There are many companies and organizations that provide employees with a monthly or quarterly newsletter. The idea is that this is a great way for the employer to stay connected with the employees and keep them in the loop about what’s going on within the organization.
The trouble is so many company newsletters are little more than a token offer and as a result, for the most part, they land up in the trash before an employee even opens them. If you are going to present your employees with a newsletter then it needs to be packed with useful news and it must be enjoyable to read.
Try sharing a bigger picture about your organization. What are its goals – was it profitable last year, what was the role of the employees in its success, what can happen to improve things. You should also make sure that there is some news in the newsletter that is related to the employee. Are there changes to benefits, will there be evaluations and when, are there changes in policy that relate to employees.
Your newsletter can also include reminders. Perhaps you can remind employees that if they are booking holidays their requests must be in by a specific date. You might also remind employees of upcoming stat holidays and how that will affect them. If your company has a shut down period you could talk about that.
Finally, if there are issues going on within your company, the newsletter is a great place to address. Most companies have some ‘sticklers’ happening – disgruntled employee is a common problem – it could be over a denial for time off, a task they disagree with, pay, or a host of other things. Address the issue in the newsletter. It will stop the ‘gossip wheel,’ and let people know exactly what’s going on and the policy relating to it. You don’t have to name names.
Your newsletter is a great way to connect with your employees, make sure that’s what it’s doing.