by Lexie Thomas, WP owner and content expert
In today’s on-demand, snippet-loving communication world, something as traditional (dare I say “old school”?) as an employee newsletter may seem like a waste of time. It’s true … partially. Employee newsletters—done well—do take time, but there are some pretty compelling reasons to stay the course if you’re already publishing one or to restart if you’ve put yours on hiatus.
The overarching reason is that all employees, regardless of industry or tenure, crave effective internal communication from their employer. It’s often something workers find lacking when surveyed. Here are some ideas for making sure your employee newsletter is helping fill this gap.
- Think of your hybrid and remote team members. These workers get less facetime with their peers and leaders, so it’s more likely they’ll miss water cooler talk or announcements. Make your newsletter a place where these team members can get caught up. Employees who feel part of the bigger picture are more likely to stay with your company.
- Remember your company culture-building. As someone with access to several companies’ culture and brand manuals, I can say with certainty that a LOT of thought and care goes into these pieces. But they’re no good sitting on the digital shelf! Have a standard culture note or tip for staying on-brand in each newsletter.
- Share industry and company news. A little insight from company leadership on the status of your industry or how the company is progressing toward its yearly goals goes a long way toward helping workers feel a sense of purpose and belonging.
- Share opportunities to engage and train. Whether it’s publishing a survey, running a giveaway, educating on how to reset your HR portal password, or getting employee events front and center, your newsletter can become your go-to hub for training and events.
What format your newsletters takes depends on your unique work environment, information-guarding needs, budget, and staff.
- Internal communication apps not only host news posts in social media style feeds, many also have places to store employee documents. They are more secure. And that’s just scratching the surface for these apps’ integrations and options. While very effective, they need to be supported by a dedicated content and HR team.
- Print newsletters exist away from the clutter of the internet, and this reading experience can lend itself to better retention. They have a longer shelf life than email and may be more convenient for people to pick up and read at work.
- A staff e-newsletter is often a quicker solution because there’s no layout or printing to manage. They can be published more frequently, making information timelier. Audiences can be segmented, and stats can be tracked. But email overload may prevent people from clicking, and it’s possible not all employees have roles that require them to check email often.
Whatever format it takes, an employee newsletter can be a powerful tool for keeping your team up to date on what they need to know and feeling connected to your company and each other. If you find yourself struggling to get your newsletter out on a regular schedule, or would like to revive one that’s gone by the wayside, the Write Place team is in your corner. Call us at 641-628-8398 or email hello@thewriteplace.biz.
About the feature image
McDonough District Hospital has a bimonthly rhythm for their employee newsletter, the MDH Minute. It features new hire headshots and titles, as well as internal job moves and promotions. Fun employee event photos are shared along with HR news and updates on the hospital’s services. Our team gives the content a proofreading polish then completes the layout on a quick turnaround.
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