Why 2026 is the year to replace Slack for your frontline

Boston – June 11, 2024 – Blink, the leading employee engagement super-app, today announced the next generation of its platform. The latest release introduces AI-driven advanced employee intelligence to reshape how organizations understand and enhance employee engagement, retention, productivity, and overall workplace satisfaction for both deskless and desk-based employees.  This new level of insight and analysis triggers real-time nudges and mobile alerts across all levels of the business to aid in decision-making and prompt action. 

Key Features and Benefits  

• Gather the team - Activation analytics which track employee engagement from day one, help achieve a 95% employee activation rate. Leaderboards pushed to managers to encourage healthy competition and discussion. 
• Optimize operations - Usage analytics provide insights into the use and performance of internal apps, shift booking rates, form completion and critical updates. This improves operational efficiency and user experience across the organization. 
• Captivate with comms - Communications analytics monitor how employees interact with internal comms, helping to identify preferences and needs and create more effective internal comms campaigns.
• Building bonds to shape culture - Engagement analytics track the use of chat and channels, helping to curate effective channel sizes, increase awareness and suggest suitable channels to employees. This fosters engagement and communication across the business.
• Listen to and understand employees - Survey analytics developed with HR experts offer detailed insights from employee surveys.  AI-powered sentiment analysis provides a clear picture of employee sentiment and areas of improvement. This feature also helps to improve participation through real-time participation alerts. 
• Understand turnover risks - By integrating with HR systems like Workday,  Blink tracks highly segmented employee turnover data to identify problem areas. Correlating turnover with other engagement metrics provides a full picture of where, how, and when to act on turnover risks.

Blink’s advanced analytics leverages extensive data from the platform to provide a detailed view of engagement and adoption across an organization. The analytics dashboard allows HR leaders to examine specific metrics and trends, and to clearly understand employee behavior and communication patterns. These insights enable organizations to make informed decisions to improve employee experience and performance. 

For a comprehensive overview of Blink's superapp, click here to explore the full product capabilities.

Elara Caring Implements Blink's Advanced Analytics

Elara Caring, a leading home healthcare provider, has successfully implemented Blink's advanced employee intelligence to enhance its onboarding and retention strategies. By utilizing Blink's new hire surveys and analytics dashboards, Elara Caring gained critical insights into their employees' experiences during the first few months of employment.

"With Blink’s insights powering our ElaraCare Application, we’ve created actionable strategies to improve team member experience," said Thomas Firmani, president, Personal Care Services at Elara Caring. "New caregiver feedback data – obtained through multiple touch points – has enabled us to refine our team member engagement process. Leveraging Blink’s in-app features, we have more personalized posts, enhanced support channels, and improved recognition platforms.”

"People feeling engaged in their work and happy are critical for the success of any organization," said Sean Nolan, CEO and founder of Blink. "Our enhanced platform provides the necessary advanced tools for organizations to gain deep insights into their workforce. By understanding employee sentiments and behaviors, leaders can make informed decisions that enhance the employee experience, productivity and ultimately reduce turnover."

About Blink

Blink is a provider of a leading super-app designed for frontline organizations. The company aims to revolutionize employee work life by bridging the digital divide between deskless and desk-based employees, enabling effective communication and engagement in distributed organizations. Blink is used by industry-leading companies, including RATPDev, Elara Caring, and Domino’s. Each user opens the app an average of seven times a day, helping lower frontline attrition by up to 25%. Founded in 2015 and with offices in London, Boston, and Sydney, Blink is a Leader in the G2 Grid® for Best Employee Engagement Software. Visit Joinblink.com for more information and follow on LinkedIn and X.

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Media Contact

Elyse Familant

Transatlantic 

elyse@transatlanticent.com

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When’s the last time you had a work-related question, opened your phone to Google it, and ended up down a rabbit hole of Tasty slow cooker recipe videos on Instagram?

If the answer is, “Not that long ago,” don’t worry. You’re not alone.

Many people consider social networks a productivity killer. Swiping through an endless stream of dog videos can make it hard to get work done.

Social media apps get a bad rap at work, but that’s because they’re so good at keeping people engaged and interacting.

What if you could harness the power of social media and use it to help your employees engage more at work?

That’s where a social intranet comes in.

You can use a social intranet to make your internal communications as engaging as a playlist of cats riding Roombas (well, almost).

With a social intranet, your employee network becomes more than a dumping ground for company documents — it’s a place where people can collaborate, learn, and feel connected to one another.

Keep reading to learn:

• What is a social intranet?
• Top benefits of a social intranet
• What your social intranet platform should include
• Social intranet best practices
• Final thoughts: what is a social intranet, and how does it benefit you?

What is a social intranet?

A social intranet is a private collaboration platform where workers can access content in one place. It offers social features like commenting and messaging so employees can interact and work together. And unlike traditional intranet solutions, social intranet software uses interactive elements to increase employee engagement and collaboration in the digital workspace.

Since intranets are networks only company employees can access, they serve as internal communications and knowledge management tools.

Why employee apps are the new intranet

Are intranets a thing of the past? In this eBook, learn how to engage with the deskless workforce effectively to build strong, happy frontline organizations.

Download Now

Top benefits of a social intranet

Traditional intranet setups have more restrictions when it comes to posting and interaction. For most employees, it’s like having “read-only” access to company resources.

On the other hand, social intranets give workers permission to create and engage with content. You can use social intranets to share company resources and encourage employees to connect with each other and the content.

Let’s take a look at some of the top benefits of choosing a social intranet over a traditional one.

More employee engagement

Social features such as liking, commenting and messaging help boost employee engagement online.

Deloitte found that improving employee engagement can increase retention by up to 87%. The study also suggests that using social tools internally increases employee satisfaction by 20%.

Socializing intranet with features like instant messaging keeps your employees connected so they’re more likely to feel like they’re part of a team.

Better collaboration

Gone are the days when you had a question at work and you had to walk five desks over to get your answer. With remote working in a digital workspace, your employees may be spread over several states and countries. That can make collaboration a challenge.

Social intranets provide tools that make it easier for your employees to connect and work together by offering features such as status updates and commenting. Activity streams, which are similar to social media news feeds, keep everyone in the loop, and private instant messages (which work like, e.g. Instagram DMs) eliminate the need for lengthy email chains.

Increased productivity

If workplace interruptions get out of hand, they’re a killer on your team’s productivity.

Imagine your marketing department trying to work on a website update, but they keep getting calls from sales reps who can’t find the right assets. Or maybe your website developer is hard at work on that new layout, but they’ve got to field emails from marketing about text updates.

With a traditionally restricted intranet, your employees have to rely on constant calls and meetings to share information.

A social intranet with private messaging and commenting features lets your employees engage with updates on their own time, so they can focus on their priorities without interruption.

Enhanced security

Employees who can’t contribute to their intranet need to find other places to share documents and files. Unfortunately, file-sharing platforms like Google Suite or Dropbox aren’t as secure as your private network.

With a social intranet, you have an added layer of security on your internal knowledge and documents.

What your social intranet platform should include

As you review different social intranet platforms, look for features that help employees connect and collaborate.

Here are some standard social intranet features to look for:

• Commenting, tagging, and messaging for easy social interaction
• Company news feeds and notifications for sharing updates
• Information hub with powerful search capabilities for ease of access
• Communities and forums for collaboration and knowledge-sharing
• Polls and surveys for collecting feedback
• Employee directory so people can get to know each other’s faces even if they haven’t met

Social intranet best practices

According to Prescient Digital Media, only 13% of employees use the company intranet every day. Most companies need to work harder to make their intranet useful for employees.

Here’s how you can set up your intranet to make sure your employees love checking in.

Make contribution easy

You can’t force employee engagement from the top down. Everyone in your organization has something to contribute, so make sure they can.

Empower your employees to share and help them by providing templates and tips for creating content.

Invest in mobile-ready

Businesses aren’t run out of a single headquarters anymore. Remote workers and frontline employees who interact with customers don’t always have access to a laptop or computer.

If you want a social intranet that everyone will use, it must be accessible to your entire workforce. Choose a platform optimized for mobile apps so your deskless workers still get the same online employee experience.

Look for a provider with analytics

How do you know if your social intranet is making a difference? Well, you won’t – unless you track its analytics.

Marketers use engagement analytics to measure the success of every campaign. You should take the same approach to internal communications.

Find a software provider that gives you insight into your digital workforce so you can take action.

Specifically, look for tools that track:

• Total users
• App opens and daily usage
• How much content is created
• How much interaction each post receives
• What type of feed content performs the best
• Top content contributors

By tracking your workforce analytics, you can figure out what type of content works for your team and create more of it. Without them, you risk investing a lot of time for a small reward.

Final thoughts: what is a social intranet, and how does it benefit you?

Staying connected in the digital workplace is vital. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Businesses need tools that adapt to ‘new normals’ and still keep employees connected.

The best social intranet is also a modern intranet.

It helps you create an internal comms resource your employees will actually want to use. No matter where your people are, they can log on and feel connected to the company and supported in their work.

Learn more about social intranet solutions built for employee engagement and retention with Blink.

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Previously published in Healthcare Business Today

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Mass walkouts make headlines. It would not be surprising if 2024 saw an increase in these headlines - particularly in sectors such as healthcare. The recent strike that saw 75,000 Kaiser healthcare workers walk off the job is reflective of the deep level of disengagement among frontline healthcare professionals in general. Unless healthcare leaders can spot rising levels of disengagement, understand what causes it, and take proactive steps to prevent it within their organizations, these worrying trends will continue to persist.

Unfortunately, despite significant and somewhat effective efforts by HR leaders to recognize and reward frontline workers for their contributions, the healthcare industry is struggling to bridge the gap between organizational initiatives and frontline satisfaction. Benefits programs, loyalty initiatives, listening surveys, and wellbeing apps have failed to move the needle, mainly because these initiatives simply don’t always reach those needing them. Technologies such as e-learning and team scheduling platforms, messaging, and collaboration tools - designed to engage employees and encourage a more connected and cohesive organizational culture  - have not had the desired impact on frontline staff. 

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Mismatch Between Technology and Reality 

The problem is that while the pace of digital transformation in the enterprise space has been undeniable, the technologies most healthcare organizations purchase today are designed for desk-based workers who are permanently online and have ready access to IT support and/or relevant training resources; or are another add on to an existing legacy system.

The modern enterprise tech ecosystem is incompatible with the reality of frontline work – where mobile ease of use and accessibility are pivotal to driving impact. These tools simply don’t work effectively when rolled out to hospital staff who are time-constrained, constantly on their feet, and rarely anywhere near a desktop computer, especially for anything nonclinical. 

A survey of more than 500 US healthcare workers reveals that 37% say technology frustrates them. This lack of positivity around technology creates inequality of opportunity and influence within the workplace, as healthcare workers often don’t enjoy the same sense of value and belonging as their office-based peers, nor do they have the same opportunities for career advancement.

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READ MORE: Achieving Employee Techquity: Our guide on why successful digital inclusion in healthcare starts in your teams.

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Purpose-built Technology for Delivering Exceptional Care

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Healthcare workers aren’t averse to using technology. As consumers, their digital world is immediate and enriching, driven by intuitive smartphone apps, instant notifications, and a sense of always having the tools they need at their fingertips. Yet in their jobs, the current digital experience can be slow and disjointed.

To close the digital divide, organizations must deploy technologies specifically designed with the on-the-go frontline healthcare experience in mind. For example, offering single sign-on (SSO), mobile-enabled access to all applications will greatly improve accessibility. Building a hub can make it easy for all workers to access important information and other systems. Simple mobile forms can replace paper trails, help workers improve efficiency, and eradicate convoluted processes so that workers do not waste time on administrative tasks.

Elara Caring, one of the largest US-based providers of personal care, home health, and hospice care, successfully addressed these challenges after experiencing a 65% annual staff turnover rate due to low morale and lack of peer-to-peer connection. The company decided to deploy Blink, the frontline employee super-app, which has transformed its operational landscape and solved its million-dollar challenge. 

Elara, using Blink, streamlined onboarding, enhanced communication efficiency, and created a sense of community among employees, some of whom were never connected to the organization. By leveraging capabilities like SSO and automating daily tasks, Elara centralized operations and increased its productivity. Additionally, they facilitated seamless communication and peer-to-peer networking, fostering a culture of recognition and empowerment within Elara's workforce.

By leveraging Blink's multifaceted capabilities, Elara not only mitigated its turnover challenge but also established a more cohesive, efficient, and connected workforce, reinforcing its commitment to employee well-being and organizational success.  And, now that Elara has been able to connect to this large employee constituency successfully, they are innovating on exciting new opportunities for improving these workers’ work-life and their patients’ experience.

Importance of Organizational Culture Shift  

Creating a digitally inclusive environment for frontline workers goes beyond technology adoption. It requires a cultural shift within organizations – one that values and actively supports the digital empowerment of every employee, regardless of role.  People and HR leaders must champion digital inclusion as a strategic priority, ensuring that frontline workers are not just recipients of technology but active participants in the digital transformation journey.

Organizations can foster this culture by promoting digital literacy programs, encouraging peer-to-peer learning, and recognizing the unique contributions of frontline workers. Understanding the specific pain points of these employees leads to more effective and user-friendly solutions and an increase in technology adoption.

Essentially, closing the digital gap for frontline healthcare workers isn't just about technological advancements, it's about ensuring exceptional healthcare and workplace equity. By investing in the right tools, training, and culture initiatives, healthcare organizations can enable and empower their frontline workforce to better thrive in the digital age.

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Collaboration starts at the top

Picture an orchestra. The musicians are world-class. The music is tried and tested. The venue is sold out. But the conductor?

If the conductor doesn’t show up and lead the way, each musician does their own thing. The strings speed up. The brass drags. Percussion is having its own little party in the back.

The same thing happens in the workplace.

You can hire the best people, invest in the smartest collaboration tools, and launch a jam-packed schedule of team-building activities. But without a leader actively bringing people together — and modelling the kind of team collaboration you want to see — you fail to see the desired results.

Collaboration is a by-product of consistent leadership behaviors — along with the right systems and practices. Find out what you can do to encourage your people to work together and stop going it alone.

Leaders are a catalyst for collaboration

There’s a strong link between internal communication and collaboration. When workplace communication is open and effective, collaboration comes much easier.

The right comms tools take you part of the way. But it’s leaders who decide the style and tone of communication. They set the stage for how information is shared, decisions made, and conflicts resolved.

Most importantly, they shape psychological safety within your organization. This is the belief that it’s safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and share new perspectives — all of which are vital to effective collaboration.

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Common collaboration blockers: Where leaders are going wrong

Collaboration brings many benefits — including increased efficiency, productivity, and employee engagement. But you may be missing out on all the above if leadership is displaying the following collaboration-blocking behaviors.

Playing favorites

When leaders give certain people or teams special treatment, everyone sees it. Opportunities, information, and recognition flow toward the chosen few. Other employees stop bothering to contribute. Over time, trust erodes and people assume collaboration is shorthand for helping someone else to shine. 

A closed leadership style

When leaders are reluctant to share information or delegate tasks, when they struggle to admit mistakes or ask for help, they model a non-collaborative style of leadership and communication. Employees are likely to follow suit, gatekeeping workplace knowledge and keeping their guard up.

Siloing teams

Failing to encourage cross-department collaboration creates silos. Projects are contained within one team. This limits the sharing of ideas, causes duplicate work, and prevents teams from seeing the bigger picture. Collaboration becomes the exception, not the rule.

Leading only through email or announcements

Relying solely on email or one-way announcements leads to poor comms engagement. It’s then hard for leaders to convey information — on corporate strategy, common goals, and company culture — and to encourage the two-way communication you need for effective collaboration.  

Not inviting feedback from all levels

Leaders who only hear from their inner circle miss out on well-rounded insights. If you don’t proactively seek perspectives from every level, you risk building strategies in an echo chamber — and making it clear to certain groups of workers that their contribution isn’t valued.

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Leadership behaviors that encourage collaboration

We’ve looked at what could be going wrong. Now, let’s look at what leaders can do to get it right. To improve teamwork in the workplace, good leaders consistently demonstrate these collaborative behaviors.

Modelling open communication

Collaboration thrives when leaders share information openly and honestly — and when they create opportunities for employees to respond, ask questions, and contribute ideas. Acting on feedback is also important. It shows that employee input is valued. And that leadership isn’t afraid to adapt and admit mistakes.

Consistently demonstrate this style of communication and employees will adopt these behaviors as their own, helping you pave the way for effective collaboration across the organization.

Recognizing and celebrating cross-team wins

If a joint project succeeds, shout about it. Not just in the quarterly meeting, but in the moment. Share teamwork achievements in real time, and allow employees to add their congratulations, too.

When praise comes from the highest levels of your organization and is amplified across the organization, employees see that working together is valued and celebrated.

Showing up regularly and authentically

Only picking up the microphone when there’s big news to share? Then you’re missing out on opportunities to engage and align your workforce.

Show up regularly on the communication channels your employees like to use and — once you’re there — be yourself. Share an unpolished video message. Tell stories about real people.

By going beyond formal emails and announcements, you make yourself visible, approachable, and aligned with the day-to-day work of employees. Again, this is great for building psychological safety and setting norms around workplace communication.

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Embedding collaboration into company culture: 6 practical tips

Beyond individual leader behavior, the right systems, policies, and practices can bake collaboration into company culture. Here’s what leaders can do to make teamworking an expected and celebrated part of the workplace.

#1. Make cross-functional projects the norm

Cross-functional collaboration helps you solve problems faster and more effectively. When launching a new project, consider which teams should get a seat at the table. Then, give these teams the time, support, and tools they need to work together.  

#2. Providing tools and spaces (digital + physical) for collaboration

The right supportive environment makes all the difference. Breakout spaces encourage collaboration within your physical workplace. But you need digital collaboration tools too. That might mean creating a central hub of resources and information — where everyone, from remote teams to frontline crews, is kept in the loop.

#3. Set collaboration as a performance metric for managers

What gets measured gets managed. You can encourage managers to develop teamwork skills by evaluating them on collaboration outcomes. Recognize the joint projects and information sharing that goes on under their watch, and they’re more likely to encourage collaborative behaviors.

#4. Provide training

Collaboration relies on soft skills, like open communication, active listening, empathy, and negotiation. These skills don’t always come naturally, so it pays to provide training. With the right support, employees have a better understanding of collaborative behaviors, and managers know how to encourage them.

#5. Ask for employee feedback

Regularly seek feedback from employees and you show them that their opinions and ideas matter. To build trust and psychological safety even further, close the feedback loop. Whether you’re surveying employees on the state of internal communication, their engagement levels, or the latest shift swap policy, share survey results and the action you plan to take.

#6. Regularly revisit and refine collaboration rituals

The needs of your teams are liable to change. The collaboration tools that worked two years ago might feel clunky now. The teamwork strategies you put into play may no longer feel relevant to the makeup of your teams. Leaders should make it a habit to review and refresh the collaboration rituals they’ve established to ensure that teamwork remains effective.

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How the right collaboration tools can help

Leaders have a huge impact on workplace collaboration. They set the tone. But with all the will in the world, dispersed teams will find it hard to collaborate without the right digital communication tools. You need collaboration software for remote teams, frontline workers, and office-based staff to facilitate knowledge sharing and project management. Here’s what to look for.   

Centralized communication platforms

Updates, files, and conversations scattered across multiple apps? Then you’re creating friction and encouraging siloed working. A tool like Blink puts all internal communications and essential files in one centralized hub. As a mobile-first tool, these resources are available to any employee with a smartphone. So everyone is kept in the loop.

Real-time feeds, stories, and live updates

Leaders can use digital channels to reinforce collaborative behaviors daily, not just at once-in-a-blue-moon meetings. You can use a Story, a live update, or a recognition post to highlight teamwork lessons and wins. In doing so, you show that collaboration is happening — and that it’s valued.

Integration with existing systems

The best collaboration tools don’t expect people to drop what’s working. Instead, they connect the dots. Blink integrates with your other workplace software — so employee communications, collaboration, and project management can all live in one place. Teams don’t have to hop between apps — instead, they can focus on tackling the task at hand together.

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Lead the way: Make collaboration part of your day-to-day

If you’re committed to improving collaboration in the workplace, you can’t be the conductor who hides in the wings.

Leaders have to be visible and present. They need to use every update, recognition post, and meeting as a chance to model the teamwork strategies they want their workforce to follow.

Because collaboration is built by leaders who demonstrate collaborative behaviors themselves. By leaders who listen as much as they speak, who establish a culture of psychological safety, and who welcome the input of employees from all levels of the organization.

Combine a collaborative leadership style and the right teamworking tools and you give employees everything they need to achieve more, together.  

‍Blink. And use leadership comms to supercharge collaboration.

Learn the difference between internet, intranet, and extranet. And discover how to use each for your business.

Internet, intranet, extranet — the words sound similar but these terms refer to very different types of networks.

These networks have very different security implications and business uses. So before you share essential company documents on any of them, it’s important to know the difference.

Understanding how to use the internet, intranet, and extranet helps to keep your resources secure and in the right place.

Intranet vs Internet explained

An intranet is a local, private network that only people within an organization can access. It’s a restricted network mainly used to share files and information securely within an organization. 

The internet is a global collection of computer networks known as the World Wide Web. This network is accessible to anyone.

What is the difference between the internet and intranet?

The internet and the intranet are both online networks. Their core framework is provided by internet protocol and World Wide Web standards.

The main difference between the intranet and the internet comes down to access.

The internet is a global collection of computer networks. It’s an open network, accessible to anyone with a device and an internet connection.

In contrast, the intranet is a closed, online network, only accessible to company employees. Employees use some form of login to access the company intranet. 

Extranet vs Intranet

As explained above, an intranet is a local network that only the employees of an organization get to access. And the internet is an open network that anyone can access.  

Extranets fall somewhere in the middle. They allow for some connections outside of the company but, like intranets, they’re not available to the public. 

Extranets are a way to give third-parties — including vendors, suppliers, partners, and customers — access to restricted information.

Internet vs intranet vs extranet

These three network types support a range of business activities. The information you decide to put on each of these networks depends upon the level of security required.   

Information you share on the internet is suitable for public consumption. Highly confidential information is best reserved for your intranet. And less sensitive data can be shared with trusted third-parties on an extranet. 

Why companies use intranet

Intranets have come a long way since the days when they lived on a server in the office. Many organizations have now moved beyond a traditional intranet. They’ve replaced clunky, outdated, desktop-based systems with a modern alternative.

Now, companies use intranets to share internal communications, support collaboration, and offer easy access to workplace resources. 

Intranets are helping to streamline the work of HR teams and improve employee engagement. They’re also helping organizations to share information securely with remote teams and frontline workers. 

For example, employees may need to access customer order details, review financial reports, or collaborate on new product development. In all these cases, an intranet supports productivity while keeping sensitive data secure.

Here’s a look at some of the ways a modern employee intranet can benefit your company:

• Streamlined knowledge management. Companies can securely store and share important documents. Everyone — including remote and frontline workers — has the information they need to get their work done.
  
  
• Network security. The best intranet software and web servers offer excellent levels of security. An internet firewall, data encryption, secure login protocols, and private servers protect intranet connections. So only approved personnel can access the network and its data.
  
  
• Effective internal communications and collaboration. With a secure intranet, you make sure all workers receive company-wide updates. You give them the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with one another, too.
  
  
• Improved employee engagement. The best intranet software supports employee engagement. It features employee feedback, recognition, analytics, and two-way communication tools.

Modern company intranet solutions, like Blink, keep employees connected. You can even track user activity and use workforce insights to measure employee engagement.

Read more: How to set up your employee intranet

Why companies use extranet

An extranet is a platform via which you can share resources and collaborate with partners. So companies use extranets to give trusted customers, partners, and vendors access to sensitive information. 

For example, if you have a customer who places regular orders with your business, they could use your secure extranet to update orders, process invoices, and message your team. It’s a reliable way to streamline your interactions while keeping data secure.

Some specific use cases for an extranet platform include:

• Sharing financial data with your auditors and key stakeholders
• Providing customer support via a help desk
• Sharing access to key software with external partners
• Collaborating on product development with engineering teams

In all these cases, an extranet solution supports productivity and helps you stay aligned with your partners.

Internet-hosted platform uses

Aside from the obvious day-to-day usage of the internet for browsing and email, many companies depend on the internet for vital employee functions.

For example, many businesses rely on cloud-based software to run their business and manage employees. That software often requires an internet connection.

Additionally, frontline teams may access a specific web portal to communicate with vendors and customers. They may also rely on the internet to access critical business information, such as customer databases or product manuals.

Here are some specific examples of when a company might use an internet solution:

• Providing customer support via live chat or phone calls
• Hosting virtual meetings and webinars with employees, partners, and clients
• Delivering training materials to remote teams or workers in the field
• Collaborating on projects with teammates and vendors across multiple locations

In all these cases, having reliable access to the internet can help your team stay connected and productive.

Intranets and extranets: which is right for my organization?

Intranets and extranets are part of many company workflows. But which solution is right for your organization?

If you’re looking for a platform that lets you securely share information with customers or vendors, an extranet is probably the best choice.

Extranet software allows you to collaborate with multiple external partners across different locations. And it’s ideal when you want to improve outbound or customer-facing comms.

However, if you need a way to share information internally with your workforce, an intranet is a better fit. This closed network offers the best level of security for sensitive company data.

An intranet can also support your wider organizational goals. It can act as an employee engagement tool, using comms and connection to drive employee engagement and retention. It can support workplace productivity, collaboration, and efficiency, too.

Intranets and extranets are both communication and collaboration tools. But they’re designed for very different groups of people. It may be that you need one or both of these solutions to meet your business goals.

Have you considered a mobile app?

Mobile employee apps are a kind of modern intranet, available on both desktop and mobile devices.

These apps are well-suited to frontline organizations, where workers don’t always sit behind a desk and don’t necessarily have a company email address. 

That’s because, when you use an app, frontline workers can access all modern intranet features on the go, from their personal smartphones.

They can take part in real-time communication, get critical company comms, access workplace resources, and use a variety of workplace software — all via a user-friendly interface.

Just bear in mind — some desktop intranets come with a mobile app. But unless you choose a mobile-first intranet, the mobile experience often lags behind that of the desktop version.

Mobile-first intranets offer exactly the same features and functionality on mobile devices as they do on desktops. So both frontline and office-based employees enjoy the same, great digital employee experience.

With a mobile-first employee app, you improve internal communication, employee productivity, and engagement for the whole organization, not just your employees based at HQ.  

Read more about the features and uses of Blink’s employee app.

Final thoughts: internet, intranet and extranet — what’s the difference?

You may use the internet, intranet, and extranet for company comms and operations. But think carefully about which information you put on each of these networks.

Use the internet when you want to share information with everyone. Use an extranet for collaboration with partners, customers, suppliers, and vendors.

And use an intranet as your secure digital workspace. This is a platform where employees can access resources, connect with one another, and follow company news. And where your comms and HR teams can easily and efficiently give workers all the information and resources they need.

How can Blink help?

Blink’s employee app is the ultimate employee network solution. With this cloud-based software platform, you can securely manage a range of business functions.

Communications, collaboration, HR functions, workplace resources — our super-app gives employees secure, mobile access to everything they need for their day-to-day work. 

In doing so, it helps frontline organizations improve employee productivity, retention, and engagement.

To learn more about how a modern intranet solution can support your digital workforce, explore Blink today.

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2025 will be a transformative year for internal comms

As we look to 2025, internal communications is no longer just about keeping employees in the loop. Today’s workplace demands thoughtful, empathetic, and tech-savvy approaches to connect and engage a diverse, often dispersed workforce.

While this coming year will bring a host of unknown changes and unexpected challenges, it will also underscore universal principles — like empathy, community, and respect — that help create workplaces people genuinely want to be part of.

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For internal comms leaders, staying on top of these trends is about more than checking the latest buzzwords off your comms resolution list. It’s about creating a work culture that feels meaningful, supportive, and inclusive.

Let’s dive into the top internal comms trends shaping the future of work in 2025.

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#1. Empathy will win in a world of division

With worldwide conflicts and societal strife stirring up strong opinions, internal communication can’t afford to be tone-deaf or dismissive. People want a workplace that doesn’t just pay lip service to empathy and respect — they want to feel it.

86% of employees say workplace empathy is crucial, yet only 50% believe their organizations deliver on it — underscoring a gap that leaders are aiming to bridge in 2025

Employees bring their whole selves to work, especially during tense times. Internal comms should acknowledge that people may feel vulnerable or uncertain. This doesn’t mean comms teams need to — or even should! — take a stance on every issue, but it does mean that they should prioritize creating a culture where all voices feel respected and valued.

Help your executive leaders create communication guidelines that promote respect and open dialogue without crossing into sensitive or divisive territories. And consider how your content can be more inclusive not only with what it says, but how it says it: Informal videos from leaders, for example, can be more impactful and human than a lengthy written email.

#2. Hyper-personalization will redefine comms

The right balance of communications can be hard to find. Too much, and you risk overwhelming employees; too little, and employees may not feel as informed.

A key way to hit the right stride is by creating a more personalized approach to comms — something that 55% of communication professionals believe will be the most impactful trend in the next 5 years. Real-time data and AI can help internal comms teams segment communications to targeted groups:

• By role: If you’re a manufacturer, the messages your boots-on-the-ground plant workers care about will likely differ from your employees at headquarters. Be sure to take your core employee groups into consideration as you develop your content.‍
• By location: Similarly to role-based content, consider personalizing comms by location — from corporate updates (such as new benefits in the US vs. Europe) to proximate situations (like a nearby flood warning or power outage).‍
• By channel: Use back-end analytics to identify the channels where employees receive their information — as well as those that, for whatever reason, tend to fall flat — so you can ensure optimal engagement.

Taking a hyper-personalized approach creates a more relevant experience that cuts through the noise and resonates with employees on an individual level.

3. Mobile-first strategies will take center stage

For frontline and mobile workers, desktop-first communication doesn’t cut it anymore. Only 23% of frontline employees feel they have access to adequate technology; this lack of access can be detrimental to the employee experience.

Streamlining workplace tech isn’t just better for the frontline — it’s better for everyone: The average desk worker juggles 11 applications to complete their tasks, leaving a lot of room for digital burnout, irrelevant content, and missed messages. Plus, mobile phones are the primary way people interact with their favorite apps and services outside of work — so mobile-friendly employee technology feels naturally intuitive and familiar.

Internal comms teams need to see mobile as the primary channel for reaching all employees. By using mobile-first employee platforms to share urgent updates and in-the-moment communication, internal comms teams can better reach people where they are.

Bonus: Create concise and visual content that’s easy to see on a smartphone — think short videos, bite-sized news updates, and mobile-friendly graphics — to make important information instantly accessible and boost engagement.

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#4. Asynchronous tools will bring harmony to hybrid teams

As hybrid and dispersed workforces become more the norm, it’s on internal comms teams to cater to employees scattered across time zones, locations, and schedules.

With asynchronous (async) communication, people don’t have to be online at the same time to receive and respond to updates — making it easier for everyone to stay informed and connected. Plus, many employees feel that async communication is beneficial because it increases productivity (42%) and fosters a sense of inclusion (34%).

Rather than sharing important information only via live town halls or in-person meetings, consider creating digital assets — like recorded video updates, in-depth FAQs, or detailed content hubs — that employees can access on their own time. This approach ensures everyone can stay on the same page without endless meetings or overlapping schedules.

Make sure your content is accessible to everyone, from employees with disabilities to those working odd hours. Use clear language, avoid jargon, and leverage diverse formats to accommodate different preferences and needs.

#5. Digital tools will look more and more like Instagram and TikTok

Social media influences everything we do, and the workplace is no exception. More internal comms platforms are adding social media-style features to make work communication more engaging.

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Employees enjoy posting, sharing, and reacting outside of work — the new year is a perfect moment in time to start bringing that energy into the workplace. Now more than ever, your employee experience tech should offer a user experience as good as, or better than, everyday consumer apps like Instagram and TikTok.

Here are some ways organizations are encouraging user-generated content that creates a sense of community and makes people feel seen:

• Stories for the workplace: Enable employees to share daily updates, work wins, and personal highlights from their workday.‍
• Communities that connect: Create digital spaces where employees can connect and chat about shared interests, hobbies, and personal passions.‍
• News Feed for everyone: Curate your comms homepage as an internal news feed, showcasing an employee’s unique view of relevant content

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Social-style features can be a great way to inspire interactivity, but it’s crucial to maintain professional boundaries. Use moderation tools, set clear guidelines, and ensure all content aligns with company values and respects the workplace environment.

#6. AI will become your content sidekick

From writing support to content recommendations, AI is becoming a game-changer to help internal comms teams boost efficiency and personalize content. And they’re already excited about the innovation: 75% of users are looking to automate tasks at work and use generative AI for work communications.

Generative AI has emerged as a powerful co-creator for internal comms, allowing teams to craft messages from scratch, refine drafts, or adjust tones with ease. Need to send a CEO message with a warm, motivational tone or an urgent update that’s clear and concise? Either way, generative AI’s got your back.

AI tools can also analyze how employees engage with content, helping internal comms teams understand what resonates and adjust messaging accordingly. For instance, if engagement spikes with video updates, teams can double down on that format.

As AI continues to evolve, comms teams will gain a deeper understanding of tone, timing, and content effectiveness, ultimately leading to internal messages that feel both high quality and highly personalized.

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#7. Employee influencers will shape internal culture

We know firsthand from social media that people connect with people more than they do with brands or businesses. After all, 7 in 10 people are more likely to trust an influencer recommendation over information straight from a brand.

By tapping internal influencers, internal comms teams can champion messages and initiatives authentically, much like influencers do externally.

Start by identifying well-regarded and highly engaged employees across departments who can act as ambassadors for key company initiatives. These ambassadors can create and share their own updates, tips, or personal stories — like on social media — giving an authentic perspective that feels relatable and trustworthy.

Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look at a big project, a day in their work life, or a personal win, internal influencers help humanize communication and give employees a sense of ownership over company culture.

#8. Gamification will transform engagement

Gamification is huge in consumer apps, and it’s making its way into internal comms to make engagement fun and rewarding. This trend goes beyond simple points or badges — it’s about fostering healthy competition and building team spirit. In fact, 9 in 10 employees say gamification makes them feel more productive and happier at work.

Create leaderboards around metrics like onboarding activities participated in, peer recognition received, or training modules completed. This can spark a friendly sense of competition, especially when teams work toward a collective goal.

Employees can unlock digital achievements for reaching milestones like work anniversaries, completing major projects, or receiving continuous positive feedback. These achievements can be showcased in their profiles or even appear as badges in chat interfaces.

Stay ahead of the comms curve in the new year and beyond

As 2025 unfolds, internal comms teams have an exciting opportunity to lead the charge in creating thoughtful, human-centered communication.

From AI personalization to empathetic messaging, these trends can help build stronger, more connected workplaces that employees feel proud to belong to.

By incorporating these trends into your 2025 plan, internal comms leaders can set up their team for success with a strategy that hears every voice, embraces every employee, and unites teams across their organization.

Blink. And ring in the new year with a trailblazing internal comms strategy.