Euronet is building a network of automated teller machines. Brown rises at dawn to link up with his European staff during its workday. Later in the day Brown works on specific Euronet problems, electronically passing his work back to Europe when he is done. Technology is vastly changing communications within businesses. Intranets are private versions of the Internet that are accessible to only designated individuals, like employees.
Intranets link a variety of computers and databases.
Employees use their computers to call up information about such matters as sick leave, vacation, electronic mail and even their own personnel records, Richards said. Companies with intranets save on printing costs, because internal communications use less paper. Even more significant are the ties created between managers and employees when electronic mail becomes more commonly used. Employee morale and motivation are heightened when workers realize they can interact directly with top managers with minimal entanglement with middle managers, experts said. Indeed, all employees are assuming greater responsibilities.