Internal Communications

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Category:
Operations
Audience:
FNUniv Employees
Issued:
August 9, 2020
Last Revised:
February 26, 2023
Owner:
Vice President, University Relations
Approved By:
Board of Governors
Contact:
Senior Communications Officer

Introduction

Effective internal communication is critical to the success of any organization. FNUniv’s internal communications follows streamlined, established processes and procedures to ensure our faculty and staff proactively receive the information they need to strengthen our ability to collectively achieve our institutional goals.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to:

  1. Provide the framework upon which a solid internal communications strategy can be built
  2. Ensure that the internal communications function at FNUniv is well coordinated, effectively managed and responsive to the information needs of employees
  3. Provide clear, regular and timely guidelines for communication to internal stakeholders
  4. Articulate that all communication by members of FNUniv should reflect the vision, mission, values and guiding principles of the institution and internal communications plan

Scope

This policy applies to all employees of FNUniv that send internal communication to the institution’s internal stakeholders. Internal stakeholders refer to executive management, staff, faculty and sessional instructors.

Policy Statements

The policy states the following:

  1. All internal communications are guided by FNUniv’s vision, mission, values, guiding principles, policies and procedures.
  2. All internal communications must be transparent and honest and written in a genuine and authentic manner.
  3. Internal communications are frequent and consistent, ensuring that all internal stakeholders are appropriately informed.
  4. Effective internal communications starts at the top. Senior leaders at FNUniv must model excellence in internal communications for any internal communication to be successful. It is essential that leadership within the institution is visible and accessible to all employees.
  5. Face-to-face communication is a priority, as it is the most effective method of internal communication. The second most effective is video calls, third is over the phone and fourth is by email. Depending on the content in the message, its sensitivity, importance and the message recipient(s), care should be taken to select the message transition that is most appropriate.
  6. Internal communications are sent out to internal stakeholders as quickly as possible; it is important that internal stakeholders are informed at the same time (or preferably ahead of time) of external stakeholders. Time-sensitive or urgent information that could affect the health and safety, security or business continuity should be disseminated as soon as an individual is made aware of the situation. For all other issues, within one business day is recommended.
  7. A critical component of the internal communication process is communication between supervisors and their direct reports. Unless information is confidential, supervisors are expected to keep their direct reports informed and up to date on institutional information through direct communication.
  8. Institution-wide, mass internal communication falls under the responsibility of the Marketing & Communications Team. In situations where one-on-one communication is required, or communication that is more targeted, the onus is on decentralized communication and is outside the realm of the scope of responsibilities for the Marketing & Communications Team. Information targeted towards sessional instructors is handled by the Administrative Assistants in each department as they have the most up-to-date contact information and there is no email list dedicated to sessional instructors. The only exception to this rule is when an institution-wide email goes out, as the Marketing & Communications Team will handle it being sent to all faculty and staff.
  9. The Marketing & Communications Team will endeavour to develop an annual internal communications plan, to be approved by the Vice President, Finance & Administration, prior to the start of each fiscal year. The Team will also create a five-year internal communications plan that mimics the timeline for the institution’s strategic plan, for which the annual plans will fall under.

Consequences for Noncompliance

Failure to comply with this policy and any related procedures could result in investigation and, in some cases, disciplinary measures.

Related Information

  • Procedure – Internal Communications Responsibility
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