Stop Being the Human Index: Build a Simple Staff Intranet

Somebody asks where the vacation request form is.

A few minutes later, somebody else asks which logo they should use.

Then you get a message asking how to submit an expense, who approves a purchase, or where to find the latest board template.

None of these questions is especially difficult. The problem is that the answers depend on one person knowing where everything is.

That person may be you.

When staff have to ask the same person where to find information, that person becomes the organization’s human index. Their inbox, memory, and availability become part of every routine process.

This guide will help you create a simple staff intranet: one place where staff can find common forms, processes, links, documents, and contacts themselves.

The goal is not to eliminate useful conversations or stop people from asking for help.

The goal is to reduce routine interruptions such as:

• Where is the vacation request form?
• Which logo should I use?
• How do I submit an expense?
• Who approves this purchase?
• Where is the latest board template?
• What link do volunteers use?
• Who should I ask about our benefits?
• Where do I report a technology problem?

You are also not going to build a giant employee website.

You are going to build the smallest useful version using the platform your organization already has.

By the end of this guide, staff should have one reliable place to start looking before they ask you.