How to effectively use 
employee newsletters

This extract is designed to provide some practical ideas about how Employee Newsletters can be used as a management tool to communicate, reinforce and promote company objectives.

To promote organizational values

Despite senior managers working hard to set, communicate and deploy a company's core values and performance expectations, the messages often become distorted as they pass through each layer or department.

In some extreme circumstances employees at lower levels may not even receive the messages at all.

An Employee Newsletter can help to explain the company's core values and to reinforce them on a periodical basis.

To reinforce systems and procedures  

Systems and Procedures are continually being amended and re-issued by managers and are often interpreted in different ways.

To ensure consistency and alignment throughout an organization some policies may call for either reminders or clarification.

A Newsletter can help to retain consistency and integrity in the application of a company's policies by reporting on rationales, special insights into interpretations and precedents.

To capture employee ideas

Employee Newsletters can be used for the purposes of two-way communication.

For instance, the use of questionnaires or surveys is often effective when they relate to issues that directly affect readers and when employees know that their responses will lead to positive action being taken by the company.

It is also a powerful means of capturing ideas and suggestions about specific or general company issues. Managers should evaluate the responses, appropriately communicate the results, implement the idea and reward the employee accordingly. Finally, publish the implemented idea in the next issue of the Newsletter and start the process over again.

To communicate strategic action plans

Employees can be informed about how a company is identifying and developing action plans to implement its strategic objectives, via an Employee Newsletter.

For example, to explain the rationale and assumptions behind a new advertising campaign.

All too often employees receive no information about the objectives of a particular initiative or hear about the strategy after it has gone public.

You can use the Newsletter to effectively communicate company goals in an appropriate style that is fitting for the target audience.

To announce organizational changes

Newsletters can effectively explain organizational change in quite specific detail and equally as importantly with the use of appropriate language.

Often employees feel that no one explains the why, how, when or who for organizational change.

They sometimes feel threatened because change may result in job losses, changes in job roles or transfers to other departments or locations.

Employee Newsletters can help to explain the plans, address the critical issues and provide the necessary assurances.

To explain statutory changes and employee benefits

Changes to employee benefits are an emotive subject and often generate many questions.

Likewise statutory changes that affect employees frequently use language that is hard to understand and can therefore be misinterpreted.

Newsletters work well in these types of circumstances. They can explain specifics in greater detail and in more appropriate language.

To answer frequently asked questions

Newsletters are an excellent way of dealing with frequently asked questions.

If the questions and answers are published in a Newsletter, management can ensure that all employees are receiving consistent and appropriate replies to issues that are uppermost in their minds.

To provide information about customers

It is not uncommon for employees to know very little about the customers they serve.

These can be both internal and external customers! Newsletters can teach employees about the company's key customers, the expected levels of customer satisfaction, the results of formal and informal customer feedback and the necessary improvement plans to enhance customer loyalty.

To promote upgrading skills

Most organizations are seeking to upgrade the skills and knowledge of their employees.

Newsletters are an effective way of explaining the importance of particular skills and knowledge.

By reporting on issues driving the need for improved skills will increase the acceptance levels throughout all levels of the company.

Similarly, Newsletters can convey information by using tools such as graphs and illustrations that may be a more appropriate way of getting messages across, rather than paragraph after paragraph of text.

Some miscellaneous ways to use Employee Newsletters

• Announcement of financial results

• Explain the introduction of a new technology

• Introduction of new products or services

• To improve EH&S in the work place

• Explain how to sell new products and services

• Improve employee co-operation and co-ordination

• To welcome new employees

• To publish letters from retired employees or customers

• Industry trends and changes

• To announce participation in community initiatives

• Sports and Social events

• Annual Message from the CEO

• Opening of new facilities