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4 thoughts on “The same old intranet crap”

  1. Anonymous

    I almost always agree with everything you have to say about intranets. I find myself saying “amen” often, except for this time. I disagree with your point that we should be rewriting press releases for employees. We read that Watson Wyatt report a few years ago and tried to use some of its findings to sell the value of the intranet as an employee communication tool to execs. At that time, we actually WERE rewriting press releases for our employees. The rewritten versions were much shorter and more succinct. We patted ourselves on the back, thinking we were delivering value to employees. Some of us are smart enough to test the bliss. So after a number of focus groups and surveys, it became clear that we were sending unintended messages to employees by doing this. In actuality, employees distrusted the rewritten press releases and thought the rewritten versions targeted at them were the equivalent of company spin. The fact that they would read one version on the intranet and one on the world wide web was confusing to them. We also heard them say “we are adults – we can read the press release and understand it”. Today, we utilize a bit of a blended approach. We do link to the press releases on our external company website in a separate space on the intranet clearly labeled as external news. Internal news is treated differently. When it's warranted, we will provide context for the press release in an email from an exec with a link to the official press release. In this way we are not “rewriting” the press release for employees. They find the same press release from the intranet that they would from the internet. No confusion, no condesending company speak.

  2. Anonymous

    Susie, this is an excellent comment and insight – thanks for providing such a thorough voice to the debate!
    I can't speak on behalf of your employees or anyone else's for that matter, but I've worked with a lot of companies and I can issue some universal truths about those companies that are applicable to most others.
    I perhaps mispoke by saying you have to rewrite press releases and mean it so literally. What I meant to say is that employees deserve to know MORE about the story then a quick press release. Press releases are designed for media, not employees. Employees deserve to see the actualy press release, but moreover they deserve to know and understand what the news means to them. They deserve an employee angle.
    Now, not every press release needs an employee version or angle, but big decisions and events including quarterly results, annual reports, mergers and acquisitions, etc. all need an employee version. This is most commonly done as a Q&A with the President, or CEO, or another key executive, or a short story with the key executive quoted which INCLUDES a link to the actual press release on the website.
    Never, never rewrite a press release without providing a link to the original. It's not so much rewriting a release, its providing a perspective that is relevant to the end employee that is often not represented in a press release.
    Cheers, Toby

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