The characteristics of e-newsletters in predicting higher education institution employees’ usage

Abstract

E-newsletters provide organisational information and employee engagement opportunities to overcome behavioural and communication isolation in departments within an organisation. By optimising e-newsletters, employees can better utilise the content of the e-newsletter to perform their daily operational tasks and to fulfil organisational goals and objectives. In order to convey the organisational information in an e-newsletter, it needs to be delivered in an appealing manner regarding content, layout, ease of navigation, quality of photographs, and inspirational messages or quotes. The purpose of this study was to determine employees’ perceptions of e-newsletters based on their characteristics relating to content, layout, ease of navigation, quality of photographs, and inspirational messages. A quantitative, self-administered web-based survey was disseminated to employees of a higher education institution in South Africa. The results indicate that the frequency of receiving e-newsletters and personal touches to the e-newsletter affect employees’ perception of e-newsletters. This research highlights the importance of including information in an e-newsletter that appeals to employees on a personal level.