As communications teams look towards 2026 and begin planning strategic priorities for the year ahead, we’ve pulled together the key factors that we see shaping the most successful digital employee experiences. These are clear, actionable ideas you can consider using today. And if you need a little extra help putting them into motion, we’ve sprinkled in some handy resources to guide you every step of the way.
Your SharePoint intranet should be the beating heart of your internal comms. It should be connecting teams, delivering updates to the right people at the right time, and helping employees to be productive.
But is it thriving? Or just surviving?
If your intranet’s been coughing up broken links, duplicating content, or just looks like it was designed in a nursery, it’s time for a proper check-up. Start by asking yourself:
If you’re wincing at any of these, our Microsoft 365 experts are offering a free (no strings attached) intranet audit to show you exactly what’s working, what’s not, and how to get things back on track.
Too many outdated SharePoint intranets feel like digital filing cabinets. Organised? Sure. Useful? Not so much.
They don’t reflect how people actually move through their day. Instead of guiding employees to what they need based on the task at hand, they force them to dig. The result? Wasted time which causes employees to feel frustrated.
Did you know the average employee spends 1.8 hours a day searching for information? That’s a lot of lost productivity. So, how confident are you that your current setup supports content findability? Can employees get to what they need without clicking through a maze of folders and outdated links? Designing a digital employee experience that promotes content findability is about creating an experience that feels truly intuitive.
And don’t forget the look and feel. Your digital touchpoints should reflect your external brand just as much as your website does. With branded templates and standardised assets, your SharePoint intranet can become a consistent, on-brand experience that builds trust with every click.
And if your intranet lives in SharePoint, are you using it to its full potential? It can be the central gateway to your entire digital workplace, linking out to other tools, such as Workday, Service Now, Microsoft Teams and Viva Engage to name a few. SharePoint can serve as a one-stop shop, but only if it’s designed intentionally.
Ask yourself: Can employees book leave, check payslips, log support tickets, and access dashboards, all from one place? If not, you’re missing a huge opportunity to streamline workflows and boost engagement.
Every day we’re flooded with emails, chats, notifications, half of which aren’t relevant. People don’t want to scroll through updates that don’t apply to them. They expect content that’s relevant, timely, and tailored to their role. Personalisation isn’t a nice-to-have anymore; it’s performance imperative (Forbes, 2025). Employees now expect their digital workplace to feel as seamless and curated as their Instagram feed.
And no, personalisation isn’t just sticking someone’s name on a message. Audiences need to be segmented in order to effectively deliver content that adapts to their role, responsibilities, location, and interests. To get this spot on, you must understand what each group of employees need and when they need it. This information can be gathered through surveys and interviews with representatives.
For example, warehouse staff in London don’t need global strategy updates mid-shift but do need safety updates about the new picking tech going live that day. If they don’t see it, that’s a problem. In this case, safety updates should be pushed to warehouse staff as needed, perhaps with a strategic digest in a weekly format. Head office workers may get longer form strategic content with an explainer about what is needed from their department to support new initiatives.
Tailored comms, with team-specific calls to action, are key to building a digital employee experience that employees value.
Publishing content is easy. Knowing if it’s landing? That’s the tricky part. Gallup reports that only 21% of workers are engaged with their work, and unclear communication ranks highly as a cause of workplace stress. This isn’t just a productivity issue; it’s a cultural one. Measuring employee engagement is the key to assessing what’s really going on. There are three types of metrics that tell you if your internal comms are working:
Consumption: Are employees actually engaging with your content, or just clicking in and bouncing out?
Understanding: Do they understand the purpose of your message, and are they following call to actions?
Sentiment: How do they feel about the content?
If you’re not measuring how employees consume your content, whether they understand it, and how they feel about it, you’re operating in the dark.
The truth is, data-driven communication matters more than ever. For internal comms teams, data is what shows you where to double down and where to pivot. And when you’re managing communication across thousands of employees, that insight is gold.
Employees can spot a ghost-written message a mile away. A polished “We’re all in this together” statement from the CEO might tick a box, but it rarely builds trust. In fact, in a climate of pay freezes and layoffs, it can fuel cynicism.
The magic happens when leaders show up authentically. A quick post about what they’re working on, or a reflection on a recent challenge; these human, unfiltered moments create genuine connection and trust. They show emotional intelligence, relatability, and a willingness to be visible, even in tough times. That’s the kind of leadership which will be a point of differentiation for more engaged employees in 2026 and beyond.
Platforms like Viva Engage make it easy for leaders to be consistently present. Sharing updates, responding to questions, and inviting dialogue. When leadership feels part of the mission, it creates a culture where people feel seen and valued.
A better digital employee experience starts with the right digital tools.
If you want to understand the art of the possible, we can show you how you can deliver a digital employee experience that is so engaging, people simply can’t ignore it.
