General Information

Communicator magazine

What is working

Just over 84 per cent of respondents receive a copy of Communicator, and some of the remaining 16 per cent have access to copies in communal areas or view it online. More than 48 percent of respondent always read Communicator, and a further 35 per cent read it occasionally.

Overall, staff agreed that Communicator was:

  • not essential to do my job but it’s still nice to read
  • it helps me understand what goes on in the rest of the University
  • it helps me get to know about other people around the  University
  • it makes me feel part of the University community

Staff mainly disagreed that ‘it helps me do my job’. The most popular subjects seem to be University activities and success stories, the Last Word from the Vice-Chancellor, and staff development opportunities.

Print versus online

While a significant number of staff would still prefer to read a printed copy – ‘I can read it on the train home’ – there is an increasing appetite for an online version, with many staff wanting the option of online and print. It was suggested that we reduce the number of printed copies and ask staff to share.

What needs improving

Many of you feel that the news is sometimes out of date by the time Communicator is published, and some of the stories have already been seen on the Staff Essentials or the University web pages.

We will look at introducing an online ‘strategic update’ to complement Communicator and provide brief and timely information on major projects and our achievements against our strategic ambitions. This new update will be issued three times per year from the Vice-Chancellors Executive.

Communicator will be reduced to three issues per year and, with a new design, will be tailored to provide more of the success stories and updates that staff would like to see.

We will ensure we only print the number of copies of each publication that departments require and will encourage staff to share. We will also promote more widely the online version, so staff have a choice of how to view the publication.

Communicator design – have your say

Take a look at some proposed designs for a new Communicator magazine and tell us what you think.