You’ve found our list of the best employee newsletter ideas.
Employee newsletter ideas are topics and formats leaders can use when communicating with their teams. Examples of employee newsletter ideas are holiday-themed announcements, weekly office news, and roundups of milestones and achievements. The purpose of these ideas is to help managers create enjoyable emails that keep their workers informed and engaged.
These newsletters are useful as team building emails and for keeping virtual teams connected. You can also use them to explain employee benefits and perks.
This list includes:
- internal company newsletter ideas
- HR newsletter ideas
- employee newsletter puzzle ideas
- employee newsletter contest ideas
- company newsletter ideas
- fun staff newsletter ideas
- employee newsletter topics
Here we go!
Internal Company Newsletter Ideas
1. Birthdays and Work Anniversaries
A newsletter announcing birthdays around the office lets you shine the spotlight on team members for their special occasions. Similarly, work anniversaries mark important milestones for employees when their one-year, five-year, and ten-year anniversaries arrive. You can contact your HR department for help tracking birthdays and employee start dates. A template with festive graphics and a fun header will add color and flair to your email.
Since some employees may prefer not to have their birthdays announced, you can send out an email survey that lets each worker choose whether to include their information. Depending on your team’s size, you can opt for a weekly, monthly, or periodic newsletter to ensure announcements go out for all workers.
Check out more virtual birthday ideas and virtual work anniversary ideas.
2. Process Changes and Workplace Developments
New processes and procedures sometimes slip under the radar, leaving workers without necessary resources. Rather than depending on water cooler chatter, you can assemble a newsletter to deliver the information. Since changes may be infrequent, you can add other workplace developments in your emails to help flesh them out. For example, a section for topics like company acquisitions and changes in executive management will provide a regular update for your team to keep them updated on announcements from the organization.
Here are books on change management.
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3. New Employee Announcements
Few workplace events are more exciting than the arrival of a new employee! A newsletter introducing the newcomer and explaining their role on the team gives your workers a chance to prepare. You can create a simple write-up that explains who the new hire is and invite the team to their workstation to say hello when they arrive. If your employees have notice of the new worker’s start date, then they can organize a vacant workstation and get the space ready before the new arrival.
4. Awards and Achievements
Newsletters are a helpful tool for singing your workers’ praises. An email celebrating team victories lets you share the good news with your crew, executives, managers, and other teams in the organization. Beyond announcing any awards your team won, there are no requirements for the types of accomplishments you share. You can include victories from conquered deadlines to the completion of major projects to the smashing of sales goals. Presenting these successes with enthusiasm and appreciation will create a newsletter that spreads positivity around the workplace.
Here are more virtual employee appreciation ideas.
5. Schedule Adjustments
If your company has a schedule that changes regularly, then a newsletter can be a tool to help your workers keep track of the adjustments. You may need to coordinate with other teams in advance to make sure you have the necessary information for your email. Your letter can include open shifts that require coverage or employee outages needing an action plan. By capturing the schedule in a single communication, you can create a resource that keeps all employees informed.
HR Newsletter Ideas
6. Diversity and Inclusion
With so many cultures represented in a workplace, HR newsletters exploring diversity and inclusion can serve as friendly reminders of your organization’s commitment to inclusivity. A monthly email sharing information about worldwide cultures helps create an inclusive environment that welcomes workers from a variety of backgrounds. By regularly sending communications celebrating diversity, you can set a tone of appreciation and curiosity that creates connections and fosters respect among your workers.
Check out more virtual diversity and inclusion ideas.
7. Environmental Responsibility
HR newsletters are a great forum for presenting tools and resources that promote a more environmentally responsible workplace. You can explore an array of topics, from recycling and composting programs to plastic reduction and green energy initiatives. If your company is making proactive changes, then a weekly or monthly publication will allow you to inform your crew and explain how they can make a difference both at work and at home. These regularly scheduled emails can expand awareness of your company’s dedication to environmental causes and inspire important new habits among your teams.
8. Workday Tools and Tips
Information that makes the workday easier is a welcome addition to any inbox! An HR newsletter sharing ways workers can improve their experience is a simple outreach that can have positive effects. Tips on how to make better use of company systems, resources for training and career development, and ergonomic advice for creating a healthier workspace are all topics that can benefit employees. Because communication between teams is sometimes challenging, allowing department leads to contribute content that clarifies functions and responsibilities can help the organization run more smoothly overall.
9. Dress Code Reminders
Though one of the less comfortable topics to discuss, dress code is a subject that bears repeating in many workplaces. A friendly HR newsletter with regular reminders of what is and is not acceptable attire helps teams and management stay in compliance. You can communicate any changes to the regulations as well as use visual guides to clarify verbal descriptions that may be difficult to imagine. Employees receiving a monthly message from the HR department can obtain the information straight from the source, clearing up any confusion.
10. Health Services and Benefits
Companies offering health services and benefits can send out regular HR newsletters to ensure their workers use these services effectively. Some services, like mental health resources or special spending accounts for medical or childcare expenses, may be unknown to employees who have never used them. An email highlighting these benefits’ availability with details on how to utilize them best can make a world of difference to team members in need. To avoid overwhelming readers, choose one topic per email and explain the details in language that is easy to understand, and remind folks to contact an HR rep for more information.
Employee Newsletter Puzzle Ideas
11. Word Search
Sending out a printable word search filled with terms related to your team’s tasks is a fun way to personalize your employee newsletter. Vocabulary related to their jobs, names they recognize from around the office, and inside jokes that only they would know are all great sources for your word search list. You can create your word search using an online generator that does the heavy lifting. As an added incentive, offer the first team member a small prize to turn in their completed word search.
Here is a helpful word search generator you can use to create your puzzle, and check out more word games for adults.
12. Brain Teasers
You can include brain teasers in your employee newsletters for a fun team challenge! Each issue can include a different type of brain teaser. You can also use rebuses, puzzles where images represent words or phrases, or tricky riddles. If you feel clever and creative, then you can devise your own selection of fun puzzles for your team to solve. You can also send links to company-approved sites with brain benders for employees to solve. A Friday newsletter filled with brain teasers your crew can collaborate on is a great way to wind down the workweek.
Here are some rebuses, riddles, and brain teasers to feature in your employee newsletters, and more team building brainteasers.
13. Cryptograms
Cryptograms are encoded messages that require a numeric or alphabetic key to solve. With help from online generators, any phrase can transform into a cryptogram to include in your employee newsletters. You can encrypt funny notes about happenings around the workplace or send well wishes out for a great sales quarter. If you use a traditional newspaper layout for your newsletter, then you can include a cryptogram in every issue.
Here is a cryptogram generator for you to try.
14. Crossword Puzzles
It may not be the New York Times, but your employee newsletter can still include a crossword puzzle to challenge your team. The easiest way to include a crossword is to find one online at a company-approved site and include the link in your email. If you are up for a challenge, then you can create your own with an online crossword generator. These sites let you enter words and clues, then arranges them as a custom crossword for your team to solve. You can create a puzzle that surprises your crew by including work-based information and even add them to the list of possible answers!
Employee Newsletter Contest Ideas
15. Desk Decorating Contest
In some offices, desk decorating is a fun yet contentious activity, especially during the holidays. You can stir up excitement for the season by announcing a desk decorating contest in your employee newsletter. By providing an enthusiastic announcement and a detailed list of rules, you can communicate to the entire team simultaneously to avoid disconnects about timing or categories for judging. If your contest takes place over a few weeks, then you can use your newsletter to send weekly updates and reminders of looming deadlines. And, of course, a newsletter announcing the winners and sharing photos of the finished decorations is a must!
16. Trivia Contest
Including little-known facts about science, history, and pop culture in your employee newsletters can create a trivia contest to expand your team’s knowledge of useless stuff! Using a website like Random Trivia Generator can level the playing field with a large collection of questions that will keep your crew guessing. You can create a newsletter dedicated to your trivia contest or add a few questions at the bottom of each issue as a fun closing. A supply of candy bars makes a great prize selection for the first employee who answers correctly.
Here is a trivia-generating website for you to use, and here are trivia questions and answers.
17. Fundraising Contest
Using your employee newsletter to promote a fundraising contest is a meaningful way to get your team in the giving spirit.
Here are some steps you can follow:
- Provide a list of charities for your workers to vote on
- Announce the chosen charity
- Designate breakout teams
- Communicate guidelines for fundraising activities, all in newsletter format
- Share progress updates and helpful tips for increased contributions in weekly updates
To show leadership just how committed your crew is, be sure to include managers and executives on your distribution list.
Check out this list of virtual fundraising ideas.
18. Productivity Contest
If your team has goals to meet, you can stimulate some friendly competition through your employee newsletter. An email explaining the rules of the contest should include specifics about what counts toward the goal, details such as daily numbers, weekly progress, or finished items. Later emails can provide updates and share progress made toward the overall goal. Though there may be a winner named at the end of the contest, be sure to show appreciation for the whole team’s effort at completing the job.
Company Newsletter Content Ideas
19. Acquisitions
Sometimes when a larger organization acquires new companies, rumors about the acquisition run rampant. A company newsletter is an ideal place to provide information about upcoming acquisitions to prevent the spread of misinformation. Leaders have an opportunity to guide the conversation by including only as much detail as allowable and can send updates as new information warrants. By communicating through a newsletter, workers stay informed, and workplace anxiety remains minimal.
20. Structural Changes
The comings and goings of executives and leaders in neighboring departments can lead to employee confusion. By including structural changes and reorganizations in a company newsletter, all teams impacted by the alterations receive the necessary information. Companies can ensure smoother transitions by keeping their workers in the loop regarding changes they might otherwise miss.
21. Annual Goals
A newsletter is a helpful tool for alerting an organization to company-wide goals for the upcoming year. Since these goals affect workers at all levels, communication from an executive level lends authority to the message. While employees may hear from their managers about their role in achieving these goals, having upper management provide a big-picture view of how new initiatives will serve the company can help put anxious workers at ease.
Fun Staff Newsletter Ideas
22. Zen Doodles
Doodling is a relaxing activity that can reduce stress, like meditation. Zen doodles, also called Zentangle, is an artistic movement that provides instruction and patterns for creating mesmerizing drawings meant to calm a busy brain. Sending out a newsletter with these simple shapes for the team to recreate will encourage workers to take breaks to refresh their minds creatively. You can encourage the zen doodle practice by providing a bulletin board in the office for your team to post their finished creations.
Here is an introduction to the zen doodle process to get you started.
23. Meet Your Coworkers
For larger teams with limited interpersonal interaction among workmates, sending out a newsletter highlighting each team member can help your crew get to know one another. You can feature a different worker in each issue, presenting a selection of their interests and hobbies, peppered with fun facts and trivia. Including details about the worker’s role and responsibilities will help the crew know who to contact for questions and concerns about their job.
To prepare your newsletter, choose a worker to feature and create a list of interview questions for them to answer.
Here are some prompts you can use:
- How many years have you been in this industry?
- What was your first job?
- Describe your partner, children, family, and pets.
- What are your favorite hobbies?
- What type of snack do you like best?
- What is your favorite kind of music?
- What is your favorite movie?
- What is your dream vacation?
- What do you consider your superpower?
- What three words best describe your personality?
You can send your questions to all employees at once and give a deadline to return the completed questionnaires. By creating a template using a title, graphics, and a greeting, you can prepare newsletters for the entire team and send them one at a time, weekly, or monthly.
Here are more get to know you questions.
24. Photo of the Week
For teams who love using their smartphone cameras, a photo of the week feature is a fun way to showcase their artistic talents. You can provide prompts challenging your crew to take their most creative photos, from nature to landscapes to portraits. Invite them to upload and email them and choose one to include in each issue, making sure to credit the photographer for their fantastic eye!
Conclusion
Work-based communication with your employees is crucial, but it does not have to be bland! Employee newsletters help add character to your exchanges by offering engaging formats and interesting topics. Keeping your communications brief increases the likelihood that workers will read what you have written. You can experiment with different newsletter structures and schedules to find the best option for your team. With the right balance, you can create email newsletters your team looks forward to receiving.
Learn more about communicating with your employees by checking out articles on communication games and internal communication tools and tips.
