There’s no shortage of opinions about SharePoint online. Especially on Reddit, where daily users of the platform all gather to commiserate about one thing: how hard it is to make SharePoint work for communication.

We read through 100+ of those comments — and while some were brutally honest (okay, a few were just brutal), most had one thing in common: SharePoint isn’t bad. It’s just not built for what most internal comms teams are trying to make it do. Let’s break it down.

Why SharePoint keeps getting picked for comms (even when it shouldn’t)

SharePoint is a solid platform — just not a comms platform

We’re not here to SharePoint-bash. It’s great at what it was designed for: document management, version control, and integrations within the Microsoft ecosystem. You need a digital file cabinet with workflows and permission settings? Perfect.

But when it gets positioned as an internal communication solution — especially for frontline teams — things start to fall apart.

• “It’s a document library. Not a newsroom. But we’re being asked to treat it like one.”
• “We were told to post all updates to SharePoint. Then people said, ‘oh, I didn’t know that was happening.’”

It’s not that people won’t use it. It’s that they don’t — because it doesn’t feel like it’s made for them.

Frontline comms need more than a shared drive

Here’s the real issue: SharePoint assumes people are sitting at desks. That they’ll log in, click around, and hunt for the latest update.

But if your teams are on the floor, behind the wheel, or stocking shelves… that’s not how they work. They need quick, mobile-first, push-based communication — not “log in and navigate this intranet from 2012.”

• “Even the devil can’t find the damn PDF.”
• “We went from emailing updates to posting on SharePoint. Engagement dropped off a cliff.”

This isn’t about effort or intent. It’s about having the right tool for the job.

When it works, it’s because someone made it work

A few Reddit heroes shared stories of SharePoint intranets that did deliver solid results. But every success story involved heavy customization, tight governance, and unusually close collaboration between IT and Comms.

• “It took months of planning, design work, and training — but we made it usable. Still wouldn’t call it engaging though.”

And that’s the point: if you need a 40-page launch guide and a training module to explain how to find a bulletin, that’s not intuitive. That’s duct tape.

Comms teams aren’t choosing SharePoint. Most of the time IT is

Another common theme in the comments? Most comms professionals aren’t asking for SharePoint. They’re told to use it — because it’s already there. And as one person on Reddit put it (only half-joking): “The only professionals who love SharePoint are in IT.”

It’s a line we’ve heard more than once. Yet, most of the time even IT isn’t thrilled about it. Ask around and you’ll hear stories of exhausting migrations, clunky governance models, and workarounds built just to avoid touching SharePoint’s messier corners. It’s not a love story. It’s a compromise. And not the one that is a foundation of a long and healthy relationship.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about starting a turf war with IT. But when communication is treated as a sub-folder under Operations, it’s no surprise that engagement suffers. Comms and IT can (and should) work together. But comms needs a seat at the table when tools are being chosen — especially for the frontline.

We’re not saying: delete SharePoint tomorrow

One take that really stuck with us came from a LinkedIn article by Will Kelly, who calls SharePoint “emotional baggage in platform form.” Brutal? Yes. But it nails the gap between SharePoint’s promise and its real-world usage. His piece perfectly captures the collective fatigue — and why internal comms shouldn’t have to fight their own tools just to do their job. And that’s the heart of the issue. 

Look, we’re not saying “delete SharePoint tomorrow”. We’re saying: maybe don’t rely on it as your primary comms tool — especially if you’re trying to reach the people who don’t sit at desks all day.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

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Keep SharePoint for what it’s good at. But layer in a platform that’s actually built for communication — something mobile, intuitive, and made for humans (not folders).

Because the goal isn’t to fight IT. It’s to make communication work. For everyone.

Final thoughts: It’s not a bad tool. It’s just the wrong one

To be clear: SharePoint isn’t terrible. It’s just not designed to be your internal comms HQ — especially not for frontline-heavy companies. And using the wrong tool for the job? That’s how you end up with unread updates, confused staff, and comms teams stuck doing workarounds.

So before you assume “people just aren’t engaging,” maybe take a second look at the platform itself.

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