Mass email protocol

Mass email is a key part of our internal communications toolkit, however we try to use it sparingly.

All staff and student emails are usually issued via the Communications Office: email communications@glasgow.ac.uk

Email style guide

House style

  • In most instances, all staff emails should come from the communications@glasgow.ac.uk, please contact the team if you have any questions.
  • All-staff emails should adhere to the University’s Style Guide.
  • text should be 11pt Arial, as per guidance in the University’s brand toolkit.
  • Large distribution lists and mailing lists should be blind copied.
  • Where possible, emails should be issued from a named person, ideally the Project Sponsor, senior manager or member of SMG with oversight of the relevant area. Judgement should be used, however, when deciding who is best placed.
  • Emails should give readers a source for further information or follow-up, usually either a contact email address or webpage.
  • Third-party email clients can be used to create email templates, provided they adhere to UofG branding guidelines.

Best practice

Emails sent to large distribution lists should be relevant to the majority of recipients. They should be written in plain English, so the subject matter is obvious and the call to action or reference to more information is clear.

Please avoid long and overly detailed emails, we usually try to aim for no longer than 300 words. Where there is a lot of information to communicate, we would advise summarising this in the email, and hosting the detail online where it can be more clearly presented and easily navigated.

An email subject line should give a clear indication as to the email’s content and should be short enough to appear in an Outlook preview in full.

Jargon should be avoided, and acronyms explained. All emails should adhere to the University’s Digital Accessibility guidance.

Tone of voice

Mass communications should adhere the University’s tone of voice guidelines, as set out in our Brand Toolkit.

Timing

All staff emails should only be sent during core working hours (09:00-17:00) unless it’s an emergency or unavoidable.

Our preference is to issue mass emails earlier in the day to maximise engagement and to allow colleagues to see it the same day. Fridays should be avoided, as some emails issued on this day tend to generate lower engagement. Emails sent out late in the day or on a Friday may also lead to queries outside of working hours and a delay in responding.

Where possible, multiple mass emails on the same day should be avoided. If unavoidable, the timing of these messages should be appropriately staggered.

Appropriate use of mass internal email might include:

  • Breaking emergencies or crisis communications.
  • Critical and time-sensitive health and safety information.
  • Issues with potential to significantly impact our campuses or operations, eg major construction/closure of buildings, major IT disruption.
  • Major updates to governance or policy which affects large parts of the colleague community.
  • University-approved colleague surveys and launches of major campaigns.
  • Strategically important updates about projects or major events.

Inappropriate use of internal mass internal might include:

  • Messages not aligned with the UofG strategy, mission and values.
  • Marketing or adverts from third parties, unless endorsed by UofG.
  • Adverts for internal or external job postings or recruitment.
  • Adverts for events with limited interest, or those allowing only a small number of attendees.

All staff emails

In some circumstances the Internal Communications team can arrange to issue an email to all staff.

If you feel you have a message that would benefit colleagues, please email the Internal Communications team and someone will get back to you. If we’re not able to accommodate your request, we may be able to suggest an appropriate alternative channel.

University Values

How we communicate through mass emails should reflect our University Strategy and Values, and positively influence the staff experience.

This includes the tone, style and language of our internal communications, which play an important role in building and supporting our community and culture.

It is worth considering the Values when drafting internal messaging and considering how they can be reflected in the content, tone of voice and the language of any communication.

Analysis

Efforts can and should be made to understand how staff are engaging in email correspondence, particularly when these are related to a strategic programme or campaign.

Currently we can measure email open-rates and click-throughs to webpages. We also have access to analytics which allows us to track engagement on University webpages.

If you are interested in measuring engagement, please contact the Communications team for more information.