hires to the platform, helping them understand its value and use it from day one. A modern, well-designed intranet isn’t just a digital tool—it’s a key driver of productivity, culture, and communication within your organisation. By focusing on ease of use, engagement strategies, and seamless integration, your intranet can become a powerful asset that promotes collaboration, nurtures a sense of community, and supports your employees in achieving their best work. How does your Intranet shape up?