Do Your Employees Know Each Other?

Does it really matter if you never learn the names of those folks in the development department? What about Suzy in accounting? Does it impact your job if you don’t know what her degree is in?

It’s not always apparent as to why we need to have an awareness of our colleagues’ skills and knowledge, yet having the option to locate internal expertise is a powerful feature for most intranets. It’s useful for connecting with people you do know and finding people you don’t know. The people search feature works by using powerful filters such as name, department, location, or expertise.

If you are still underestimating what the ROI of a strong people search capability is, here are a few immediate benefits:

Understanding Your Org Chart

It always makes sense to understand how your role fits into your organization. This helps with role clarity, and is also useful to understand any potential path to promotion. But it isn’t just your role this helps with, it’s your colleagues as well. Perhaps you are having difficulty connecting with one of your product managers. By looking at a visual org chart you can understand additional colleagues who may be able to assist you. Or, if necessary, a manager you can escalate any concerns to.

Increasing Employee Engagement

 

Employees familiar with each other experience higher levels of engagement. They are happier and they are more productive because they know each other very well. Intranets were once criticised for being overly social, but companies nowadays recognize the importance of employees interacting. It’s especially powerful when employees are remote, or don’t work in the same office. An intranet creates opportunities for employees to interact and engage regardless of their location. I remember being amazed a few years ago when we launched a corporate intranet. Suddenly I was having conversations with people I had never spoken with before. The best part? We were also more likely to continue our conversations in person as well.

Helping Employees Collaborate

When we know each other we are more likely to collaborate. For example, maybe you work in marketing and need some feedback from a few sales reps to understand some of their sales objections. Sure, you could talk to them in person, but that involves setting up some time to meet that works for both your calendars. With an intranet you can reach out and ask question and let them get back to you on their earliest convenience.

Finding the Connections You Need to do Your Job

 

Finally, have you ever wasted a colossal amount of time searching for someone within your company who has the expertise you are looking for? It’s frustrating and not only costs time, but money. With an efficient people directory you can locate employees with a variety of skills and knowledge. For example maybe you need to find an employee with advanced Excel skills. Sure, you might think it’s Cindy in accounting, but it might actually be Sergei in Development. Or perhaps you need someone with an engineering degree to assist with a project. We don’t always anticipate having these challenges, but as we all know it happens, and when it does happen no one wants to waste any more time than necessary.

Does this sound like the solution your organization needs? If you would like to see the Bonzai Employee Search Directory in action, schedule a demo with me today!

It’s Time To Transform

Let us show you how much easier your work life can be with Bonzai Intranet on your team.