When you’re shopping at the grocery store, inevitably you always forget an item or two, and quickly realize you have to backtrack a few aisles to find it. The clearly labeled aisles help you find what you’re looking for quickly so you can head out the door.

As humans, we’re destined to group like items together, and at the very least, expect like items to be in the same place.

Organizing your healthcare organization’s intranet should be the same way. Just as you would organize your external site in a way that’s easier for potential patients and visitors, your intranet should reflect the same organization for your internal customers – your employees.

Geonetric recently assisted in launching a new intranet for CentraCare Health, based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. We also provided a webinar to help Geonetric clients enhance interest on employee communication platforms.

From locating documents to simply finding the latest policy updates or news, organizing your intranet in an easy-to-navigate fashion will be key in your employees’ abilities to perform job functions.

Consider these helpful tips when building your intranet:

• Confusion-Proof Navigation: Many organizations put heavy consideration into the departments and roles that will be using the intranet most, and organize the site for specific functions.
• Site Search is Your Friend: Two words: Site search. Site search is an employee’s best friend when searching for something specific. Don’t make them waste company dollars combing the intranet.
• Don’t Hide Download Links: Anything that’s a downloadable document or intended for offline use should be easily seen with icons or clearly defined links.
• Grant Permissions for Protection: When working with an intranet, grant specific permissions to users to ensure the structure and content doesn’t unravel. Permissions and access can protect the intranet while still keeping it functional.

Another tool that Geonetric clients find attractive is the Policy and Procedure Manager software, which allows Human Resource departments to quickly upload up-to-date policies and changes for their employees.

The bottom line? According to the Nielsen Norman Group, experts in online user experience, a well-designed intranet for a mid-sized company can save up to $5 million per year, just by improving employee productivity with an easy-to-use intranet.

When is the last time you scoffed at saving a few bucks?