eNewsletter (Building Operations Weekly)

A regular department- or organization-wide publication, to which employees are encouraged to actively contribute, that can be used to provide general information to all employees.

Good for

Routine operational updates for all employees or targeted groups

Pros

  • A consistent message reaches all employees, regardless of classification or location.
  • Employees can contribute.
  • Employees can learn about other units in the department.
  • Employees can see their role, or their unit’s role, in the big picture of UBC.
  • Employees can learn about each other, professionally and personally.
  • A newsletter can be a recognition/incentive tool.
  • It can be a team-building tool for the people involved in putting it together.
  • A newsletter can be consumed at the reader’s convenience and stored for future reference.

Cons

  • Production requirements can make this a time-consuming option.
  • Employee buy-in and participation may be slow to develop (or might never develop).
  • It can be time consuming for the editor; other work responsibilities must be taken into account.

Details

The publication can be simple or complicated, considering the audience and the content; both have their pros and cons. For example, a manager may want to publish a simple newsletter to minimize cost and staff time; staff may interpret this as meaning that they are insignificant. On the other hand, a glossy colour publication may be resented by staff, who say that the money would be better spent on training, program support, etc. The needs and desires of the audience must be gauged before committing to a format.

Content is usually feature-oriented, people-focused, and light. It can be used to reinforce or expand on other communication tools. Content options include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • New/departing staff, promotions, transfers
  • Employee recognition: e.g., long service awards, training, graduation
  • General announcements
  • New policies or procedures
  • Departmental accomplishments: e.g., our response during a blizzard
  • Corporate sports and social events
  • Promotion for United Way or other charitable projects
  • Health and wellness information
  • Marriage, birth, and death announcements

While Building Operations Weekly is designed to be be perpetually ongoing, newsletters can also be created for the term of a significant event such as a reorganization or special project.

The email newsletter withing Building Operations, Building Operations Weekly, is part of our content generation system. All of the items in the newsletter are automatically displayed in some fashion on our digital signage network.

Content must always reflect public service goals of tolerance and inclusivity and remain apolitical. Never assume that a newsletter is an “internal” document. Material that is confidential or potentially embarrassing to the department, its staff, or its clients will likely find its way to the public.

Photographs and illustrations are powerful communication tools and should be included in a newsletter whenever feasible. They do not need to be professional calibre, but they do need to be “readable.”

Next steps

Regardless of the style, format, and frequency of the newsletter, it should be evaluated on a regular frequency. Communications can provide guidance on audience surveys.

The content in the newsletter often need to be shared in other face-to-face channels such as crew talks to ensure that is has been understood by enough people to have the message acted upon.