LP = Low Point

Transporter continues to grow into
effective employee-outreach tool

There are more than 3,000 unique employee views of the Transporter and its stories each week, more than a 473% increase compared to the low point just a few years ago. A paltry 527 views were recorded for the entire week in mid-March 2015.

Several changes have been made in order to accomplish this rebirth: an updated banner & masthead, standardized look for each article and picture, a variety of guest authors, and better balancing between districts to encourage coverage statewide. One change was probably the most significant: sending each week's batch of stories out to employees on email so they didn't have to go find the links.
 
In the past year, a weekly column of MVP cards has been added to encourage employees to give (and hopefully receive) appreciation. Job announcements were also added in order to provide employees with career-development opportunities.

“Gone are the days of recycled press releases and yesterday’s news,” said Transporter Editor Reed Hollinshead. “We’re featuring more relevant and intriguing content now, and hopefully stories are more compelling and entertaining.”

Through these efforts, the Transporter has become a critical component of any communication and outreach plan in the department.

“The Transporter has gone from an afterthought when I first got here, to one of the main ways we communicate with employees,” said ITD Communication Manager Vince Trimboli, who took the helm of the Office of Communication late in the summer of 2015.

 “We’re thinking of employees as not only co-workers but also customers in their own right, and shaping each issue based on what they might want to see, rather than just what’s the quickest or easiest thing for me to do,” Hollinshead said.

Published 07-12-19