Intranet (n): dusty, desktop-only internal website your company set up years ago. Hard to navigate. Rarely updated. Mostly ignored.
Sound familiar? Then your business is missing a huge opportunity.
Modern intranets — especially mobile-first ones like Blink — are intuitive, engaging, and built for the frontline and the desk-based workforce.
They’re not just document libraries — they’re a vibrant digital hub, where employees can access information, connect with each other, and feel part of company culture.
So what exactly can an intranet do for your organization? Here are 15 powerful ways to put yours to work in 2025.
What are the applications of an intranet?
There are lots of business-boosting ways to use your intranet. These include:
- Sharing company news and updates
- Connecting co-workers
- Amplifying company culture
- Providing access to docs and resources
- Easy employee reporting
- Shift scheduling
- Automating routine tasks
- Unifying workplace tools
- Viewing pay stubs
- Enabling HR self-service
- Tracking training and employee performance
- Recognizing employee efforts
- Inviting employees to company events
- Conducting employee surveys
- Keeping tabs on business metrics
Ready to take a closer look at each of these intranet uses? Let’s dive right in.
Uses of an intranet for internal communication
A modern intranet provides all the functionality you need to run a successful internal communications strategy. From a news feed to instant messaging to scroll-stopping, social-style posts, here are some great ways to use an intranet for internal comms.
{{mobile-desktop-main="/image"}}
#1. Sharing company news and updates
Forget the company noticeboard. Share updates that actually get seen.
Putting company news on your intranet keeps everyone on the same page. So it’s easier to align on tasks, projects, and overarching business goals.
On a modern intranet, company updates are best suited to the news feed. Here, you can serve up snippets of scrollable content. You can also segment employees by location, role, team, and tenure to ensure that news feed content always feels relevant.
To get your most important messages to cut through, put sticky messages at the top of every employee’s news feed or intranet dashboard. You can even request a read receipt so you can be confident that vital safety announcements and policy updates have been seen.
Want to reach the whole workforce? A mobile-first intranet makes company news available to every employee's smartphone, while push notifications draw their attention to the updates that matter most.
#2. Connecting co-workers with instant messaging
Does your internal comms strategy start and end with email? In 2025, there are smarter, more inclusive ways to connect and engage your workforce.
Email-only communication causes inbox fatigue and poor employee engagement. It provides limited analytics and insights. And it excludes those without a company email address — typically all frontline employees.
{{mobile-chat="/image"}}
Instant messaging via your intranet platform is an excellent alternative. In fact, more than 40% of employees in the US already communicate via instant messaging at work.
The best solutions mirror the messaging experience employees enjoy on tools like WhatsApp. They provide a fast, secure, and intuitive way to conduct real-time conversations with managers and co-workers, over 1-to-1 or group threads.
They also support a streamlined experience, where employees can share links and documents — and even launch a video meeting — right within the app.
A mobile-first intranet makes this functionality available to frontline employees, as well as desk-based staff. It connects co-workers, supporting knowledge-sharing and peer support, even when employees work in different locations.
#3. Amplifying company culture
If you want to reinforce company culture and values across your organization, a modern social intranet is just the right tool.
It comes with interactive, social-media-style features that support the sharing of informal, authentic, and engaging content. Think behind-the-scenes videos, snaps of the latest team lunch, or a post to celebrate a co-worker’s birthday.
Some top social intranet tips? Use your intranet to publish Stories (short-form videos that are great at grabbing attention). Create hashtags to highlight company values. And encourage employees to contribute their own relatable content.
{{mobile-stories="/image"}}
You can also create dedicated Communities based on job function, hobbies, or DEI interests. These virtual spaces foster a sense of belonging and connection, particularly among dispersed and hybrid teams.
#4. Providing access to docs and resources
Document sharing has long been a standard intranet feature. But, with a new-and-improved modern intranet, you can take that functionality to the next level, offering easy access to documents and resources via a user-friendly content hub.
Here, employees can use intuitive search functions to find exactly what they’re looking for. Whether they’re onboarding or just refreshing their knowledge, they can access company policies, read FAQs, and learn about processes.
You can also surface useful content on every dashboard, personalizing the experience so employees see content that’s relevant to them and their roles.
And content management? That’s easy too. Admins can see at a glance which resources need to be updated, so it’s easy to plan revisions into the content schedule.
Uses of an intranet for productivity
The best intranets support employee productivity. They digitize paper processes and automate manual tasks, saving time in every employee work day. Take a look at these intranet uses for inspiration.
#5. Easy employee reporting
Rather than filling in paper forms — or waiting till they see their manager in person — employees can use digital forms on your intranet to streamline the reporting process. They can use your intranet to:
- Request replacement IT equipment
- Report vehicle or machinery faults
- Report a workplace accident
These messages reach relevant teams and managers quickly and securely, no matter where an employee happens to be at the time of filling out the form. So it’s a great way to improve reporting and compliance.
#6. Shift scheduling
If your intranet doesn’t work for frontline employees, your frontline managers are probably feeling pretty overstretched. They’ll be spending a lot of time keeping deskless workers up to speed — and organizing shift schedules.
But set your intranet up for shift scheduling and you save hours of manager time. Employees can log into the intranet via their smartphones to view and swap upcoming shifts, without supervisors having to micromanage the process.
The end result? More filled shifts. A happier, more empowered workforce (who enjoy better work-life balance). And lower stress levels for your frontline managers.
#7. Automating routine tasks
A modern intranet often comes with built-in automation and AI tools that free your people to focus on value-add activities.
Need help drafting a post for the news feed or replying to a tricky comment? Let AI offer inspiration. Want content tailored to every employee? A personalization engine can deliver it, straight to their dashboard.
You can also supercharge search with AI-powered results, recommend resources, and provide instant support with the help of AI chatbots.
Automation is another key feature. You can automate employee journeys. From onboarding nudges to compliance reminders, PTO requests to training alerts — workers receive the right communications at the right time.
#8. Unifying workplace tools
Tired of juggling logins? Sick of toggling between tabs?
When an intranet has deep integrations with the other workplace software you use, it acts as a digital front door for your organization. It’s a user-friendly entry point for everything your people need.
Add in single sign-on technology and employees only have to remember one set of login details to access HRIS, CMS, project management, and payroll software.
This reduces pressure on your IT team — who no longer spend their days dealing with password reset requests. It also creates a joined up digital employee experience, where everything your teams need is just a couple of clicks away.
Uses of an intranet for HR
When your intranet is built just right, HR gets so much easier. With automation, self-serve tools, and seamless alignment with internal comms, you free your HR team from repetitive tasks and allow them to focus their attention on more complex tasks.
#9. Viewing pay stubs
A modern intranet makes it easy for employees to view and download their pay stubs whenever they need them, without submitting a request or chasing payroll.
Whether integrated with your existing timesheet or HR system — or available via built-in intranet functionality — this feature saves time on both sides and gives employees the financial visibility they need.
#10. Enabling HR self-service
A well-designed intranet empowers employees to take care of common HR tasks without sending an email or getting on the phone with your HR team.
They can:
- Make time-off requests
- Activate benefits and access benefit information
- Claim business expenses
- Book approved travel and accommodation
By digitizing these processes you make them more convenient. You reduce the need for complex and error-prone paper processes. And you lighten the workload of both employees and HR teams.
Make these features mobile-friendly and they’re then equally accessible to both desk-based and frontline staff, ensuring no one’s left behind.
#11. Tracking training and employee performance
Learning and development is easier to manage when your intranet does some of the heavy lifting.
With the right integrations, employees can access training programs directly from their intranet dashboard. From onboarding materials to ongoing professional development, it’s all in one place.
Key modules can be surfaced automatically, while news feed posts and push notifications can help highlight upcoming training sessions. Compliance training on the horizon? Use priority posts with required acknowledgment to ensure nothing gets missed.
Intranets can also support performance management. Progression plans, KPIs, and development conversations can be logged and tracked in a central location, making it easier for employees to understand expectations and for managers to support growth.
Uses of an intranet for employee engagement
A modern intranet can actively support employee experience — and measure your impact too. Here’s how to use your intranet for employee engagement.
#12. Recognizing employee efforts
Recognition is a powerful motivator. In fact, 82% of employees think recognition plays a significant role in their satisfaction at work.
Chances are, your organization already has some form of employee recognition scheme in place — an awards program or a performance-related bonus.
But — with the help of your intranet — you can weave recognition into the daily interactions of your organization, embedding it in company culture.
You can use your intranet comms channels to celebrate employee birthdays and anniversaries. You can encourage both managers and co-workers to spotlight the hard work of employees.
Link recognition to a rewards program — where employees can exchange recognition points for gift cards, charitable donations, or company merchandise — and you give them even more incentive to bring their A-game.
#13. Inviting employees to company events
Whether it’s a town hall, a team-building session, or a virtual Q&A, intranets make it easy to spread the word and manage attendance for workplace events.
You can:
- Target event invitations by location, department, or role
- Add RSVP functionality and calendar integration
- Remind employees of upcoming events via the intranet news feed
- Create dedicated event pages to keep attendees informed
- Send push notifications if event details change
By using these intranet functions you simplify the process for both employees and organizers — and avoid events slipping under the radar of their target audience.
#14. Conducting employee surveys
Another modern intranet feature you should be making use of? Employee surveys.
Surveys are one of the simplest but most effective ways to listen to your workforce — and a modern intranet can help you launch them regularly and at scale.
When your intranet has an in-built or integrated survey function, use it to take the pulse of your organization, gathering insights on engagement, satisfaction, or specific initiatives.
And, whether it’s a quarterly deep-dive or a quick-fire poll, make surveys easy to complete from any device — including mobile — so participation stays high.
Once the results are in, you can use intranet analytics and reports to make sense of employee responses in super-fast time. So it’s easy to spot emerging issues and make meaningful changes to the employee experience.
#15. Keeping tabs on business metrics
Intranet analytics reveal a lot about your organization. They tell you how employees are interacting with your intranet — and each other.
Are some tools underused? Which channels are most effective? Where are the drop-off points? Analytics shine a light on it all.
With this data — in tandem with employee feedback — you can improve less popular intranet features, add new functionality, and create an even better user experience.
The best intranets also help you keep tabs on important business metrics like:
- User engagement
- Employee satisfaction
- Employee retention
- Productivity
These insights don’t just help you optimize your intranet — they support smarter decision-making across your organization.
By tracking trends over time, you can spot shifts in engagement, identify potential issues early, and measure the impact of new initiatives. You can view data holistically, getting to know the levers that make the most difference to the employee experience and business goals.
What will you do with your intranet in 2025?
The best modern intranets do all the above and more. They’re the digital and social hub of your organization, providing employees with the tools, comms, and connections they need to thrive in the workplace.
But not every intranet makes the cut. Legacy intranets are struggling to keep up with the latest intranet trends.
Typically, they have clunky mobile apps. The user experience lags behind that of consumer-grade tools. And you need additional software to fulfill all the needs of your organization.
If this is your platform experience, it’s time to upgrade and optimize your intranet. Start by taking a look at the top intranet software providers for 2025.
Look for modern, mobile-first tools that support every employee — whether they’re behind a desk or on the frontline. Aim for an exceptional user experience and all the functionality listed above.
One platform. All the tools. And an intranet your employees will love.
Blink. And turn your intranet into the beating heart of your organization.
Intranet uses FAQs
How useful is an intranet in a company?
An intranet is an incredibly useful resource in many organizations. It’s a place to store and manage important documents, help employees stay connected, and integrate workplace tech tools. A modern, mobile-first intranet with a great user experience supports employee productivity, engagement, and retention.
What are the uses of an intranet?
There are lots of ways of using an intranet — from internal communication to employee engagement to operations to HR self-service. You can use it to bring office-based, remote, and frontline employees together. And as a seamless and streamlined digital hub for your organization.
