4 Tips for Building a Better Internal Community in the Workspace

Internal communities are an essential part of modern businesses. Creating a user-friendly employee community platform, providing valuable content, and focusing on employee engagement can make your internal community a vibrant and dynamic part of your organization. Not only will this lead to increased employee participation and productivity, but it will also help to foster a culture of innovation and creativity among your employees.

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Here are four tips to help reach these goals and build successful internal communities for your company:

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1. Conduct User Research and Gather Employee Feedback

Conduct user research and gather feedback from employees on what they would like to see in an online community platform. This will help to ensure that the platform is tailored to the needs of your employees, and that you are willing to update the community based on employee feedback.

‍Start by creating a survey or questionnaire that asks employees about their preferences, pain points, and expectations for an online community platform. Consider including questions about the types of content they would like to see, the features they would find most useful, and any concerns they may have about using the platform. You can also conduct focus groups or one-on-one interviews to gather more in-depth insights and feedback.

Once you have collected employee feedback, analyze the data to identify common themes and priorities. Use this information to guide the development and implementation of your online community platform. Regularly check in with employees to gather ongoing feedback and make adjustments as needed to ensure that the platform continues to meet their needs and expectations. By involving employees in the process and actively seeking their input, you can create and choose the best community platform that truly reflects their needs.

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2. Share Valuable and Relevant Content to Engage Employees

Provide valuable content that is relevant to your employees. This can be achieved by sharing company updates, and encouraging employees to share their own knowledge and experiences. 

To create a more engaging and interactive experience, consider implementing a social intranet with features like user profiles, discussion forums, and personalized elements. This type of platform can transform a traditional intranet into a dynamic community that fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing.

When creating content for your internal community, focus on making it interesting, engaging, and easy to digest. Utilize a variety of media formats, such as video and audio, to cater to different learning styles and preferences The more you can engage your employees and create a sense of community, the better.

Make sure that the content you provide is relevant to your employee base, and encourage them to share their own knowledge and experiences as well.

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3. Promote Employee Recognition and Motivation through Rewards and Engagement

Create a culture of recognition and motivation by rewarding employees for their contributions to the community. A few ways to do so include:

• Implementing a reward system for employee engagement. For example, assign points or badges for completing your profile, asking or answering a question, starting a discussion, uploading a file, etc.
• Providing opportunities for employees to learn about each other’s careers, hobbies, and interests. We know from experience that threads about pets almost always go viral, in the best way! Virtual "Water Cooler's" are a great way to give employees a dedicated area to connect with each other on non work-related topics. From book and running clubs to recipe sharing, these groups can significantly boost overall engagement without distracting from the actual work happening in your community.
• Hosting regular events and activities to encourage team building and collaboration, both online and offline.
• Utilizing gamification for community engagement. Gamification techniques and employee gamification platforms can be used to motivate employees and encourage them to engage with the content being posted in the community.

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4. Ensure executive support for your internal community

Executive support for an intranet demonstrates the company's commitment to effective communication and collaboration. To gain executive buy-in, focus on demonstrating the value of the intranet in improving communication, collaboration, and productivity across the organization. Encourage executives to lead by example by sharing updates, participating in discussions, and recognizing employee contributions on the platform.

Regularly gather input from executives on how the intranet can better support business goals and address any concerns they may have. Offer training sessions to help executives understand the intranet's features and how they can effectively use the platform to engage with employees. By securing executive support and involvement, you can significantly enhance the credibility and usage of your intranet. A top-down approach, combined with a focus on employee engagement, can help ensure the long-term success of your platform.

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Building an Engaging Online Community Platform is Easy With Social Edge Consulting 

Ready to create an internal employee community that boosts employee engagement and productivity? Social Edge Consulting provides professional intranet and customer community consulting services to help organizations like yours build successful online communities.

Our experienced team can guide you through the process of creating an engaging digital workplace that ignites collaboration, innovation, and productivity. 

Book an intranet demo to learn more about how Social Edge Consulting can help you build a better online community for your organization.

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