A healthcare organization wanted to create periodic, electronic newsletters to inform its employees about new and important ethics and compliance matters. The challenge was making the newsletters interesting and engaging enough to stand out from the barrage of e-mail information constantly streaming to busy staff – information that includes other internal newsletters.

ELG believes shorter is better, so we created a one-page newsletter format that included a message from the compliance officer about a timely topic, a Q&A about practical application of a selected code of conduct issue, and a sanitized case study from the helpline files. The content of each issue was to be focused around a calendar, company or news headline event – for instance, the giving and receiving of gifts at holiday time.

The first newsletter caused a stir due to the helpline case study, specially chosen to engage readership. Each issue that followed included the elements in the inaugural newsletter supplemented by puzzles, contests and other update items. Over time, the ethics and compliance staff has taken over the writing. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and employees often ask when the next issue will be released. The helpline case studies are an enduring favorite.