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IBM Intranet Unites Workers, Boosts Morale During the past 12 months, IBM has added a host of intranet tools that let
employees communicate with one another more easily and work collaboratively
online. IBM staffers worldwide can personalize their intranet views for
specific types of news and information as well as access the office
applications they need. The company also rolled out a new navigation format,
ensuring a common look and feel across intranet sites companywide.
IBM officials say the changes have made the company's intranet a staple
provider of employee information. A recent internal survey found that 53% of
IBM staff rank the intranet as one of their top three preferred sources of
company information. Nearly two-thirds of employees rate it as a tool that's
critical to their performance; almost the same number say it's a time-saver.
Earlier this year, the company invited all employees worldwide to log on to
a marathon chat session that took place over 72 hours. Dubbed World Jam, the
program featured 10 moderated discussion forums on themes relevant to day-to
day-life at the world's biggest IT company. More than 50,000 employees logged
on, addressing topics ranging from work/life balance to describing IBM to
customers. IBM officials say topics were chosen based on the extent to which
employees could act on what they learned. "This was not a giant
cyber-suggestion box where someone would propose something and never hear of
it again," says Mike Wing, director for worldwide intranet strategy at
IBM. "We wanted pragmatic topics where employees could go out the next
day and put into practice what they learned from colleagues."
Beyond employee-to-employee collaboration, IBM is building out its intranet
to provide information on all key facets of work life, including health-care
benefits, unit performance updates, expense accounting, procurement, and stock
purchasing. IBM officials say Web access to business tools and information
lets employees make decisions without having to go through a call center or a
manager.
More than 80% of IBM's U.S. employees who enrolled for health benefits last
year did so via the intranet, and more than 140,000 received their health
benefits information entirely online. For IBM, that meant about $1 million in
savings.
IBM is one of the world's biggest E-commerce players.
But the company is using the Internet to drive more than sales: It's hoping to
use online tools to bolster employee morale and communication.
By Paul McDougall ([email protected])
With
$8.8 billion in sales via the Web last year, IBM is one of the world's biggest
E-commerce players. But the company is using the Internet to drive more than
sales: It's hoping to use online tools to bolster employee morale and
communication.
Wing says the session foreshadows what may become a norm for employee
interaction in the future. "World Jam pioneers a new form of
organizational communications-employee-to-employee," he says. Going
forward, IBM will host similar sessions related to specific job functions. The
company is planning a Sales Jam session for sales employees later this year.
Mike Wing, director for worldwide intranet strategy at IBM
Source: http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20010913S0047