Intranet Content for May 2024
May is here, and with it comes a fresh opportunity to refresh your intranet content and engage your employees. Whether you want to raise awareness about mental health, share tips on password security, foster collaboration, encourage innovation, or celebrate cultural diversity, we have some ideas for you. In this blog post, we will share some of the best practices and examples of intranet content for May 2024 that you can use to inspire your own content creation. Let’s get started!
Shortcuts
Menal Health Awareness Month (May)
- Starting in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed during the month of May with the intent of raising awareness about mental health and fighting social stigmas.
Some specific ways to celebrate and promote mental health at your company via your intranet:
- Create a dedicated mental health resources section on your intranet. Share information, resources, and tips related to mental health. This could include articles, videos, podcasts, and other educational materials. If your company has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), promote this valuable service.
- Host virtual events that can provide valuable insights and create a safe space for employees to discuss mental health topics. A few example topics include:
- The Impact of Nutrition and Exercise on Mental Health
- Mindfulness and Meditation for Beginners
- Maintaining a Work-Life Balance
- Coping with Grief and Loss
- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
- Mental Health & Creativity
- Host mindfulness challenges that staff members have the option to participate in. Resources, activities, and videos can be provided on the intranet. For example, offer morning meditations.
Participation in mental health activities should be 100% optional, respecting the privacy of staff members. Creating a safe environment to access mental health resources anonymously helps to demonstrate that your workplace culture supports and prioritizes the mental health of its employees.
World Password Day (May 2)
World Password Day is designed to promote good password hygiene practices, and it raises awareness about the importance of strong passwords for both personal and work use. If staff members adopt good password management practices in their personal life, it will help protect organizational data as well.
Some ideas:
- Remind staff of your organization’s password policy. Host a virtual meeting or publish a news post, whichever method of communication works best for your company, to highlight key elements of the policy.
- Create educational content (or link to it if it already exists) on a site page that discusses password best practices, including known pitfalls. Promote the location of the content via news or announcements. Focus on the “what’s in it for me message” when it comes to following best practices.
- If you have a staff member responsible for password management, feature them in an employee spotlight where they share their expertise pertaining to password management and security.
Celebrating world password day on your company intranet demonstrates a commitment to a more security-conscious company culture.
National Limerick Day (May 12)
In a workplace where connections were thin,
Came an intranet, a bright origin.
With clicks and with shares,
It banished the office despairs,
A digital hub where success would begin!
Have some fun with your intranet. A great way to do this is by partaking in the humorous whimsy of National Limerick Day.
Limericks typically consist of five lines, with the first, second, and fifth lines having eight or nine syllables and the third and fourth lines having five or six syllables. They rhyme in an AABBA pattern. This type of poem became popular because of Edward Lear.
Some ideas to mark the occasion:
- Invite staff members to participate in a limerick contest. Ask them to post their original limericks on a special page on the intranet. Let staff members comment and vote on the entries. To help those who may not be familiar with limericks, offer a sample limerick about your organization.
- Think about starting the “Limerick Awards” where entries could compete for “Most Creative,” “Funniest,” or “Best Team Effort.” The intranet can be used to showcase the limericks, allow for voting, and even become an annual event.
Everyone should have the choice and the invitation to take part, so no one feels excluded or pressured. Depending on your organization’s culture, celebrating national limerick day can be a great way to stimulate creativity and increase employee morale by deviating a bit from the normal day-to-day.
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (May 21)
The value of cultural diversity, comprehension, and dialogue is celebrated every May 21, as World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This event was created by the United Nations to highlight how cultural diversity can enhance prosperity, support sustainable development, and contribute to global peace.
This daylong celebration encourages groups, people, and communities to join in activities that promote diversity, inclusion, and awareness. A few ideas for how to incorporate this message in your intranet:
- Create a page on your intranet that contains articles, videos, infographics, etc. that highlight cultural diversity. Include information on the benefits of diversity and DEI in the workplace.
- Organize virtual events that promote cultural understanding and promote them on the intranet. This could include cultural awareness training, respectful speech, or discussions about the importance of diversity. Share event details and registration on the intranet.
- Run several employee spotlights that feature employees from various cultural backgrounds (this should be on a voluntary basis). Allow them to share their stories, experiences, and contributions to emphasize the importance of diversity in the workplace.
- For something light and fun, consider a multicultural recipe sharing exchange where staff members can post their favorite recipes to the intranet along with any cultural information they might wish to share. This virtual cookbook will broaden cultural understanding and the palette!
Highlight your Company’s Organizational Values
Your organizational values are what bring employees together. It’s important to reinforce your values both within your company and with your external product or service. An intranet can help you share your values internally. To make your values more visible across the organization, think about leading a yearlong project where each value gets its own spotlight.
For instance, if teamwork and collaboration is one of your company values, you can focus on this value for a month. Throughout the month, use the intranet to highlight collaboration efforts at your company, highlighting how a teamwork driven environment supports diverse perspectives which positively impact the company.
A few ideas:
- Feature video interviews with individuals or teams that have excelled with collaborative efforts.
- Share stories, case studies, and articles about teamwork and collaborative best practices.
- Highlight tools, platforms, or technology (like the intranet), that can assist with both the communication and teamwork aspects of collaboration.
- Consider hosting an event or two where staff members can learn and discuss their best practices when working in teams or on collaborative efforts.
Department or Team Spotlight
One method to create a feeling of belonging in your organization is to occasionally feature a specific department, unit, or cross-functional team. Highlighting different groups throughout the organization is an easy way to demonstrate appreciation for teams’ contributions. It shows gratitude for the effort and commitment of individuals within those groups, cultivating a culture of appreciation. When employees feel appreciated, morale improves.
Spotlighting teams also provides an opportunity for knowledge sharing. Teams can share their best practices, success stories, and lessons learned, contributing to a culture of continuous learning, openness, and improvement.
Showcasing different groups also boosts employee involvement and understanding of the organization. When staff members learn about other teams, groups, etc. they get a clearer idea of roles and duties, feel more connected to the organization, and they might even discover who to ask for help.
Furthermore, acknowledging the achievements of cross-functional teams, groups, departments, etc. is a great way to highlight diversity in skills, expertise, and perspectives. Every team in an organization, no matter what function and location, contributes to the success of the organization.
Other Ideas
Other ideas to potentially incorporate into your intranet content for May 2024:
- May 4: Star Wars Day
- May 18: Armed Forces Day
- May 21: National Memo Day
- May 31: Memorial Day (US)
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 June Intranet Content post in this series.
