A focus on what employees need drove, William Grant & Sons intranet redesign

Like many intranets, Fetch—the resource for employees of whisky maker William Grant & Sons—wasn’t getting much use. It was difficult to navigate, search wasn’t intuitive, it wasn’t accessible on mobile devices, it was hard for employees to post and comment, and engagement tools were clunky and non-social. Its redesign changed all that—and won first place in the “Intranet Design” category of Ragan’s 2015 Employee Communications Awards.

Undertaking a redesign meant focusing on what employees want from an intranet. The new design reflects modern sensibilities, but also makes information easy for employees to access. 

The home page, for example, makes it drop-dead easy to dig into the org chart or find a colleague, while also providing one-click access to the local news employees crave because it is most relevant to them. 

A rotating banner draws the eye to top stories; below that is global news relevant to all employees. Alongside the rotating banner, employees see the activity stream, where employees share their own news and information. 

Recognition gets its own social component with “Say Cheers”; each employee is able to recognize peers six times each month (the restriction tends to encourage employees to recognize the most significant things their peers have done). 

With corporate social responsibility becoming more important to employees (and recruits and customers), Fetch has provided one-click access to all of the company’s various campaigns and giving opportunities. It is also a navigational accomplishment to make employment and work resources quickly available. 

For its excellent redesign and smart rollout materials, kudos to Innis Scott and Nigel Williams!