Playbook News

Stop Sending This Email – Reducing Overload

Brad Rooke — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:37:05 -0400

We’ve all felt it - that creeping sense that your inbox isn’t a communication tool anymore, it’s a never-ending stream. Updates, announcements, reminders, “just circling back” nudges… all arriving with equal urgency, all competing for attention. And the result? People skim, ignore, or mentally check out altogether.

The irony is, most of these…

Navigating the Maze: Improving Structure in Digital Workplaces

Brad Rooke — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:00:19 -0400

Why do digital workplaces become so hard to navigate?

It’s a question that comes up often once an intranet or digital workplace has been live for a while. Employees start saying they can’t find things, content seems to exist in multiple places, navigation feels a little unpredictable. The environment begins to feel cluttered, even though the…

Turning Intranet Campaign Failures into Valuable Learning Opportunities

Brad Rooke — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 10:00:19 -0500

What if the most valuable engagement campaign you run this year… is the one that flopped?

This isn't a campaign you can blame on bad timing and quietly move past. This is the one you believed in, the one with the tight messaging, thoughtful rollout, and space on your homepage. The campaign you were sure would resonate with your users, but then...…

The Four Pillars of the Digital Workplace: Why Balance Matters More Than Completeness

Brad Rooke — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 09:45:19 -0500

Digital workplaces are often described as being built on four pillars: communications, culture & engagement, collaboration, and knowledge management.

They’re typically presented as equally critical. In reality, most organizations succeed by emphasizing some pillars more than others. What matters isn’t whether all four are fully realized, it’s…

Sustaining Digital Workplaces: The Importance of Ownership and Engagement

Brad Rooke — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:03:19 -0500

Most digital workplaces don’t fail because of bad technology. They fade because no one truly owns them.

At launch, there’s usually lots of energy. A project team. A roadmap. Maybe even a town hall or two to create hype. But once the confetti settles, the digital workplace often gets quietly parked under “someone’s job” rather than becoming a shared…

Balancing Personalization and Standardization in Intranet Design

Brad Rooke — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:00:19 -0500

Personalization versus standardization is one of those intranet debates that never really goes away. And that’s probably a good thing, because it usually means your digital workplace matters enough for people to care how it shows up for them.

On one hand, we want the intranet to feel relevant. A frontline employee logging in before a shift…

How Social Should Your Intranet Be?

Brad Rooke — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:00:19 -0500

The digital workplace has always had two jobs. It must be a reliable source of truth, hosting policies, news, and essential resources. At the same time, it is asked to feel human, engaging, and social - more like the tools people use outside work. So how social should an intranet really be?

Social does not have to mean chaotic or trivial. At its…

Crafting Impactful Communications in the Digital Workplace

Brad Rooke — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:55:42 -0500

In your digital workplace, communications set the tone for how people experience their workday. Your intranet isn’t just a publishing channel; it’s a shared space where priorities are clarified, corporate culture is reinforced, and employees understand what matters right now. When your communications feel thoughtful and human, they invite…

Celebrating Everyday Wins: The Power of Recognition in the Digital Workplace

Brad Rooke — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:06:23 -0500

As we share updates, announcements, and reminders across the digital workplace, it’s worth pausing to reflect something else that deserves space in our internal communications: the everyday wins of our people. As work happens, employees are supporting one another, solving problems, and living our values in ways that often go unseen. Those moments…

New Year, New Clicks: Re-Engaging Employees in the Digital Workplace

Brad Rooke — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 09:33:35 -0500

The post-holiday period is one of the most practical moments to reset how employees experience your digital workplace. People come back looking for orientation, not inspiration, which makes this a smart time to focus on usefulness over volume. Here's some tips to help get you started.

Think about the very first interaction employees have when they…