If your company newsletter is like many others, it may devote a short section to employee announcements. Even if it doesn’t, you probably still have no more than a few paragraphs to inform employees of a new hire and to make her feel welcome at the same time. But don’t underestimate what you can do in a few short paragraphs. To personalize your announcement, spend some time talking with the new employee. You don’t have to bill the exchange as an “interview,” but be sure to convey your intentions so that she knows the information she shares will be publicized. What she says just might surprise you – and give you the fodder you need for a memorable announcement article.
Include a picture of the new employee with your announcement. Photos help readers connect the information they’re reading with a face.
Step 1
Write strategic interview questions that point the exchange forward rather than retrospectively. Remember that your audience is much more likely to be interested in the present and the future than the new employee’s past. Ask her why she applied at your company; she may reveal a poignant story. Ask her what she looks forward to most in her new job; she may supply early inspiration to her new co-workers. Or take a more personal tack and ask her about her favorite pastimes; her love of football or cooking might help her make fast friends with some of her new co-workers.
Step 2
Adopt a friendly, conversational tone for your new employee announcement. Imagine that you are sharing the news of this new employee with someone over coffee or in the employee lunchroom.
Step 3
Establish a connection with your audience by beginning your announcement in a relational manner. Select an anecdote about the new employee that you believe represents her best. Confine this anecdote to a few sentences, or one paragraph.
Step 4
Segue to the new employee’s position and starting date. If she is assuming someone else’s position, briefly explain what happened to her predecessor. If she is starting a newly created position, briefly explain the position and the tasks and duties for which the new employee will be responsible.
Step 5
Supply other information about the new employee, such as where she worked previously, where she lives and where she went to school. Be sure to clear this information with the employee and respect her right to confidentiality about those issues, such as her marital status, that she may wish to keep private.
Step 6
Close your announcement with an optimistic statement or quote from the new employee and the company’s confidence in her. You might say, for example: “For Laura, the opportunity to work for ABC Company is a dream she has harbored since her father worked for the company 20 years ago and she sometimes tagged along with him on weekends. For ABC Company, having Laura join the team gives new meaning to our quest to ‘build meaningful futures while respecting the past.’ ”
Step 7
Proofread and edit your announcement. Depending on your company’s policy, the new employee may have to sign off on it before it appears in your company newsletter.
Tips
References
Resources
- Purdue University Online Writing Lab: Tone in Business writing
- The New St. Martin’s Handbook; Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors; 1999.
Tips
- Include a picture of the new employee with your announcement. Photos help readers connect the information they’re reading with a face.
Writer Bio
With education, health care and small business marketing as her core interests, M.T. Wroblewski has penned pieces for Woman's Day, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal and many newspapers and magazines. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University.