Intranet Content for February

Intranet Content for February 2024

As February unfolds, we find ourselves in the heart of winter, where the draw of frosty landscapes and the warmth of shared moments may intersect. In this mid-winter landscape, let your intranet become a vibrant hub, offering a myriad of enriching content to brighten the season. Following are some of our favorite ideas for into intranet content for February!

Shortcuts

Ideas for intranet content for February 2024:

• Black History Month
• February 12-16: Love Data Week
• Virtual Team Building Exercises
• February 14: Valentine’s Day
• February 20: World Day of Social Justice
• Winter Wellness Tips

Black History Month

Black History Month is dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the accomplishments, contributions, and historical significance of Black individuals and communities. In the United States and Canada, Black History Month is observed in February, while the United Kingdom celebrates in October. Using your company intranet to promote Black History Month is an excellent way to raise awareness, educate employees, and foster inclusivity. Promote and feature influential Black leaders, employees, community leaders by telling their stories.

Try one or more of the following ideas for your company intranet:

• Share educational content about Black history, achievements, and contributions. Feature articles, videos, or infographics highlighting influential Black figures, historical events, and cultural aspects. Consider including links, like Black History Month, or other reputable external resources.
• Showcase employee spotlights featuring Black individuals within your organization. Highlight their professional achievements, contributions to the company, and any other community involvement.
• Engage employees with interactive quizzes or trivia related to Black history. Include questions about influential figures, historical milestones, and cultural aspects. Offer small incentives or recognition for participation.

It’s important to approach any initiatives with sensitivity and an unwavering commitment to fostering a workplace culture that values diversity and promotes inclusivity. A thoughtful approach to intranet content entails recognizing and respecting the unique experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives of all individuals, particularly during initiatives like those focused on Black History Month.

February 12-16: Love Data Week

Promote and celebrate data awareness within your organization during Love Data Week 2024 (#LoveData24). Your intranet provides a platform to highlight internal data, analytics, and data-driven decision making at your organization. For example, try spotlighting how your organization uses data to make decisions.

So, what can you do for Love Data Week internally? Here are our thoughts:

• Because data can deal with sensitive information, like personally identifiable information (PII), it’s important to facilitate data ethics discussions with employees. Love Data Week is a great time to do that. Your intranet can be the support system needed to promote the event, location, and offer news posts for updates and signups. Perhaps even a post event recap!
• Highlight data success stories on your company intranet. Share how your organization uses data to make decisions and how this data-decision-making process has positively impacted different departments or projects within the organization. Providing achievements and outcomes will show the value of data as well as act as inspiration for future data drives endeavors.
• What to add a bit of fun? Try hosting a data driven achievements “wall.” For this, create a virtual wall or section on the intranet to display notable achievements that were made possible through data-driven decision-making. Include visuals, statistics, and narratives to engage staff members.
• Alternately, try out daily data-themed trivia or quizzes throughout the week. Questions could be posted to the intranet with an answer key as a news post on that Friday. This creates friendly competition among employees without being required. Consider offering small incentives or recognition for those who participate.

If you want to learn more about International Love Data Week 2024, visit International Love Data Week .

Virtual Team Building

February is a great time to use your organization’s Intranet to highlight different tactics for virtual team building. Not only will virtual team building foster collaboration and promote a positive team culture, but it has the potential to boost morale and workplace satisfaction – especially if your workforce is remote, hybrid, or located across multiple office locations. Team building exercises can be outside of day-to-day tasks or role-based responsibilities, making virtual team building a great option for staff members from different departments to get to know each other.

Some options to consider:

• Host themed virtual happy hours or coffee breaks where team members across your organization can join video. If in alignment with company culture, consider adding a theme (example, wear your favorite hat). It adds a fun and lighthearted element to virtual gatherings.
• Initiate virtual fitness challenges or wellness programs through the intranet. Encourage employees to track their fitness activities, share healthy recipes, or even participate in virtual meditation sessions together!
• Feature employee spotlights on the intranet that allows team members to share their experiences, hobbies, or personal achievements. This helps build connections and understanding among teams. This could be org-wide, department based, or have a membership at the discretion of the organization.
• Offer online workshops or skill-sharing sessions facilitated by staff members. This could range from sharing professional skills (like networking 101) to hobbies and interests (like crocheting or basketweaving), providing an opportunity for collaborative learning.

Virtual team building is essential for teams that are scattered across geographic areas, not just those which have work-from-home staff members. The potential to elevate morale and job satisfaction is particularly significant in today’s remote and hybrid work environments. Learn more about using your intranet for team building in our blog post 10 Tips for Using Your Intranet to Build Community & Enhance Employee Engagement.

February 14: Valentine’s Day

It’s hard to escape February without focusing on Valentine’s Day – and the intranet is no exception. Celebrating Valentine’s Day on your company intranet can be a positive way to show appreciation for staff and highlight workplace memories through the years.

We suggest tying Valentine’s Day to a favorite work-related memory or showing appreciation to colleagues. For example:

• Develop an appreciation wall on the intranet where employees can post messages of gratitude for their coworkers. This could include acknowledging specific contributions, expressing thanks for collaboration, or simply sending positive vibes to the entire team!
• Invite leaders and managers to share heartfelt messages of appreciation for their teams. This can be done through written messages, video messages, or virtual town hall meetings. Recognizing and celebrating the efforts of employees contributes to a positive workplace culture.
• Shine a spotlight on employees in a “Love Edition” of the employee spotlight feature. Share their stories of success, dedication, or acts of kindness within the workplace. Highlighting the human side of colleagues builds a sense of community.

By incorporating ideas like the appreciation wall for heartfelt messages, leaders expressing gratitude, and the “Love Edition” employee spotlight, organizations not only commemorate the occasion but also strengthen the bonds that define their unique workplace culture.

February 20: World Day of Social Justice

Beginning in 2009, the United Nations has been observing “World Day of Social Justice” on February 20^th. The objective of the World Day of Social Justice is to encourage initiatives aimed at addressing challenges like exclusion, gender inequality, social and economic disparities, and various other forms of injustice. The emphasis is on confronting these issues through the implementation of social policies and programs that advocate for fair and equal opportunities for everyone.

Your company intranet is a great medium for promoting events, workshops, and discussions centered around social justice matters. The overarching goal is to enhance awareness and cultivate a dedication to establishing a society that is more equitable and inclusive.

The following are some intranet-specific ideas for your organization to try on World Day of Social Justice:

• Provide educational content for staff members, including articles, graphics, or videos to help educate on key social injustice issues. Provide resources to bolster the importance of social injustice both in and out of the workplace.
• Feature employee spotlights focusing on individuals who have actively contributed to social justice initiatives or have made a positive impact in their communities. Share their stories and achievements.
• Provide information on actionable steps employees can take to contribute to social justice causes. Include links to relevant charities, volunteering opportunities, or ways to support marginalized communities.
• Develop a toolkit with resources, guides, and tools that employees can use to educate themselves further on social justice issues. Include links to reputable organizations, research, and educational platforms.

Engaging your employees through the intranet can contribute to a more socially conscious and supportive workplace culture.

Winter Wellness Tips

Amidst the crisp air and snow-draped landscapes (depending on where you call home), taking intentional steps to prioritize your health becomes paramount. Having a dedicated space on your company intranet to promote winter wellness, or even seasonal wellness, is a great way to show staff members that the intranet can be used for more than just business initiatives. A winter wellness collection of tips and insights aims to empower staff with knowledge and practices to navigate the winter season with resilience and vitality!

Here are three ideas for winter wellness on your intranet:

• Mindfulness and Well-Being Resources – Dedicate a section on the intranet to mindfulness and well-being resources. Include guided meditation sessions, mental health resources, and tips for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Maybe even try something new, like Reiki or sound healing! If your organization has a wellness committee, they might be in a good position to spearhead this initiative.
• Virtual Potluck Recipes – Encourage employees to share their favorite winter season recipes or treats. Create a virtual potluck where colleagues can contribute recipes, cooking tips, and even share photos of their culinary creations. Additionally, if your intranet supports videos, cooking demonstrations might be a fun addition (whether a public resource or staff member video). This adds a delicious touch to the often-chilly season. It’s also a great way to learn more about your coworkers!
• Exercise and Movement Tips – Recognizing that we as people have different abilities, an intranet is in a great position to feature diverse exercise and movement options. This can be in the form of a daily “Get moving” motivation, exercise to try, or suggestions on how to keep safe in snowy weather. Perhaps have a movement-buddy program for the winter where staff members can partner up and support each other. The intranet is a great low pressure and low barrier way to foster healthy lifestyles.

Other Ideas

Other ideas to potentially incorporate into your intranet content for February 2024:

• February 2: Groundhog Day
• February 6: Safer Internet Day
• February 14: Library Lovers’ Day
• February 26: Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Looking for more ways to enhance your intranet, freshen up an intranet, or build a new intranet? Check out other articles in FireOak’s intranet blog post series and stay tuned for our March Intranet Content post in this series.