By Jackie Todd, Office of Media Relations
Your opinion matters. Are we effectively communicating with you? Are we giving you information that you want and need? Are we using effective channels to provide that information? We’re not going to know unless you tell us.
To help us better understand what information that you want and need from Clemson, the university will offer an internal communications survey to its 4,800 faculty and staff. The survey is administered every two years. This year’s survey will be open from April 13 through April 24.
Faculty and staff who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to receive one of two free employee parking placards. The placards are good for one year. Please note that in order for us to move forward with the drawing, we must have at least 950 completed surveys, so encourage your colleagues to participate. As of today, we have 401 completed surveys.
What you said
The initial survey, which first debuted in 2013, yielded actionable information:
- Although most respondents indicated that the information they received from Clemson was “about right,” one in four employees reported that they received “too much” or “overwhelming” information.
- Most respondents gave high marks to the timeliness of information they received; however, there were complaints about the timeliness of inclement weather announcements and campus alerts.
- The top three channels through which faculty and staff received information included:
- Campus-wide emails (but many complained that they received too many of these)
- Inside Clemson weekly e-newsletter (formerly called Inside NOW)
- Their co-workers
- One in three respondents indicated that they received emails that did not pertain to them.
- Respondents indicated that they did not read the weekly e-newsletter, because it was too long, a marketing tool, and a vehicle for advertising events.
What we did
- Reduced email clutter: Most campus-wide emails are now included in the weekly Inside Clemson e-newsletter with news and information posted on the faculty and staff Web page.
- Added other communications channels: We enhanced our Social Media presence and disseminate news through Twitter (@InsideClemson and @ClemsonUniv), Facebook, Inside Clemson Instagram and more! We also use the digital signage around campus to publicize events.
- Redesigned the weekly e-newsletter and changed its name: We streamlined the format so that readers can quickly scan content and click on the articles that are of interest to them. Inside NOW was renamed Inside Clemson to be consistent with all communications coming from the Inside Clemson account.
- Categorized content in the Inside Clemson e-newsletter: The redesigned e-newsletter offers feature areas with photos. Other important news is located in the Headlines section and a sampling of university events, trainings, seminars, etc. – all of which can be found on the university calendar—are listed under the Upcoming events
- Redesigned the faculty and staff Web page: The new design intuitively weaves features, news, resources and more onto one page.
What do you say?
Our internal communications enhancements are only efficient if they better help you access the information that you need. Are we on the right track? It’s your turn to tell us.
Contact Jackie Todd, internal communications director with any questions.
Excellent, immediate responses/changes to the survey.
Thanks so much, Miriam. Please take the survey and encourage your colleagues to share their ideas. We’re always looking to improve, so the feedback will be really helpful!