As summer winds down and the back-to-school season begins, there’s a sense of fresh starts in the air. Students sharpen their pencils, crack open new notebooks, and get organized for the year ahead. It’s a natural reset point—and the same can be true for your company intranet.
Why Back to School Season Is the Right Time
The intranet is the central hub of communication and collaboration, but over time, it can become crowded with outdated announcements, forgotten files, and underused spaces. Much like a messy locker, a cluttered intranet slows people down and reduces productivity. The back-to-school season is a great reminder to clean things up and make sure your digital workplace is working its best.
Signs It’s Time to Tidy Up
- Old Content Everywhere: Expired announcements or outdated forms that no longer serve a purpose.
- Confusing Navigation: Employees struggling to find the right information quickly.
- Stale Look and Feel: A homepage that hasn’t changed in years and doesn’t draw people in.
- Low Engagement: Features and tools that aren’t being used as intended.
Practical Ways to “Go Back to School” with Your Intranet
- Declutter and Archive
Clear away old files, news, and projects that are no longer relevant. - Update Core Resources
Make sure policies, HR forms, and IT guides are current and easy to access. - Reorganize Navigation
Structure menus and categories in a way that matches how employees actually work today. - Add Fresh Content
Post new updates, spotlight recent projects, or share company wins to spark engagement. - Reintroduce the Intranet
Launch a “Back to School” campaign—like a scavenger hunt or quick tutorial—to encourage employees to explore what’s new.
Set the Stage for Success
By treating this season as an opportunity to refresh your intranet, you help employees reconnect with it as the go-to hub for communication and collaboration. A clean, updated intranet not only makes work easier but also reinforces engagement—just like a well-organized backpack, it ensures everyone has the tools they need to succeed.
Resources
1. Authoritative Intranet & Digital Workplace Resources
- Nielsen Norman Group on intranet design and usability:
https://www.nngroup.com/topic/intranets/ - Digital Workplace Group insights:
https://digitalworkplacegroup.com/insights/
2. Employee Productivity & Engagement
- Gallup’s workplace engagement research:
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx - Harvard Business Review on productivity and collaboration:
https://hbr.org/topic/productivity
3. Back-to-School & Organization Tie-In
- American Psychological Association — benefits of organization and decluttering:
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/clutter - Forbes on digital decluttering:
- https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2023/09/11/14-proven-strategies-and-tools-for-year-end-digital-decluttering/
4. Tech & Trends
- Gartner on digital workplace strategy:
https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/digital-workplace - CMSWire (popular for intranet and digital workplace topics):
https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/