This was going to be a big change for our staff, and we knew we needed to get the communications right. Having a communications plan was imperative to outline exactly how, when, and with whom we would communicate. The more we communicated, the better.

Best Practice: A good communications plan makes sure you’re getting the right message to the right people at the right time!

Communicating Before the Launch

We prepared our employees for move to a new platform. We thought it might be easier, but any change is still “change”. We scheduled a series of weekly messages that had some new information, and some details repeated from the message before, in case they missed an earlier email.

With all change, knowing what to expect is a key factor in acceptance. We wanted our staff to know exactly what to expect and to be transparent about the changes. One of the biggest differences was that everyone’s browser home page (in Chrome and Internet Explorer) would now open to the new employee intranet every day. This was a huge shift for all 2,000+ employees, so we addressed that up front, along with issues about bookmarks to old website content.

We also met in person with our Enterprise Service Desk support staff, to prepare them in case the received calls or tickets from employees when the intranet launched. We gave them a sneak-peek tour of the site, and provided FAQs and troubleshooting materials.

Best Practice: It’s best to over communicate, rather than under communicate. Make your messages transparent—don’t sugar coat or cloak unpopular changes in vague language. Use plain language and be open with your employees—they appreciate honesty.

Communicating on Launch Day

We wanted launch day for employees to be stress-free, exciting and fun! The morning of the launch, we provided every employee with a small chocolate bar and a note from the Commissioner that announced the new intranet. And we announced our post-launch promotions. Our administrative assistants helped with the massive coordination (packaging and delivering these tokens to all employees across the state!). It was a huge effort, but well worth it, judging by the comments we received from staff afterward.

Best Practice: If you’re going to make big changes that you expect will be unwelcome, try adding an element of fun and enjoyment to your launch.

Check back later this week for part 5 in the MNIT Intranet Story to learn how we promoted adoption and the lessons we learned.