COVID-19: A Case for a Cloud-Based Intranet
INSIGHT BY
Chris Goldan | Communications Manager
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Social Space Collaboration and connection occur when a social aspect is included.
Behavior Change by Leaders Choose to release intranet news items, rather than sending all-staff emails.
Team of Authors To ensure an effective and sustainable intranet, team with leaders from IT, Marketing, HR, Finance, Admin, and other stakeholders.
In these fast-moving and uncertain times, our new intranet, the Hub, has provided us a place to collaborate, communicate, and socialize.
Although the Hub has been part of our daily life since March 3, the COVID-19 crisis has revolutionized not only how we access the vast array of firm resources, from benefits information to technical resources and beyond, but how we stay connected and collaborate with one another.
Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at SWBR. This pandemic has created a tremendous opportunity for us to enhance our culture and communication within the firm through our use of the Hub.
Social Space
With all of us working from home, the Hub’s social space provides a place where we can converse and collaborate, as we do on social media. One way we do this is through our virtual Bulletin Board, where everyone can post and see posts live on the Hub homepage. The Bulletin Board is complimented by the Daily Bulletin – an automated, daily email capturing posts from the past 24 hours. These two tools combine to give everyone a place to check-in while receiving a daily dose of inbox connectivity.
Centralized Communication Tool
The Hub has provided employees a one-stop-shop for the firm’s most critical communications. Our COVID-19 crisis team meets regularly to closely monitor the situation, messages from this team are posted directly to the Hub, and then emailed by the Daily Bulletin, allowing employees to receive real-time, factual information – in one place instead of critical information getting buried in an email inbox.
COVID-19 Specifics
Crisis management is not something you typically plan for when creating a custom intranet site. We quickly realized there was going to be demand for a large volume of COVID-19 specific content, to be produced and maintained for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, we designed the Hub with the flexibility to create an entirely new section for COVID-19. We also realized that we would need to create a few new categories for our bulletin board post, rolling out a COVID-19 category and post theme to differentiate our messaging.
In the end, the Hub has allowed us to continue to do what we do best – collaborate. Thankfully, the Hub provides us a place to establish new practices during this crisis. And perhaps, more importantly, the Hub’s social aspect reminds us to take time to laugh and have fun. And appreciate each other.
