Sectors

Stay compliant with a social housing intranet

Social housing is a high-intensity, information-heavy sector where an intranet is critical for keeping staff up to date with regulations like Awaab’s Law and the SHRA. We know this work is about more than just compliance; it’s about people. Our platform helps you balance information control with a vibrant social space, allowing your workforce to stay connected, celebrate success, and stay rooted in your mission while they’re out in the field.

See it in action

Why housing associations choose Oak

In social housing, information is heavy and the stakes are higher. The industry’s biggest names use Oak Engage as their social housing intranet to bridge the gap between the office, the hub, and the field.

One source of truth for high-intensity teams. Here’s how our housing associations are benefitting from Oak:

  • One of our housing associations user their intranet to connect over 1,400 colleagues, plus locums and trustees makes collaboration complex. We integrated directly with Teams so frontline staff can access a clean, social, and searchable social housing intranet from the palm of their hand.usted by leading financial firms including NatWest

  • Communication isn’t just top-down. From “Photo of the Day” to CEO updates, our HAs use Oak to blend essential social housing news with a vibrant, connected company culture.

  • By involving staff from the outset, they built a social housing intranet landing experience that reflects what officers actually need when they’re out in the community.

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Built for digital-first housing associations

  • Master mandatory compliance: Regulations like the Consumer Standards and Awaab’s Law are key for everyone to understand. Use “Mandatory Read” features to ensure every employee has seen, understood, and signed off on crucial safety legislation.

  • Reach your remote officers: Give your locums, volunteers, trustees and frontline teams secure access to policies and hubs via the apps they already use, like Microsoft Teams.

  • Newsletters, all done from your intranet: Create professional, targeted internal comms newsletters in minutes that actually get read, with no external software required. Plus get in depth segmentation, targeting and analytics.

  • Foster a “speak up” culture: Use recognition and rewards applets and feedback spaces to recognise hard work and ensure your staff feel listened to, reducing turnover in high-pressure roles.

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The essentials, all in one place

Unify HR, payroll, scheduling, rewards, uniform ordering and more into one personalised digital front door. By removing multiple logins and reducing routine queries, Oak accelerates onboarding for new starters and makes HR support easily accessible to deskless teams.

Seamless onboarding

Channel key information, mandatory training, essential tools and introductions through a central onboarding gateway, ensuring new employees feel supported, confident and connected from day one.

Nurture a positive culture

Celebrate wins share updates and nurture belonging, through social feeds and community groups  bringing your culture to life across locations, teams and shift patterns.

Recognition that retains

From peer-to-peer praise to specific site shout-outs, with Oak recognition becomes visible frequent and authentic. Surface great work across feeds and newsletters to boost morale and strengthen retention across all levels of the organisation.

Replace the paper trail

Track reads, confirm policy and health and safety acknowledgements and deliver mandatory updates without the manual admin. Everything is digital, visible and consistent, so nothing gets lost.

Measure what matters

Track engagement, understand message reach, identify communication gaps and tailor content to every role with built-in analytics and AI-powered personalisation.

Eliminate HR bottlenecks

Reduce ad hoc emails, improve response times and help HR teams spot recurring themes or issues with a simple, structured way for employees to raise, track and resolve queries directly within Oak.

Powering high-performance cultures for some of the world’s most admired brands

32

%

Reduction in
turnover

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84

%

Adoption
rate

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90

%

Retention
rates

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“Before Chatty Patty, before an internal communication app, we had no real way to communicate with our crew members, it was really difficult. Oak provided a well-rounded app that did a bit of everything and we thought that was perfect for us. Whatever we’ve asked for from Oak we’ve absolutely received and that’s hugely reassuring.”

Bastian Bauermeister

Head of Internal Communications

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Construction FAQs

What is a social housing intranet?

A social housing intranet is a central platform that connects housing officers, frontline teams, and office staff in one place. It allows organisations to share updates, policies, and critical information in real time, ensuring everyone stays aligned across properties, communities, and services.

Why do housing associations need a social housing intranet?

Housing associations operate across dispersed locations with frontline teams often working in the community. A social housing intranet ensures consistent communication, improves access to policies and procedures, and helps organisations stay compliant while keeping teams connected.

Can a social housing intranet support staff without corporate email?

Yes. A modern social housing intranet is designed for frontline workers who may not have a corporate email address. Staff can securely access the platform via mobile apps, employee IDs, or single sign on, giving them instant access to the information they need.

How does a social housing intranet help with compliance?

A social housing intranet makes it easier to manage and track compliance with regulations such as Awaab’s Law and the Consumer Standards. Features like mandatory reads, audit trails, and version controlled documents ensure employees have seen and understood key policies.

Does Oak integrate with existing systems used by social housing providers?

Yes. Oak’s App Launcher integrates with the systems used by construction teams daily, like:

  • HR platforms
  • Workforce management tools
  • Rota and payroll systems
  • Microsoft 365
  • Document management platforms. With all of these becoming accessible through one personalised digital front door, everyday tasks become faster and easier for staff at every level.

How can I measure the success of a social housing intranet?                                

Success is tracked through built-in, AI-powered analytics that measure engagement, message reach, acknowledgements, sentiment and usage across roles and locations. These insights show which content is landing, where communication gaps exist and how teams are interacting with the intranet, helping you demonstrate ROI and continually refine your communication strategy.

Get a demo now!

If you like what you see, we offer a free and personalised demo service, showcasing our intuitive and easy-to-use platform. Tailored to meet your specific needs.

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The all-in-one intranet that powers your frontline and desk-based employees, wherever they are all-in-one intranet that powers your frontline and desk-based employees, wherever they are

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