The holidays are a cozy end-of-year moment for many organizations, but for internal communication managers they offer much more than that. December is the time when employees reflect, look for connection and think ahead. Your intranet can play a central role in that – not with superficial decoration or gimmicky actions, but with strategic content that genuinely helps employees.
Below you’ll find five initiatives that have the biggest impact on employee experience, intranet adoption and team connection.
1. Use December as a powerful employee-listening moment (via your intranet)
December is the ultimate reflection moment of the year. So use your intranet as a listening channel with a short poll: low-threshold, mobile-friendly and visible to everyone.
How to approach this on your intranet
-
Place a poll widget on your homepage.
-
Repeat the same poll with a short mobile push for frontline and hybrid teams.
-
Keep it short: max. 3-5 questions, 2 minutes to complete.
-
Focus on themes that matter: workload, collaboration, hybrid working, internal communication, wellbeing.
Mini-template: Year-End Poll (5 questions)
-
What gave you energy in your work this year? (multiple choice + “other”)
-
What was your biggest frustration or barrier? (open question)
-
How well informed did you feel by the organization? (1–5 scale)
-
What should we improve in 2026 to make your work easier? (open question)
-
Which intranet content helped you the most? (multiple choice + “other”)
Why this is valuable
You gather input for your communication and intranet roadmap for 2026, and you show that feedback truly leads to action.
Pro-tip
Share a short summary of what you learned before January. That way you show listening isn’t a one-way street.
2. Create a meaningful “Year in Review” that helps employees understand and look ahead
An end-of-year article with a few photos is nice, but not very valuable. In 2026 employees mainly want context, honesty and direction. Your intranet is the perfect place to bring that together.
How to turn this into an intranet hub
-
Put a Year in Review tile on the homepage that links to one central hub.
-
Work with subpages per team or theme (so people don’t get lost in one long article).
-
Let teams contribute briefly using a fixed intranet template.
Mini-template: Year in Review structure
-
Top 3 achievements (with impact in plain language)
-
What we learned (one honest lesson)
-
What this means for employees (concrete effect)
-
What changes in 2026 (3-5 bullets)
-
Thank-you block (targeted and specific)
Why this works so well
A hub with click-through options increases reading time, makes successes visible and prevents your story from becoming “one size fits all.”
3. Publish a “December priorities card” per team on your intranet
End of year is a hectic period in many organizations: loose ends, tight deadlines and fluctuating availability. Often teams work hard, but not always on the same priorities – or people don’t know what still must be done before vacation and what can safely move to January.
A simple fix with big impact: let each team publish an ultra-short December priorities card on their team page or intranet community. This creates immediate clarity, better alignment and less last-minute stress.
How to organize this on your intranet
-
Create one fixed template that every team uses (see below).
-
Publish a short instruction on the homepage and link to that template.
-
Ask each team leader to fill in the card (max. 10 minutes).
-
Pin the card at the top of the team page until the end of December.
-
Repeat the call-to-action via an intranet post or notification, especially for teams that log in less often.
Mini-template: December priorities card
-
Top 3 things we still need to finish before vacation
-
What moves to January (with reason)
-
Who is the owner? (go-to person during absences)
-
Key deadline(s) (date + short explanation)
-
What do other teams need to know from us?
Tip: keep it intentionally short. If it’s longer than one screen, it’s no longer a priorities card.
Impact
These priorities cards provide instant clarity on what still needs to happen, what can wait and who the contact person is. This prevents misunderstandings and last-minute stress and helps everyone head into January with more peace of mind.
4. Give team leaders a ready-to-use teambuilding toolkit on the intranet
Team leaders often want to do something in December, but don’t have time to design it. The intranet can take that burden off them with a directly usable toolkit.
How to make it super usable
-
Publish the toolkit in a separate “Team Leaders” space or knowledge base.
-
Pin it at the top of that space for 4 weeks.
-
Add downloadable templates (PDF/PowerPoint).
What should be in the toolkit?
-
30-minute team reflection (5 questions)
-
3 icebreakers that work both live and hybrid
-
10 appreciation questions every team can use
-
A simple template for your year-end team meeting
-
A mini-quiz about the past year
Why this is valuable
You strengthen team connection without extra workload and your intranet becomes a practical work tool – not just a communication channel.
5. Create one central intranet page: “Start 2026 Strong”
This is the most direct value for employees. Everyone wants to start January with clarity. One central intranet page prevents chaos from scattered emails and documents.
How to make it visible
-
Set it as a sticky quick link on both desktop and mobile.
-
Link to it from the Year in Review hub.
-
Keep it active at least until the end of January.
Mini-template: page contents
-
What changes in 2026? (short and clear)
-
Key dates & deadlines (calendar block)
-
Tools & templates:
-
goals/OKR template
-
annual planning template
-
team kick-off agenda
-
-
HR FAQs (leave, payroll, holidays)
-
Top 5 organizational priorities (in plain language)
Why this works
You give employees calm and clarity and you automatically make your intranet the starting point of the new year.
Conclusion
The holidays don’t have to be a loose or superficial period on your intranet. By focusing on listening, transparency, storytelling, team connection and strong preparation for the new year, you turn December into a strategic moment that delivers real value for employees and for the organization.
