JLab Streamlining of Internal Communications Tools

May 8, 2017
A message from the JLab Communications Office

SUBJECT: JLab Streamlining of Internal Communications Tools
CONTACT: Lauren Hansen, x7689, lhansen@jlab.org

Many organizations are focusing on efforts to cut through the noise of the modern world to reach their target audiences. Here at Jefferson Lab, the Communications Office is engaged in similar efforts to reach its internal audiences as efficiently as possible by streamlining its communications to all staff, Users and subcontractors invested in the lab and its performance.

To that end, the Communications Office has designated the JLab Weekly Briefs document as the main communication tool for routine messaging to all staff, Users and subcontractors.

Formally utilizing JLab Weekly Briefs for routine message delivery means that there will be fewer stand-alone messages sent as all-hands emails. While these all-hands email blasts have long been a favorite go-to tool for quickly delivering messages to internal audiences, overuse over the years has diluted the impact of these messages and has made it more difficult for staff, Users and subcontractors to distinguish truly important all-hands emails from those that aren’t as urgent. Moving forward, all-hands emails will be limited to those that are:

  • Impactful – Messages that may impact the work or work schedules of a large portion of the Jefferson Lab community that can’t be reached effectively via other means;
  • Important – Messages from senior leadership that informs or impacts work or work planning; or
  • Timely – Messages that must be communicated immediately, outside the cycle of the JLab Weekly Briefs, due to emergency notices, facility/road closures, or immediate safety issues.

While highlights of the highest-priority messages are included in the JLab Weekly Briefs email, it does not include all material posted in the online document. The full document incorporates content from major work centers and features a listing of published papers on JLab research, a safety minute, a highlights calendar of events at the lab, and general announcements. The Jefferson Lab community is encouraged to visit the document webpage to receive full versions of the latest information. The latest JLab Weekly Briefs document and archives are now linked on the Insight Front Page under Communication Resources: (https://www.jlab.org/news/briefs/latest). 

Selected divisions, in addition to the Communications Office, will still be able to send all-hands emails, as outlined above. Soon, these emails will also be transmitted through established persona accounts, such as the JLab_Communications-Office@jlab.org persona. With the exception of emergency communications, these messages will now be formatted in a template that clearly identifies the subject, source and contact for the message (like this email).

Members of the Jefferson Lab community are encouraged to submit messaging and announcements for publication to the Communications Office, at jlabinfo@jlab.org. Comments and suggestions for improving internal communications are also welcome.

While the JLab Weekly Briefs are the preferred primary means of communication to the lab community, we will continue to highlight messages by posting information to Insight, the At-A-Glance calendar, Site Wide Information System (SWIS) display screens, and on occasion, posters (depending on demand for materials outside of the laboratory). We will continue to work toward streamlining these communication tools and look forward to unveiling further improvements.

Thank you for your patience during this transition, as we work to better utilize our available resources to more strategically highlight the highest-priority communications.