TRS 1705 June 2017
Internal Communication Practices of
State Transportation Agencies
State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have many mechanisms to communicate externally to stakeholders and the
traveling public. In addition, agencies may also wish to provide news and employee‐specific information via internal
communication mechanisms. The Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) Office of Communications was interested in learning about
internal communication practices of state DOTs around the country to help inform MnDOT’s employee communication efforts.
This Transportation Research Synthesis (TRS) project surveyed representatives from 52 transportation‐related agencies about
their internal communications practices. Twenty‐five (25) states provided input to help document the current practices state
DOTs are using to manage internal employee communications. The survey gathered information about practices such as
whether internal communication is centralized, the existence and format of an employee newsletter, other forms of
communication used with internal audiences, what content is gathered, successes, and lessons learned.
Technical Advisory Panel Rich Kemp, Technical Liaison MnDOT Office of Communications Chris Joyce, Panelist MnDOT Office of Communications Dan Warzala, Project Coordinator MnDOT Research Services & Library Tina Roelofs, Principal Investigator Athey Creek Consultants
The purpose of this Transportation Research Synthesis (TRS) is to serve as a synthesis of pertinent
completed research to be used for further study and evaluation by MnDOT. This TRS does not represent
the conclusions of either Athey Creek Consultants or MnDOT.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 1
Internal Communication Practices of State Transportation
Agencies
Introduction
The Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) currently uses several internal communication methods to provide
information to employees. One method includes an online newsletter, called Newsline1, that includes
news for employees. Newsline is available to the public, however it is not promoted as such. MnDOT
Communications staff also uses agency‐wide emails, referred to as note mailers, to distribute urgent
business related messages to employees on topics such as IT matters or Commissioner announcements.
Although MnDOT utilizes different approaches for connecting and communicating with employees, they
were interested in internal communication practices used by state transportation agencies throughout
the country. The purpose of this Transportation Research Synthesis (TRS) was to document internal
communications practices used by state transportation agencies to help inform MnDOT’s employee
communication efforts.
Approach
In order to provide MnDOT with a summary of internal communication practices used by state
transportation agencies, information was gathered via a survey. The survey was developed with input
from the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) and administered online via SurveyMonkey. An invitation to
participate in the survey was sent by MnDOT to the AASHTO Transportation Communications
Subcommittee2 (TransComm) email distribution list. TransComm is made up of public affairs
professionals from the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. It promotes excellence in
communications through the exchange of ideas and educational programming, presents annual skills
awards and advises other committees on communications issues.
The survey was distributed on April 25, 2017 and it was open for one week. The survey questions as well
as all responses received are included in Appendix A.
Summary of Findings
The following 25 transportation agencies responded to the survey distributed to the TransComm
members. Appendix A provides contact information for the states that responded.
Alaska DOT and Public
Facilities (Alaska DOT
&PF)
Arizona DOT (ADOT)
Arkansas State Highway
and Transportation
Department (AHTD)
Caltrans
Indiana DOT (INDOT)
Massachusetts DOT
(MassDOT)
Mississippi DOT
(MDOT)
Missouri DOT (MoDOT)
Montana DOT (MDT)
Nebraska DOT
Nevada DOT (NDOT)
New Hampshire DOT
(NHDOT)
Ohio DOT (ODOT
(Ohio))
Oklahoma DOT (ODOT
(Oklahoma))
Oregon DOT (ODOT
(Oregon))
Pennsylvania DOT
(PennDOT)
South Carolina DOT
(SCDOT)
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 2
South Dakota DOT
(SDDOT)
Tennessee DOT (TDOT)
Texas DOT (TxDOT)
Utah DOT (UDOT)
Vermont Agency of
Transportation (VTrans)
Virginia DOT (VDOT)
Wisconsin DOT
(WisDOT)
Wyoming DOT
(WYDOT)
This section provides a summary of the survey responses received and categorized by:
Methods, Distribution Frequency, and Types of Information Included in Internal
Communication
Internal Communication Examples
Production and Distribution of Internal Communication
Internal Communication Field Staff Delivery Methods
Impact of Internal Communication
Overall Summary and Recommendations
Appendix A documents all questions asked in the survey and all responses received.
METHODS, DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY, AND TYPES OF INFORMATION INCLUDED IN INTERNAL
COMMUNICATION
Internal Communication Methods
From a list of common internal communication methods, respondents were asked to select all methods
that apply that they use to provide internal communications to employees. All 25 transportation agencies
that responded to the survey provided input for this question. Email news updates (22 respondents),
electronic newsletters (20 respondents), and websites (20 respondents) were the most common types of
communication methods selected. See Figure 1. However, there were several other internal
communication methods noted by the respondents including videos, touch‐screen kiosks for field
employees, and electronic bulletin boards.
Figure 1: Methods of Internal Communications
20
11
20
7
22
24
13
0
5
10
15
20
25
Number of Resondents
Internal Communication Methods
Other: Town Hall style meetings, Meetings with the director, Email blasts, GovDelivery ‐ Provides retiree news email,
Magazine, Hard copy magazine, Intranet ‐ a home page with news and information, Podcasts, Digital signage, Electronic
Bulletin Boards, Touch‐screen kiosks for field employees, Various videos, Lunch‐N‐Learn and Walking Club
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 2
Internal Communications Distribution Frequency
Table 1 provides a summary of the frequency with which state transportation agencies responded that
they distribute internal communications. The most common responses indicated that email news updates
are distributed on demand (11 respondents), electronic newsletters are distributed monthly (9
respondents), and websites are updated daily (9 respondents) as well as on demand (8 respondents) to
provide employees with information.
Table 1: Internal Communication Methods – Distribution Frequency
Internal Communication Method
Frequency (Survey Choices)
Other Responses
# of Respondents
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
On
Dem
and
Bi‐
monthly
Twice a
month
Newsletter ‐ electronic 3 9 4 1 2 19 Newsletter ‐ paper copy 1 5 3 1 1 11 Website 9 2 8 19 Social media 6 1 7 Email news updates 3 5 2 11 21 Blog 1 1 2 Webinars 4 4 Other* 3 2 2 1 2 3 13 Total 21 14 18 8 27 5 3 *See Appendix A (Table A9) for list of other internal communication methods
Internal Communication Information Types
The types of information included in internal communications noted by survey respondents is summarized
in Table 2 below. Respondents were asked to select all applicable information types. For example, 18 of
the 20 transportation agencies responding indicated that they include employee news in their electronic
newsletters.
Table 2: Internal Communication Methods – Information Types
Internal Communication Method
Information Types (Survey Choices)
# of respondents
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other**
Newsletter ‐ electronic 16 18 13 8 17 4 20
Newsletter ‐ paper copy 10 10 8 6 10 5 11
Website 16 11 11 10 14 4 20
Social media 7 2 1 1 4 1 7
Email news updates 8 12 14 15 16 5 22
Blog 2 2
Webinars 3 1 4 1 4
Other* 8 11 9 4 11 3 13
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 3
*See Appendix A (Table A9) for list of other internal communication methods
**Other information types noted for each internal communication method are provided in Appendix A (Tables A2‐
A9)
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION EXAMPLES
Nearly all of the 25 respondents who completed the survey indicated that they were willing to share
examples of internal communication methods used by their agency. An email was distributed to the
respondents asking for examples. Eleven (11) states provided internal communication examples. A
summary of the examples provided is noted in Table 3 below and Appendix A (Table A12) includes the
examples provided.
Table 3: Internal Communication Methods Examples
Internal Communication Method # of Examples
Newsletter 10
Email News Updates 9
Intranet 5
Other* 5
Blog 2
Webinars 2
Social Media 1 *Break room posters, bi‐monthly magazine, town hall style meetings, monthly magazine (personal news), podcasts,
GovDelivery
PRODUCTION AND COORDINATION OF INTERAL COMMUNICATION
Internal Communication Production Location
All transportation agencies (25) that responded to the survey indicated that internal communications are
produced in a central communications office. In addition, 14 of the responding agencies produced internal
communications in regional offices and 7 states produced internal communications in other offices within
their agency. Five (5) states produced internal communications in other areas.
Figure 2: Location of Internal Communication Production
25
14
75
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Centralcommunications
office
Regional offices Other offices withinyour agency
Other. Pleasedescribe.N
umber of Respondents
Location of Internal Communicaiton Production
Other: External Affairs, Human Resources, Secrtary's Office, Governor's Office, Associated General
Contractors (AGC), and District Offices
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 4
Internal Communication Coordination and Production
Appendix A (Tables A13‐A16) provides individual state responses on how internal communication is
coordinated and produced within their agency. The following bullets indicate a few examples of survey
responses received on internal communication production.
Members of our Central Office communications team take on various roles. Internal news stories
‐ for the newsletter and intranet ‐ are written and edited by a team of 2‐3. Kiosk stories and
resources are managed by the Employee Communications Program Manager. Agency‐wide
emails are not always written by our department, but we offer writing and editing services to
anyone who requests it.
Our headquarters communications office coordinates with field division liaisons who write and
submit regional stories/topics to the editor.
Divisions produce internal newsletters independently.
Human Resource Director has final review of emails going out to employees.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION FIELD STAFF DELIVERY METHODS
Transportation agencies struggle with delivering internal communication to field staff because they are
not often in an office or at a computer. Survey respondents were asked to describe how their agency
delivers internal communication to field staff. Many of the agencies (14 respondents) print the
information for distribution to their field employees. A complete list of the responses is included in
Appendix A (Table A17). Table 4 provides a summary of how state transportation agencies delivery
information to field staff.
Table 4: Field Staff Internal Communications Delivery Methods
Field Staff Delivery Methods # of Respondents
Printed 14
Meetings/ Supervisors/ Public Information Officers 8
Email 7
Video monitors/ kiosks/ digital signage for field office 5
Intranet 4
Mobile device 3
Website 3
Social Media 2
Printed and mailed to employees at home 1
Computer access 1
IMPACTS OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Internal Communication Feedback Frequency
Five (5) of the state transportation agencies indicated that they seek employee feedback on internal
communication yearly. However, over half of the respondents provided additional comments on how
they seek internal feedback and how often they seek it.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 5
Table 5: Internal Communications Feedback Frequency
Frequency # of Respondents
Monthly 2
Quarterly 2
Yearly 5
Never 2
Other* 13 *See Appendix A (Table A18) for other feedback frequency comments.
Methods for Gathering Internal Communication Feedback
Respondents were asked to select all that apply from a list of how transportation agencies gather feedback
regarding internal communications. Most respondents indicated periodic surveys (17 respondents), click
through rates on webpages (14 respondents) and anecdotal feedback (13 respondents) as methods their
agency used to gather employee feedback on internal communications. See Figure 3.
Figure 3: Employee Feedback Methods
Discontinued Internal Communication Methods
Five (5) transportation agencies indicated that they have recently discontinued an internal communication
method, including employee newsletters, commissioner’s blogs, central office newsletters, and podcasts.
Reasons for discontinuing varied. For example, it was noted that a podcast was discontinued because it
wasn’t promoted adequately. See Table 6.
Table 6: Discontinued Internal Communication Methods
Internal Communication Method Discontinued
Reason
Employee Newsletter Employee newsletter too employee focused. Now, it is meant to serve both internal and external customers.
Commissioner’s Blog A newer Commissioner chose not to continue with the blog.
Central Office Newsletter Lack of employee interest and limited staff to produce.
Newsletter Lack of employee interest.
Podcast Not promoted adequately.
17
8
14 13
5
02468101214161820
Periodic surveys Open rates onemail
Click through rateson webpages
Anecdotalfeedback
Other. Pleasedescribe.
Number of Respondents
Employee Feeback Methods
Other: Focus groups (2 respondents), editorial board, kiosk page click report, video views
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 6
Most Effective Internal Communication Method
Respondents were asked to select the one method they find most effective for internal communication.
Of the 22 states that provided their most effective internal communication method, the most effective
communication noted was an electronic newsletter (7 respondents). See Figure 4. The reasons many
agencies noted for effective internal communication included employee feedback, employee access,
timeliness, ease of use, and a familiar format or distribution schedule.
Figure 4: Most Effective Internal Communication Method
OVERALL SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Internal communications methods, distribution frequency, and feedback mechanisms differ slightly
between transportation agencies. The following bullets highlight the overall findings from review of the
survey results.
Electronic newsletters, websites and email news updates are the most common internal
communication methods.
Most communication methods are distributed on demand. Email news updates are distributed
on demand and websites are updated daily or on demand. However, electronic newsletters are
typically distributed monthly.
Project highlights, employee news, and human resource news and announcements are included
in most of internal communication methods.
All transportation agencies produce internal communication in a central communication office.
However, many of the agencies produce additional communication in regional offices.
Transportation agencies mostly print information for distribution to field employees that are not
often in an office or at a computer.
Transportation agencies vary on the how often they seek feedback on their internal
communications. Some seek feedback yearly and many periodically seek feedback.
Periodic surveys, click through rates on webpages and anecdotal feedback are methods
commonly used to gather feedback on internal communications.
7
2 2
6
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Newsletter‐ electronic
Newsletter‐ papercopy
Website Socialmedia
Email newsupdates
Blog Webinars Other
Number of Respondents
Internal Communication Method
Other: Intranet, digital signage (2 respondents), videos, hard copy magazine
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 7
Electronic newsletters and email news updates were noted as the most effective internal
communication methods.
Overall, from the review of all the survey responses it was noted that agencies acknowledge the
importance and value of employee communication.
Based on the survey findings, the following recommendations are offered for further consideration by
MnDOT.
Distribute TRS ‐ To gather information for this TRS, a survey was distributed to the TransComm
membership regarding internal communication practices used by state transportation agencies.
The intent of this TRS was to inform MnDOT internal communication efforts, however distribution
of this document to the TransComm memberships may also inform other transportation
agencies’ communication efforts. It is also important to note that in addition to MnDOT
considering distributing the TRS to the TransComm membership, MnDOT will post the TRS on
their website at: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/research/TRS.html.
Distribute internal information electronically ‐ The most common internal communication
methods for transportation agencies are reported to be online newsletters, websites, and email
news. Therefore, it is reasonable for MnDOT to continue with an online newsletter and agency‐
wide emails. Based on the survey responses, MnDOT may also continue or consider distributing
their newsletter monthly and continue distributing agency‐wide emails on‐demand.
Print internal information for field employees ‐ Transportation agencies may struggle with
delivering internal communication to field staff because they are not often in an office or a
computer. Many of the agencies surveyed print internal communications for distribution to field
employees. MnDOT may continue or consider distributing information to field employees by
printing the information.
Conduct periodic surveys ‐ Most of the transportation agencies that participated in the survey
seek feedback on internal communications. It is suggested that MnDOT consider conducting
periodic surveys to ensure employee needs are met by the internal communication methods used
by MnDOT.
MnDOT is encouraged to further consider these recommendations and other practices noted in the survey
within the context of their own communication environment and available resources.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 8
Appendix A: Survey Responses
CONTACT INFORMATION
Question 1: Please provide your contact information. We will use this information to follow up
if clarification is needed on a survey response.
Table A1: Survey Respondents Contact Information
Name Title Agency Email Address Phone
Meadow Bailey
Public Information Officer
Alaska DOT [email protected] 907‐451‐2240
Timothy Tait Communications Director
Arizona DOT [email protected] 602‐712‐7070
Danny Straessle
Public Information Officer
Arkansas State Highway and Transp. Dept.
[email protected] 501‐569‐2459
Mark Dinger Media Relations Manager
Caltrans [email protected] 916‐654‐3145
Kevin Cole Employee Communications Program Manager
Indiana DOT [email protected] 317‐234‐7639
Jacquelyn Goddard
Communications Director
Massachusetts DOT
857‐368‐8912
Jarrod Ravencraft
Director, Public Affairs Division
Mississippi DOT [email protected] 601‐359‐7656
Fay Fleming Director of Communications
Missouri DOT [email protected]
Lori Ryan Public Information Officer
Montana DOT [email protected] 406‐444‐6821
Jeni Lautenschlager
Communications Services Manager
Nebraska DOT
402‐479‐4512
Sharon Rues Special Assistant to the Director
[email protected] 402‐479‐4671
Sean Sever Communications Director
Nevada DOT [email protected] 775‐888‐7278
Bill Boynton Chief Communications Officer
New Hampshire DOT
[email protected] 603‐271‐6495
David Rose Internal Communications Manager
Ohio DOT [email protected] 614‐387‐0435
Mills Leslie Public Information Manager
Oklahoma DOT [email protected] 405‐521‐6008
Shelley Snow Strategic Communications Coordinator
Oregon DOT [email protected]
503‐986‐3438
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 9
Name Title Agency Email Address Phone
Richard Kirkpatrick
Communications Director
Pennsylvania DOT
[email protected] 717‐783‐8284
Pete Poore Director of Communications
South Carolina DOT
[email protected] 803‐737‐1270
Kristi Sandal Public Information Officer
South Dakota DOT
[email protected] 605‐773‐7179
B.J. Doughty Director of Communications / Community Relations
Tennessee DOT [email protected] 615‐532‐3810
Bob Kaufman Chief Communications Officer
Texas DOT [email protected] 512‐305‐9503
Joseph Walker Director of Communications
Utah DOT [email protected] 385‐223‐5233
Erik Filkorn Public Outreach Manager
Vermont Agency of Transportation
[email protected] 802‐498‐5988
Shannon Marshall
Acting Communications Director
Virginia DOT [email protected]
804‐371‐6844
Patty Mayers Director Office of Public Affairs
Wisconsin DOT [email protected] 608‐266‐5599
Doug McGee Public Affairs Manager Wyoming DOT [email protected] 307‐777‐4010
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 10
METHODS, DISTRIBUTION FREQUENCY, AND TYPES OF INFORMATION
INCLUDED IN INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
Question 2: What method(s) of internal communication does your agency provide for
employees? Select all that apply.
Newsletter – electronic
Newsletter – paper copy
Website
Social media
Email news updates
Blog
Webinars
Other. Please describe.
Question 3: How often is internal communication distributed to employees via each
method?
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
On Demand
Other. Please describe.
Question 4: What type of information is included in internal communications? Please select
all that apply.
Project highlights
Employee news (e.g. employee feature, staff changes)
Human resource news and announcements
Organizational initiatives
Other. Please describe.
The following tables (A2‐A9) are organized by internal communication method (Question 2) and include
the frequency distribution (Question 3) and types of information (Question 4) selected by survey
respondents.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 11
Table A2: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ NEWSLETTER (ELECTRONIC)
NEWSLETTER (ELECTRONIC)
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
ADOT Monthly ● ●
AHTD Bi‐monthly ● ● ● ● ●
Caltrans Monthly ● ● ●
INDOT Monthly ● ● ●
MassDOT Weekly ●
MDOT Weekly ● ● ● ● ●
‐ Job Feature Highlights ‐ Legislative Updates ‐ Events ‐ Calendars ‐ Observances ‐ Health and Wellness ‐ Position Vacancies ‐ Other Employee News
MoDOT Twice a
Month ● ● ●
MDT Monthly ● ● ● ●
Nebraska DOT
Monthly ● ● ●
NDOT Every 2
Weeks ● ● ●
NHDOT Quarterly ● ● ● ●
ODOT (Ohio)
Monthly ● ● ● ● ●
ODOT (Oregon)
Monthly ● ● ●
‐ Safety topics ‐ Diversity topics ‐ "Photo of the Month" competition
(VERY popular) ‐ Letter from director or exec team
member
PennDOT Quarterly ● ● ● ● ●
SDDOT Monthly ● ● ● ● ●
‐ Some training stories ‐ such as TRAC or DOTNet (new engineer training) appear in the general newsletter
‐ Also, separate bi‐weekly electronic newsletter for the training program
TxDOT ‐ ● ● ●
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 12
NEWSLETTER (ELECTRONIC)
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
VTrans Quarterly ● ● ●
VDOT Quarterly ● ●
WisDOT Weekly ● ● ● ● ●
WYDOT Monthly ● ● ● ● ●
‐ WYDOT projects ‐ Business ‐ Legislative initiatives ‐ New hires ‐ New babies of employees ‐ Other milestones ‐ IT initiatives such as upgrades to
software and other deployments
Table A3: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ NEWSLETTER (PAPER COPY)
NEWSLETTER (PAPER COPY)
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Distribution Frequency P
roject
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
ADOT Monthly ● ●
AHTD Bi‐monthly ● ● ● ● ●
MDOT Weekly ● ● ● ● ●
‐ Job Feature Highlights ‐ Legislative Updates ‐ Events ‐ Calendars ‐ Observances ‐ Health and Wellness ‐ Position Vacancies ‐ All Other Employee News
MoDOT Twice a
Month ● ● ●
NHDOT Quarterly ● ● ● ●
ODOT (Ohio)
Monthly ● ● ● ● ●
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 13
NEWSLETTER (PAPER COPY)
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Distribution Frequency P
roject
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
ODOT (Oklahoma)
Quarterly ● ● ● ● ●
ODOT (Oregon)
Monthly ● ● ●
‐ Safety topics ‐ Diversity topics ‐ "Photo of the Month" competition
(VERY popular) ‐ Letter from director or exec team
member
SCDOT Quarterly ● ● ‐ Whatever is news related SCDOT
SDDOT Monthly ● ● ● ● ● ‐ Some training stories ‐ such as TRAC
or DOTNet (new engineer training)
WYDOT Monthly ● ● ● ● ●
‐ WYDOT projects ‐ Business ‐ Legislative initiatives ‐ New hires ‐ New babies of employees ‐ Other milestones ‐ IT initiatives such as upgrades to
software and other deployments
Table A4: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ WEBSITE
WEBSITE
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
Alaska
DOT&PF On Demand ● ●
ADOT Daily ● ●
Caltrans On Demand ●
INDOT Weekly ● ● ● ●
MDOT Daily ● ● ● ● ‐ Job Feature Highlights ‐ Legislative Updates ‐ Events
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 14
WEBSITE
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
‐ Calendars ‐ Observances ‐ Health and Wellness ‐ Position Vacancies ‐ Other Employee News
MoDOT Daily ● ●
MDT Weekly ● ● ● ● ●
Nebraska DOT
Daily ● ● ● ● ●
NHDOT Daily ● ●
ODOT
(Ohio) Daily ● ● ● ● ●
ODOT
(Oklahoma) On Demand ● ● ● ●
ODOT
(Oregon) Daily ● ● ●
‐ Upcoming training opportunities ‐ Meetings with broad appeal
SDDOT On Demand ●
TDOT On Demand ● ●
TxDOT ‐ ● ● ●
UDOT On Demand ● ● ● ● ●
VTrans Daily ●
VDOT Daily ● ● ● ●
WisDOT On Demand ● ●
WYDOT On Demand ● ● ● ● ●
‐ WYDOT projects ‐ Business ‐ Legislative initiatives IT initiatives
such as upgrades to software and other deployments
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 15
Table A5: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
MoDOT Daily ● ●
Nebraska
DOT Daily
●
●
NHDOT Daily ● ● ● ● ●
SDDOT Daily ● ● ●
TDOT On Demand ●
‐ Media campaigns ‐ Regional news
UDOT Daily ●
VTrans Daily ●
Table A6: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ EMAIL NEWS UPDATES
EMAIL NEWS UPDATES
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
Alaska
DOT&PF Daily
‐ News coverage of our department ‐ Recap of recent media inquiries ‐ Links to social media posts and
advertised projects.
ADOT On Demand ● ● ● ●
Caltrans On Demand ● ● ●
INDOT On Demand ● ● ● ● ●
MDOT Weekly
● ● ●
‐ Job Feature Highlights ‐ Legislative Updates ‐ Events ‐ Calendars ‐ Observances ‐ Health and Wellness ‐ Positon Vacancies ‐ Other Employee News
MoDOT Monthly ● ● ● ● ●
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 16
EMAIL NEWS UPDATES
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
MDT On Demand
‐ Messages from the Director sent to
all MDT employees statewide
Nebraska DOT
Monthly
● ●
NDOT On Demand ● ● ●
NHDOT Weekly ● ● ●
ODOT
(Ohio) Daily
● ● ● ●
ODOT
(Oklahoma) On Demand
● ● ● ●
ODOT
(Oregon) Weekly
●
● ‐ Media coverage
PennDOT Daily ● ● ● ● ●
SCDOT
SDDOT On Demand ● ● ● ●
TDOT On Demand ●
TxDOT ‐
●
‐ Announcements from TxDOT leadership. i.e. awards, training, milestones, safety
UDOT Weekly ● ● ● ● ●
VTrans Weekly ● ●
VDOT On Demand ● ● ● ● ●
WisDOT On Demand ● ●
WYDOT On Demand ● ●
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Table A7: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ BLOG
BLOG
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
Alaska
DOT&PF On Demand
●
ADOT Weekly ●
Table A8: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ WEBINARS
WEBINARS
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Project
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
Alaska
DOT&PF On Demand
●
Caltrans On Demand ● ●
ODOT (Ohio)
On Demand
● ● ●
WisDOT On Demand ● ● ‐ Training
Table A9: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency and Types of Information ‐ OTHER
OTHER
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Other Method P
roject
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
ADOT
Lunch‐N‐
Learn and
Walking
Club
Weekly ●
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OTHER
Agency (Survey
Respondent)
Distribution Frequency
Types of Information (Survey Choices)
Other Method P
roject
highlights
Employee new
s
Human
resource
new
s and
announcemen
ts
IT new
s and
announcemen
ts
Organizational
initiatives
Other
Caltrans
Town Hall
style
meetings
Quarterly ●
INDOT
Touch‐
screen
kiosks for
field
employees
Daily ● ● ● ●
‐ Links to important tools and information
‐ Rotating slideshow of agency reminders
‐ Safety reminders ‐ Upcoming training
opportunities ‐ Culture messages ‐ Fun semi‐work‐related
information
MDOT Magazine Monthly ● ‐ Employee submitted
feature material
Nebraska DOT Podcasts Every other
month ● ● ● ●
NDOT
Meetings
with
director
Bi‐monthly ● ● ● ● ●
NHDOT Intranet
homepage Daily ● ● ● ● ●
ODOT (Ohio)
Digital
signage;
videos
Weekly ● ● ● ● ●
ODOT (Oklahoma)
GovDelivery On
Demand ● ●
‐ Retiree news email ‐ Emergency texting to
employees
SCDOT Email blasts On
Demand ● ● ● ‐ News related to SCDOT
TDOT Various
videos Monthly ● ● ● ●
TxDOT Hard copy
magazine
Every other
month ● ● ● ●
VDOT
Electronic
Bulletin
Boards
Daily ● ● ● ●
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Question 4A: Please describe what other distribution schedule(s) you follow and which form of
communication uses this schedule.
Table A10: Internal Communication Distribution Frequency ‐ COMMENTS
Agency (Survey Respondent)
Comments (OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS SCHEDULES)
Caltrans We also share media stories on Caltrans daily.
INDOT Each of our 6 districts also distribute internal news, some via newsletter. Those schedules
are typically quarterly.
MassDOT Weekly newsletter sent out containing general information about recent events.
ODOT (Ohio) Add training and job postings to digital signage
ODOT
(Oklahoma)
GovDelivery also provides emergency texting to employees. This is used On Demand. Intranet containing Employee News and other useful topics is updated weekly on average. It
is an ongoing process as we've switched website hosts and are updating the content, look.
SCDOT Newspaper is published three times per year.
Question 4B: Please describe what other type of information is included in your internal
communication and the method that is used to distribute that information.
Table A11: Internal Communication Distribution Types of Information ‐ COMMENTS
Agency (Survey Respondent)
Comments (OTHER TYPES OF INFORMATION)
Alaska DOT&PF Email news updates include news coverage of our department, recap of recent media
inquiries, links to social media posts and advertised projects.
Caltrans We also distribute videos periodically on leadership and innovation. We also share important
Caltrans news with employees via News Flash videos and news releases.
INDOT The touch screen kiosks provide links to important tools and information, but they also feature a screen‐saver mode. This mode displays a rotating slideshow of various agency reminders. These slides are co‐managed by several different departments within the agency, and contain important nuggets of information like safety reminders, upcoming training opportunities, culture messages, and sometimes fun semi‐work‐related information.
MassDOT Weekly newsletter
MDOT Job Feature Highlights, Legislative Updates, Events, Calendars, Observances, Health and Wellness, Position Vacancies and All Other Employee News. Monthly Magazine ‐ Employee Submitted Feature Material.
MDT Messages from the Director sent to all MDT employees statewide.
Nebraska DOT Successes, innovation, good work with the community, anything that gives us a human element (think archeology, saving animals, saving people, etc.)
ODOT (Ohio) Weather radar streaming on digital signage; real‐time traffic info/cameras; training; job postings
ODOT (Oregon) Newsletter (electronic and paper): safety topics; diversity topics "Photo of the Month" competition (VERY popular); letter from director or exec team member, Website: upcoming training opportunities, meetings with broad appeal. Email news updates: media coverage
SCDOT Whatever is news related SCDOT
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Agency (Survey Respondent)
Comments (OTHER TYPES OF INFORMATION)
SDDOT A separate bi‐weekly newsletter just for the training program goes out only via email. Some training stories ‐ such as TRAC or DOTNet (new engineer training) appear in the general newsletter.
TDOT We share media campaigns, regional news via social media. We have strongly encouraged our employees to follow us on social media and give us likes/shares.
TxDOT Various announcements from TxDOT leadership. I.e. awards, training, milestones, safety
WisDOT We use webinars for training as well.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 21
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION EXAMPLES
Question 5: Would you be willing to share examples of your internal communications
methods?
Table A12: Internal Communication ‐ EXAMPLES
Agency (Survey
Respondent) Internal Communication Examples Provided
Alaska
DOT&PF
Website (intranet) Blog
Alaska
DOT&PF
Email News Updates
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Agency (Survey
Respondent) Internal Communication Examples Provided
ADOT Newsletter
Break Room Poster
ADOT Email news updates Blog
ADOT Blog3
AHTD Newsletter
Centerline Newsletter4
Magazine
Arkansas Highways5
Caltrans Website (intranet)
Webinar All Non‐Supervisory Employees: Mark your calendar! The first Mental Health Awareness
live webinar for non‐supervisory employees is
tomorrow, Thursday, May 18, from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00
p.m. This webinar is designed to increase awareness
and understanding of the complexities of mental health,
and provide resources to you on issues surrounding this
important health topic…….
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 23
Agency (Survey
Respondent) Internal Communication Examples Provided
Caltrans Email News Updates
Caltrans News Flash
We think it’s important that in some cases, we keep our
own staff as informed as the media and the public. That
is why our Caltrans News Flashes are shared with our
own employees before they are distributed to the
media. Below is a recent example. We average at least
one per week.
Caltrans may be historically known for highways, but our agency is about much more than just cars. In this Caltrans News Flash, spokesperson Vanessa Wiseman takes you on the Director’s annual bike tour of Sacramento and West Sacramento to see the advantages of bicycling‐focused transportation……..
Town Hall Style Meeting Our director likes to hold “Town Hall” style meetings to make announcements and take the time to answer questions from staff. Prior to the meeting, an e‐mail blast is prepared to promote the event throughout the department. See below for an example. To All Caltrans Staff:
The Director’s Town Hall meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 31, from 2‐3 p.m. District 11 will still be hosting us, and I look forward to meeting with the rest of you via live streaming webcast…….
Caltrans Employee Newsletter
CT News6
MDOT Newsletter
MDOT Website (intranet)
This site serves as a one stop location for employee
resources, forms and information. Employees can
access important forms such as travel and leave
requests, pay stubs, and more. There are also links to a
global calendar containing meetings, events, and
activities as well as to our internal employee safety
program, a bulletin board and current job postings.
Public affairs shares information here about current
campaigns that are running, news releases and branding
guidelines. Employees can also enter requests for
Information Systems help desk assistance and requests
for printing from our internal printshop. There is also an
employee directory and a system for sharing large files
both internally and externally. Submissions to our
internal publication, MDOT Family, are also made here.
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Agency (Survey
Respondent) Internal Communication Examples Provided
MDOT Email News Updates
Each Friday, MDOT’s Public Affairs division sends out an
internal email communication to all employees. On
occasion, emails are sent mid‐week as well, depending
on circumstances. A broad range of content is shared
including current external campaigns that are running,
upcoming observances, safety messages, employee
recognition, events and much more. MDOT’s new
online newsletter will be the next generation in our
internal communication efforts and once launched will
take the place of this weekly email.
MDOT Magazine
MoDOT Newsletter
Social Media Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MoDOTStatewide
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoDOT/
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Agency (Survey
Respondent) Internal Communication Examples Provided
MoDOT Email News Update
Missouri Safe And Sober awarded $25,000
grant7
Nebraska
DOT
Email News Updates
This latest podcast features Director Kyle
Schneweis with Aeronautics Director Ronnie
Mitchell, getting to know each other better.
As our agencies merge, we’ll be bringing our teams together – and it begins at the
leadership level.
This enjoyable conversation shares stories about
airplane rides to fast cars, as well as much laughter.
You’ll also get an update on our transition to a DOT and
the merger progress. You won’t want to miss it. Tune in.
Newsletter
Nebraska
DOT
Podcast
Website (intranet)
ODOT
(Oklahoma)
Email News Updates
Magazine
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Agency (Survey
Respondent) Internal Communication Examples Provided
ODOT
(Oklahoma)
Website (intranet)
ODOT
(Oregon)
Newsletter
Email News Updates
WisDOT Webinars
Because staff is located in many offices throughout the
state, sharing information through online methods is a
very efficient and effective way to communicate. The
following items do not technically fall into the usually‐
thought‐of idea of a webinar (an interactive meeting held
over a web connection), they do utilize many of those
same elements but in different ways. In most cases, these
kinds of videos are captured and produced using the same
recording equipment, but may have a different method of
distribution or further post‐production editing.
Brown Bag sessions8 presented by the Employee Assistance Program – A monthly, live broadcast of various topics designed to improve or enhance employees’ physical and mental health…
Conferences9 – Oftentimes the department hosts and/or presents conferences for business partners and fellow staff members. Since not everyone can attend the whole conference or certain sessions,
Wake‐Up Wednesday10 – A bi‐weekly video series for DMV staff covering a variety of topics ….
Training Modules11 – Very often, training is needed on how to use various software applications or best practices on performing a specific and/or unique job duty. WisDOT produces videos and links to them from the department’s internal web site.
Training Seminars12 – Similar to producing training modules, training seminars are often captured and published for staff unable to attend the live session but who wish to watch it at their convenience on a later date.
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Agency (Survey
Respondent) Internal Communication Examples Provided
WisDOT Newsletter
The Connector13
WYDOT Newsletter
WYDOT Email News Updates
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PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Question 6: Where is internal communication produced in your agency? Select all that apply.
Central communications office
Regional offices
Other offices within your agency
Other. Please describe
Question 7: Please describe how internal communication is coordinated and produced by
those selected.
The following tables (Table A13 – A16) include the survey responses received on how agencies coordinate
and produce internal communications (Question 7) by production location (Question 6).
Table A13: Coordination and Production of Internal Communications – CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Agency Comments (CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE)
Alaska DOT&PF
Coordinated between regions/modes of transportation, with input from executive team.
ADOT
One year ago, using existing staff, we formed a three‐person Office of Internal Communications. That team is supported by others in the Communications Division (graphics, video, writers). The Internal Communications team operates with a news‐operations mindset to collect and gather news of interest to employees, and identify those topics that are important for employees to know about.
AHTD Staff writers compile reports. Field employees know to send‐in information.
Caltrans All staff e‐mails are usually distributed from our Director's office.
INDOT
Members of our Central Office communications team take on various roles. Internal news stories ‐ for the newsletter and intranet ‐ are written and edited by a team of 2‐3. Kiosk stories and resources are managed by the Employee Communications Program Manager. Agency‐wide emails are not always written by our department, but we offer writing and editing services to anyone who requests it.
MassDOT Social media lead for this organization writes the newsletter.
MDOT
PIOs assigned to every Division and District gather/edit content and submit to Brand Management for graphic design then Brand Management sends the pub to PI for proofing/editing before final review by PA leadership then Brand Management distributes to employees. Each step has a timeline with hard deadlines for each publication.
MoDOT We have internal beats; info is pushed to us; newsletter editor requests info
MDT Information is fed from the districts to central IT and the electronic news letter is set as breaking news on pay days.
Nebraska DOT Through our administration and other divisional leadership through our communication division, not formalized
NDOT One public information officer compiles the newsletter; however, all communications staff contribute articles and ideas.
NHDOT Produced by the NHDOT's Public Information Office
ODOT (Ohio) Internal Comms Manager works directly with executive and divisional leadership to produce content
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 29
Agency Comments (CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE)
ODOT (Oklahoma)
Our office of 8 coordinates the quarterly magazine with topic meetings, coordinates with field offices, writes articles and prints in house but the design and distribution is performed out of house. Magazine is delivered directly to employee and retirees' homes, about 175 copies are distributed to field offices. We are in the process of moving to only electronic distribution.
ODOT (Oregon)
Monthly and weekly communiques aimed at entire department are put together and disseminated by my team in the central office (Director's Office), as are announcements and features on the intranet.
PennDOT We work with regional offices and PennDOT bureaus to gather information for DOT.com and daily news flashes
SCDOT Communications serves as the gatekeeper and copy editor for any office that requests distribution
TDOT Staff meets regularly and discusses who may be responsible for particular communication. For example, our video person will send out videos to employees.
UDOT One member of the central communications staff is responsible for employee communications and he coordinates with the director, the rest of the central office staff and the regional communications managers.
VTrans As directed by exec staff or initiated by comms team.
VDOT Designated staff have beats, serve as internal reporters and develop content for our Intranet, email updates, newsletters and Electronic Bulletin Boards.
WisDOT It's a collaborative effort involving the comm managers for each division as well as the program staff and managers in the divisions.
WYDOT
Public Affairs handles internal and external communications. All team members participate. Our newsletter is put together by our graphic designer, our public affairs specialists and public involvement specialists write for the publication, our videographer produces in house videos at times and our photographer takes photos of employees for our newsletter.
Table A14: Coordination and Production of Internal Communications – REGIONAL OFFICES
Agency Comments (REGIONAL OFFICES)
Alaska DOT&PF
Coordinated between regions/modes of transportation, with input from executive team.
Caltrans Our regional offices periodically share news through their leadership and external affairs offices
INDOT District Communications Directors usually manage email communications to district employees, and where applicable create and edit the district newsletters.
MoDOT We have regional managers who cover local info and projects
Nebraska DOT Regional offices send their information to our communication division for use
ODOT (Ohio) District regional communications team develop and produce content, asking for Central Office input sometimes
ODOT (Oklahoma)
Our HQ communications office coordinates with field division liaisons who write and submit regional stories/topics to the editor.
ODOT (Oregon)
Two or three of our five highway regions have their own intranet sites; some sections/units/regions have regular emails from managers containing info relevant just to them.
PennDOT Regional offices also produce their own newsletters in addition to providing material for statewide DOT.com
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Agency Comments (REGIONAL OFFICES)
TDOT Our regional PIOs handle communications about regional events and initiatives with their regional employees.
VDOT Designated staff have beats, serve as internal reporters and develop content for our Intranet, email updates, newsletters and Electronic Bulletin Boards.
WisDOT Region Communications managers work with central office as well as their region managers to select and produce.
Table A15: Coordination and Production of Internal Communications – OTHER OFFICES WITHIN YOUR AGENCY
Agency Comments (OTHER OFFICES WITHIN YOUR AGENCY)
Caltrans Our Divisions periodically share their news via e‐mail blasts to affected employees
ODOT (Oklahoma)
Office Services Division coordinates with communications office to update the website. OSD also posts to the Intranet/Employee News. They help coordinate with other divisions to distribute retiree emails, promotions, retirements or emergency texts.
ODOT (Oregon)
Some divisions, such as DMV, have their own newsletters with more detailed stories for that audience.
SCDOT Routed through Communications
TDOT Other divisions will notify us when they need to send something out to all employees. This could be human resources or insurance related, notifications of building maintenance, etc.
VTrans Divisions produce internal newsletters independently
Table A16: Coordination and Production of Internal Communications – OTHER
Agency COMMENTS (OTHER)
Caltrans External affairs produces and distributes daily media clips, researches and writes a monthly newsletter, and films and produces periodic news flashes.
MassDOT HR director has final review of emails going out to employees.
SCDOT Routed through Communications
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INTERNAL COMMUNICATION FIELD STAFF DELIVERY METHODS
Question 8: Transportation agencies often struggle with delivering internal communication to
field staff because they are not often in an office or at a computer. Please describe how your
agency delivers internal communication to field staff.
Table A17: Internal Communications – Field Staff Delivery Methods
Agency COMMENTS (FIELD STAFF DELIVERY METHODS)
Alaska DOT&PF
We rely on email and periodic workplace meetings. We would love to find a better way to deliver internal communication, but geography and limited connectivity can be issues.
ADOT In addition to posting to the intranet, website and emailing (via a distribution service), the newsletter is printed and mailed to each office for break rooms. Additionally, in Arizona we produce quarterly break room posters with key information.
AHTD Hardcopies are distributed to the field office and they are available for pick‐up. Also, every employee has an email account, so they are able to receive it electronically too.
Caltrans Internal communications to field staff is often performed by supervisors and managers. Video monitors have also been installed in field offices to capture webinars, town hall style meetings and to show mandatory safety videos.
INDOT
We have a new program in place that provides (will be fully implemented in the next 12‐16 weeks) touch‐screen kiosks specifically designed for our field staff. The kiosks offer a highly focused alternative to our employee intranet, as we don't want our field employees to spend a lot of time online ‐ but we want them to have the access to the tools and information that they need. These kiosks show a diverse slide show when they aren't being used, so they're always providing value when someone is in the room. When the screen is touched, the employees see a home screen designed to look like a tablet or smart phone type device ‐ icons. The icons lead to various tools and information that has been selected and designed specifically for field employees. The latest newsletter, a page with links to safety resources, a link to PeopleSoft, a link to Webmail, and links to pages specific to each district. These district pages include links to the district newsletters, an HR contact form, and potentially other information pertaining to that district. There is also a link to a weather service that we subscribe to. Instead of gathering around the manager's desk during a weather event, there is now a 24" screen in a common area that can be used to see current radar, forecasts, pavement temperatures, etc.
MassDOT Paper flyers on bulletin boards. Employee staff meetings.
MDOT Papers copies of publications are mailed to a contact in District Offices for distribution to employees without access to work email.
MoDOT Printed newsletters, PPTs that run on monitors in maintenance sheds
MDT Field staff such as maintenance employees have data accessibility via iPad or cell phones along with computer access throughout the day.
Nebraska DOT
Currently through our internal website. We plan to get touch screens for daily updates in all our staffed facilities by no later than this time next year. Push out communications to the districts and ask that they cascade; intranet
NDOT All NDOT employees do have email accounts, so the newsletter is sent to each one. If the employee is unable to check their email at work, we encourage their supervisors to print the newsletter out for them to read.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 32
Agency COMMENTS (FIELD STAFF DELIVERY METHODS)
NHDOT Paper newsletter. Electronic communications that are designated to be printed out and posted.
ODOT (Ohio)
We currently use digital signage, branded ODOT TV, to provide content to our maintenance and construction personnel in all 88 counties of Ohio. This information includes training, job postings, new hires, HR info, current weather, localized traffic info and other organizational information that is important to employees. We also create flyers/handouts to be distributed to field employees.
ODOT (Oklahoma)
For the magazine, we currently distribute directly to employee and retirees' home addresses which are maintained by Human Resources. As we move to electronic distribution this year, we will be emailing a PDF to employees and posting to the Intranet. Some printed copies (maybe total of 160) will be distributed statewide to the field divisions but only for an additional 2‐3 cycles. As for other information distribution to the field, OSD is looking at installing kiosks or some type of interactive panel into each 8 field divisions that will display messages. Our communications office hopes this will help get the magazine to field employees once printing is completely stopped. Also in the field, maintenance supervisors hold tailgate meetings in the morning and can pass along information during the gathering. All have smart phones and can be reached via email, text or phone.
ODOT (Oregon)
We have about 900 employees that do not have ready access to computers/email, so we print and mail the monthly newsletter to those offices with a list of individuals that should receive the newsletter. It's very time‐consuming each month to compile/update/ print the list of employees without email... For other communications, you'll often see a note like "Please print and share this with employees who do not have email."
PennDOT Paper copies of the quarterly newsletter DOT.com are printed for distribution to county maintenance offices
SCDOT Via an email blast with instructions for supervisors to provide hard copies for employees who do not have email accounts
TDOT
We have struggled with this too, but eventually decided to stop producing an agency newsletter. We are basically relying on social media and our website to catch these employees. If a communication is urgent in nature, we ask that supervisors in the field ensure employees have seen it.
TxDOT Districts have public information officers who share district and state wide updates. Also, many communications are shared with senior leaders and those communications are designed to cascade down throughout their organizations.
UDOT Online, through email and social media. We're looking into some other possibilities for those who don't have ready access to computers during the work day.
VTrans Haphazard. Bulletin boards in garages, etc.
VDOT We deliver internal communication to field staff via Electronic Bulletin Boards and district newsletters.
WisDOT Some, if not most, field staff have access to other types of mobile devices, so that's usually not an issue for us.
WYDOT
We send our offices a copy of our internal magazine, The Interchange, so they can stay informed about WYDOT business. We also have our intranet where we post our information. We have five public involvement specialists who are located throughout the state who also are in contact with employees and can help with internal initiatives.
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IMPACT OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Question 9: How often do you seek feedback on whether internal communication is meeting
employee needs?
Monthly
Quarterly
Yearly
Never
Other. Please describe.
Table A18: Internal Communications – Feedback Frequency
Agency
Feedback Frequency (Survey Choices)
Monthly
Quarterly
Yearly
Never
Other. Please describe.
Alaska DOT&PF We haven't surveyed yet, but this is a goal we plan to accomplish this year. After that we would survey once a year.
ADOT ●
AHTD ●
Caltrans
We use Survey Monkey periodically for a variety of surveys to gauge the effectiveness of our communications. Our Information Offices also seek feedback via links in their signatures blocks. Our website also uses surveys users periodically to solicit feedback on online services.
INDOT
As part of my job, I try to travel around the state fairly regularly talking to employees. Field employees can be inherently mistrusting of central office employees. My job is to let them know that I'm there to listen to them, and respond to their feedback. I want everyone to feel more connected TO the agency, and I let them know that. The frequency of my visits varies, but during the rollout of the kiosk program, I'll actually be visiting every facility in the entire state (around 130) and my visits will be on a daily basis.
MassDOT ●
MDOT ●
MoDOT ●
MDT We work with administrators and staff daily to determine needs or program updates for the intranet or internet.
Nebraska DOT ●
NDOT ●
NHDOT We formally survey NHDOT employees every two years.
ODOT (Ohio) ●
ODOT (Oklahoma)
The magazine is always asking for feedback, however, we're hoping with eventual email distribution and a webpage, we'll get more input.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 34
Agency
Feedback Frequency (Survey Choices)
Monthly
Quarterly
Yearly
Never
Other. Please describe.
As for OSD and other distribution, they are currently in the process of creating ideas on how to do that when the kiosks are installed.
ODOT (Oregon) We've done three reader surveys in my 12 years here, including asking about "best" ways to get info ‐‐ #1 is always "from my supervisor/in a meeting."
PennDOT We have been discussing how to do this but have not reached any conclusions yet.
SCDOT ●
TDOT We did a survey about the newsletter to help us decide whether to continue producing it. Despite email reminders, participation in the survey was low.
TxDOT Once or twice a year
UDOT ●
VTrans ●
VDOT We don't have a regular schedule. However, we have surveyed employees in the past.
WisDOT Formally, we do an annual employee survey that addresses this issue. Also, our weekly Bulletin has an email for feedback and comments.
WYDOT
We send out a survey asking employees what they think about The Interchange magazine and what can be improved. Our Strategic Performance Improvement Office also conducts an annual employee satisfaction survey, which asks employees how they feel about WYDOT business practices and operations.
Question 10: How do you gather employee feedback regarding internal communications?
Select all that apply.
Periodic surveys
Open rates on email
Click through rates on webpages
Anecdotal feedback
Other. Please describe.
Prepared by Athey Creek Consultants 35
Table A19: Internal Communications – Feedback Mechanisms
Agency
Feedback Mechanisms (Survey Choices)
Periodic Surveys
Open rates on email
Click through rates on webpages
Anecdotal feedback
Other. Please describe.
Alaska DOT&PF
● ● ●
ADOT ● ● ● Focus group and an editorial board.
Caltrans ● ●
INDOT ● ● ●
Our kiosk software vendor also has a session and page click report feature that allows us to see which tools and information are being used the most on our kiosks. This allows us to tailor the devices as needed, and add and remove information when necessary.
MDOT ● ● ●
MoDOT ● ● ● ●
MDT ● ● ●
Nebraska DOT ● ●
NDOT ● ●
NHDOT ● ● ●
ODOT (Ohio) ●
ODOT (Oklahoma)
● ● ●
ODOT (Oregon)
● ●
PennDOT Still working on how to do this.
SCDOT ●
TDOT ● ● Video views
TxDOT ● In person focus groups
UDOT ● ● ●
VTrans ●
VDOT ● ● ●
WisDOT ● ● ● ●
WYDOT ● ● ●
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Question 11: Are there any internal communication efforts that you have recently
discontinued?
Yes – 5 respondents
No – 19 respondents
Question 12: What effort(s) did you discontinue?
Question 13: What was your reason(s) for discontinuing the internal communication
method? Select all that apply.
Lack of employee interest
Limited staff to produce
Cost
Other. Please describe.
The following table indicates which internal communication effort was discontinued (Question 12) and
indicates why it was discontinued (Question 13)
Table A20: Internal Communications – Efforts Discontinued
Agency Effort Discontinued
Survey Choices
Lack of employee interest
Limited staff to produce
Cost Other. Please describe.
Nebraska
DOT Employee newsletter
Employee newsletter used to be totally
employee focused. Now, it's meant to serve both
internal and external customers as updates on
what we do and how. Kill two birds with one
stone. Keep our staff updates about new and
exciting things at the same time as the public
with a singular message for consistency.
NHDOT Commissioner's
blog
A newer Commissioner chose not to continue
with the blog.
ODOT
(Ohio) Central Office Newsletter
● ●
TDOT Newsletter ●
TxDOT Podcast Produced several year ago. Change in
organization‐‐it was a really good product that
was not promoted adequately
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Question 14: Which internal communication method is most effective for your agency today?
Choose one.
Newsletter – electronic
Newsletter – paper copy
Website
Social media
Email news updates
Blog
Webinars
Other
Question 15: Please describe why it is the most effective internal communication with
employees.
The following table indicates which internal communication effort survey respondents indicated as the
most effective method (Question 14) and describes the reason (Question 15).
Table A21: Internal Communications – Most Effective Method
Agency
Survey Choices
Reason it is most effective
New
sletter ‐ electronic
New
sletter – paper copy
Web
site
Social m
edia
Email new
s updates
Blog
Web
inars
Other
Alaska DOT&PF
● It's the one method that reaches all
employees, and doesn't require them to look for the information.
ADOT ●
When used in moderation, email remains the best way to get a quick message in front of everyone. It's fast, efficient but has limitations.
AHTD ● Not everyone looks at email in a timely
manner. Physical copies still provide ease of read.
Caltrans ● Using the e‐mail method guarantees that
nearly all employees are notified.
INDOT ●
Obviously, different tools serve different needs ‐ so this wasn't an easy answer. The kiosk ‐ by far ‐ are most effective (even without a complete rollout) for our field
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Agency
Survey Choices
Reason it is most effective New
sletter ‐ electronic
New
sletter – paper copy
Web
site
Social m
edia
Email new
s updates
Blog
Web
inars
Other
employees, because they lack easy access to the other tools. The website is the most effective because we have a page that serves as a library of important emails from our commissioner. Our intranet is the most diverse tool. We email the newsletter, but they're also available through online archives. A lot of other interesting or important agency information is available online, but may not warrant an email. In some ways, the kiosks are an extension of our website, but highly focused for our field employees.
MassDOT ● Graphically it is pleasing. Contains
photographs. It is short and simple.
MDOT ●
It's their pub, and they feel ownership over it. It reaches the largest number of employees and is easy to track through open rates, shares and url tracking.
MoDOT ● We just did a major overhaul focusing on
what employees say they are most interested in seeing
MDT ● This is a department update sent every 2
weeks.
Nebraska DOT ● It's an internal page that people are
familiar with. reaches to all employees
NDOT ●
Employees can read it at their leisure and it contains the greatest amount of information about NDOT initiatives. Photos and videos make it even more likely for employees to check it out.
NHDOT
Intranet ‐ a home page with news and information
It is continuously updated daily with photos and news, making it the most immediate and current.
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Agency
Survey Choices
Reason it is most effective New
sletter ‐ electronic
New
sletter – paper copy
Web
site
Social m
edia
Email new
s updates
Blog
Web
inars
Other
ODOT (Ohio)
Digital signage; videos
People like to consume video content. We are currently in the process of revamping ODOT TV, updating hardware and software.
ODOT (Oklahoma)
●
Tough call. Probably because it is so immediate and the information is then posted on Employee News/Intranet. Text messages, however, seem to have the biggest numbers.
ODOT (Oregon)
●
Because it is timely ‐ once per week; unfortunately, though, it doesn't reach about 900 of our 4,400 employees because they don't have email/computer access. We're considering an RSS type feed for smartphones, but anyone would be able to access, not just employees...
PennDOT ● We believe it is a well done document that
would attract the internal audience to read it.
TDOT Various videos
We seem to be reaching more people via our videos ‐ which are not just posted online, but also shared on social media.
TxDOT
Hard copy magazine every other month
Both the hard copy magazine and recently we deployed video feeds to districts via a cable‐like service. Both vehicles are well liked by employees and their feedback on them has been consistently favorable.
VTrans ● Can't be sure, but we do get direct
feedback for emails.
VDOT
Electronic Bulletin Boards
We feature a weekly news program called VDOT TV on our Electronic Bulletin Boards. Video content is hugely popular among employees. It allows us to be creative in our delivery of information.
WisDOT ● People look for it. They're used to
receiving it. It's got solid brand awareness.
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Agency
Survey Choices
Reason it is most effective New
sletter ‐ electronic
New
sletter – paper copy
Web
site
Social m
edia
Email new
s updates
Blog
Web
inars
Other
WYDOT ●
Our Interchange magazine is the most effective because there is still a high demand from our employees for the magazine. Whenever there's a retirement, our employees have said they found out about it in the Interchange. That's only one example. We've received feedback from our employees that has indicated that they found out about an internal issue after reading the Interchange.
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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Question 16: Please provide any overall additional comments (e.g. successes, lessons learned)
on internal communication in your agency.
Table A22: Internal Communications – Additional Comments
Agency Additional Comments
Alaska DOT&PF
I would love to learn more about the results of this survey!
ADOT Having only refocused on internal communications in the past year, we are still learning but we are actively tracking metrics to measure performance of various tools and strategies.
Caltrans Caltrans has had a lot of success sharing its News Flash videos with both the staff and the public
INDOT
Internal communications goes hand in hand with engagement. An engaged workforce seeks out the communication, and wants to be heard. If you are focusing on employees getting your message, but are less concerned with employees being listened to by the agency ‐ you're putting yourself at risk. Employee communications is as much about making sure the employees know that they have a voice. Even if most won't use it, provide them easy and accessible tools to give feedback, and make sure someone responds when they send it. We have feedback forms online and on the kiosks. We give them tools that make it easier to deal with various issues (HR contact forms). I personally make sure I tell them that if they're not happy with anything related to employee communications ‐ I want to hear it. We have a strong relationship with our Talent Management department, and we consider things like Management Training to be an important piece of the employee communications puzzle. Most employee communication comes in the form of middle manager to and from his or her employees. We can't control that, but we can get involved, and help give these managers the tools and information to be better communicators. This is a part that should not be overlooked.
MassDOT
Internal communications is not so much agency‐wide as it is specific to a particular employee group. Internal messages are targeted to employees on a "need to know basis." For example, upcoming speakers at outside conferences are mentioned to those employees in the division relevant to that area of expertise.
MoDOT We are decentralized geographically and are now focused on revising our system
MDT MDT communications team monitors and approves all materials and endures branding requirements for both internal and external facing communications.
Nebraska DOT
The flow of information cannot be automated. It requires action from a human recognizing that others in the agency need to hear the news and making sure it gets out to those who need it. need to expand
NDOT
When we do our employee survey each year, communications between the front office and employees is always listed as an issue. We believe communication is a two‐way street where we need to get out the information and the employees need to pay attention to it. Supervisors also play a key role in communicating department initiatives to their employees.
NHDOT The ongoing challenge is to reach 1,600+ employees at over 90 facilities statewide in NH, almost half of which do not have computers.
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Agency Additional Comments
ODOT (Oklahoma)
Our central office thought there were communication problems with the field but once we all sat down to talk, we found out they communicated internal information in the field rather well. The next year should be interesting to discover how an electronic magazine will be received in the field / those that don't have computers. We very much look forward to reviewing the results of this survey. Any additional ideas and suggestions can only help improve internal communications. Thank you for coordinating this!
ODOT (Oregon)
We just did a project where we compiled all the different versions of internal communications that exist across the agency and we're now looking into what we can learn/improve upon. For example, we're currently looking into a smartphone app that would deliver news to phone, but it would be available to anyone not just employees.
PennDOT Internal communications is an ongoing challenge. We have nearly 12,000 employees in several central offices, 11 engineering districts and offices spread across 67 counties.
SCDOT The newspaper is mailed to each employee's home address to ensure delivery and increase circulation among family members, neighbors, friends, etc.
TxDOT Really important for our leaders to understand the value employee communications provides them and impact it has on how employees feel valued and how they stay informed on important things happening within the department.
VTrans For the most part, our best and busiest people are too overwhelmed to be engaged with regular channels.
WisDOT This is an area we need we need to explore further as it is important to our staff.
WYDOT We've always made our Interchange magazine available online but our employees have stated that they like the paper version of the magazine.
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Links to Referenced Sources
1 http://www.newsline.dot.state.mn.us/articles.html 2 http://communications.transportation.org/ 3 http://azdot.gov/media/blog 4 http://www.arkansashighways.com/newsletters/2017/CenterLine_Newsletter_February2017_final_web.pdf 5 http://www.arkansashighways.com/Magazine/2017/ARHighwaysMagazine_MAR‐APR2017_final_web_spreads.pdf 6 http://www.dot.ca.gov/ctnews/ 7 http://www.news‐leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2017/04/10/missouri‐safe‐and‐sober‐awarded‐25000‐
grant/100299070/ 8 https://livestream.com/accounts/14475780/events/4477450/videos/123439230 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW6fsMSApOo&list=PLoGzf6P7PsQ9V3RZ4MT_118UcQ6ntoY8u&index=2 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO_Y09‐KjaA 11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn2nWi2yYcY 12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWyAvdHsaAk 13 http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/about‐wisdot/newsroom/newsletters/connector.aspx