Your company is changing and you have a new internal communication tool: a corporate social network, anemployee engagement tool, a collective intelligence platform... Your tool most likely has a directory. And chances are that your number one challenge is to encourage all your employees to fill in their profile. Does this sound obvious? But it's a real challenge! Profiles usually contain a photo, a description, but they can also list the person's skills, know-how, projects, etc.
Thus, having an up-to-date directory with completed profiles is not just a matter of internal communication: it is about giving employees the opportunity to get to know each other better, to identify where the skills lie in order to collaborate better and break down silos. Here are our 3 tips to encourage your employees to fill in their profile on your internal communication tool.
1- Don't start with the resisters
You are going to deploy (or have already done so) your "new generation" internal communication tool. Some of your employees will quickly embrace it. Others will reject it without hesitation, and you will not be able to force them to do anything. Don't tackle these "resisters" immediately. First make sure that the employees who have already been convinced (let's call them "early adopters") are properly on board: that they are using the tool correctly, and that they have filled in their profile correctly.
Is this not the case?
- Organise meetings with these "early adopters" to create a link with them.
- Show them how to make the most of your internal communication tool. They may just need to understand what they bring to the table! Once they understand this, they will be more likely to fill in their profile.
- Send them dedicated emailings with advice.
Once you have a solid initial community, you can start to "go after" the people who are most resistant to your new internal communication tool. In this task, you will now have strong allies: the "early adopters" that you have already convinced.
2- Communicate the benefits to them
You have already created a community of people who are convinced by your tool. They have also filled in their profile correctly. Involve these people in a communication campaign! In this campaign, highlight a concrete situation in which an employee has saved time thanks to completed profiles.
If, like Beeshake, your internal communication tool references the skills and know-how of each employee, we suggest this inspiration:
3- A (good old) competition?
Do you want to create a general buzz around your internal communication tool? Organising a competition might be a good idea! Indeed, you can use the lure of winning to encourage employees to fill in their profile and to go and consult the profiles of their peers. Need examples of mechanics?
- All people with a perfectly completed profile on a given date win a (small) prize, or participate in a draw
- Ask accomplices to insert hidden talents in their profile, in the middle of their professional skills. For example: can drink 1L of soda in less than a minute, imitates the crocodile like no other... Those who find the hidden talents will be entered into a draw
- Organise a quiz on each other's skills