5 ways to use your intranet smartly during the holidays

For many organisations, the holidays are a cosy way to close the year. For internal communication, they are also an opportunity. In December, employees look back, look for connection and think ahead. Your intranet can play a central role in that: not with decorations or gimmicks, but with content that genuinely helps employees.

In this article, you’ll learn how to use your intranet during the holidays to listen, close the year, clarify priorities, support team leaders and start the new year strong. Every idea comes with a template you can use straight away.

Use December as a listening moment on your intranet

December is the reflection moment of the year. Use your intranet as a listening channel (employee listening) with a short poll: low-threshold, mobile-friendly and visible to everyone.

How to set up your year-end poll

• Place a poll on your homepage.
• Show the poll in the mobile app as well, for deskless workers and hybrid teams.
• Keep it short: 3 to 5 questions and 2 minutes to complete.
• Focus on themes that matter: workload, collaboration, hybrid working, internal communication and wellbeing.

In Involv, you add a poll to your homepage in a few clicks. Deskless workers fill it in through the mobile intranet app, and with Involv Cast you can show the call to action on digital screens in the canteen or on the work floor.

Template: year-end poll in 5 questions

1. What gave you energy in your work this year? (multiple choice + “other”)
2. What was your biggest frustration or barrier? (open question)
3. How well informed did you feel by the organisation? (scale of 1 to 5)
4. What should we improve next year to make your work easier? (open question)
5. Which intranet content helped you most? (multiple choice + “other”)

Why a year-end poll pays off

You gather input for next year’s communication and intranet plan, and you show that feedback actually leads somewhere. Our 1-page intranet action plan helps you turn that input into concrete actions.

Create a year in review that helps employees understand and look ahead

An end-of-year article with a few photos is nice, but it adds little value. Give employees context, honesty and direction instead: what did we achieve, what did we learn and where are we heading?

How to build your year in review as a hub

• Add an “Our year in review” call to action to the homepage that links to one central landing page.
• Organise the information on that landing page per team or theme, with tiles, collapsible sections or a left-hand navigation, so people don’t get lost in one long article.
• Let teams contribute briefly using a fixed template.

In Involv, you choose the target audience for every news item, so employees first see the part of the year in review that is about their own team. Involv Analytics then shows you which sections were read most.

Template: structure of your year in review

1. Top 3 achievements (with the impact in plain language)
2. What we learned (one honest lesson)
3. What this means for employees (concrete effect)
4. What changes next year (3 to 5 bullets)
5. Thank-you block (targeted and specific)

Why a hub works better than one article

A hub with click-through pages increases reading time, makes each team’s successes visible and keeps your story from being the same for everyone. Looking for inspiration? The Intranet Lookbook shows how other organisations set up their intranet.

Publish a December priorities card per team

The end of the year is a busy period in many organisations, with loose ends, tight deadlines and changing availability. A short priorities card per team makes clear what still needs to happen before the holidays and what can safely move to January.

Teams work hard in December, but not always on the same priorities. Ask each team to publish an ultra-short priorities card on its team page or community on the intranet. You get instant clarity, better alignment and less last-minute stress.

How to organise the priorities cards

• Create one fixed template that every team uses (see below).
• Publish a short instruction on the homepage and link to that template.
• Ask every team leader to fill in the card (10 minutes of work at most).
• Pin the card to the top of the team page until the end of December.
• Repeat your call via an intranet post or notification, especially for teams that log in less often.

Because Involv is built on SharePoint, you create the priorities card once as a page template, so every team can fill it in on its own department page in a few minutes. Notifications and reminders give team leaders a nudge as the deadline approaches.

Template: December priorities card

1. Top 3 we still finish before the holidays
2. What moves to January (with the reason)
3. Point of contact during absences
4. Key deadlines (date + short explanation)
5. What other teams need to know from us

What the priorities card delivers

The cards show at a glance what still needs to be done, what can wait and who the point of contact is. That prevents misunderstandings and last-minute stress, and everyone heads into January with more peace of mind.

Give team leaders a ready-to-use team building toolkit on the intranet

Team leaders often want to do something in December, but don’t have time to work it out themselves. A ready-to-use toolkit on the intranet takes that work off their hands.

How to make the toolkit easy to find

• Publish the toolkit in a separate space for team leaders or in your knowledge base.
• Pin it to the top of that space for 4 weeks.
• Add downloadable templates (PDF or PowerPoint).

In Involv, you publish the announcement for the team leader audience only. The toolkit reaches the people who need it, without filling everyone else’s news feed.

What goes into the team leader toolkit?

• A 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 the last team meeting of the year
• A mini quiz about the past year

Why the toolkit works

You strengthen team connection without adding to anyone’s workload, and your intranet becomes a practical work tool instead of just a communication channel.

Create one central intranet page to start the new year strong

Everyone wants to start January with a clear overview. One central intranet page prevents the chaos of scattered emails and documents, and gives employees everything they need for the new year in one place.

How to make the page visible

• Add it as a fixed quick link on desktop and mobile.
• Link to it from your year in review.
• Keep it live until at least the end of January.

In Involv, you add the page to your Quick Links, so it’s always one click away. Practical questions about leave and payroll go into the FAQ feature, so HR doesn’t answer the same emails every January.

Template: contents of your new year page

1. What changes this year? (short and clear)
2. Key dates & deadlines (calendar block)
3. Tools & templates: goals or OKR template, annual planning, agenda for your team kick-off
4. HR FAQs (leave, payroll, holidays)
5. Top 5 priorities of the organisation (in plain language)

Why one central page works

You give employees calm and clarity, and your intranet automatically becomes the starting point of the new year.

Conclusion: get more out of your intranet during the holidays

The holidays don’t have to be a quiet period on your intranet.

A year-end poll lets you listen to employees, a year in review gives context and direction, priorities cards bring calm before the holidays, a toolkit supports your team leaders and one central page gives everyone a clear start. That’s how December becomes a strategic moment that delivers real value, for employees and for the organisation.

Curious what this looks like on an intranet? See how Involv brings polls, targeted communication and the mobile app together, within your own Microsoft 365 environment.