Over the coming months, you’ll see some changes being made to the way the University communicates with staff.
These changes are the result of a review of our internal communications channels and processes, staff feedback, and recent changes within the Communications team. Our aim is simple: to make communications easier to find, more relevant to different audiences, and less reliant on inboxes. This has been a lengthy process over several months and is right for the University now, and in the future.
What's changing?
The first change is the launch of a refreshed Staff Hub on Monday 12 October, which will become the main home for University news, information and updates.
The Staff Hub will be reorganised to make it easier to find information, with content grouped under four themes:
- Sussex Headlines – key news and actions for staff
- Sussex Spotlight – strategy, performance and student recruitment
- Academic Endeavour – research, events and academic achievement
- This is US – stories about our people and community
Our aim is that important news and information will have one clear home, with other communications channels directing colleagues to it rather than duplicating content elsewhere. This "one home, many routes" approach will help reduce duplication and make it clearer where information should live.
What does this mean for colleagues?
For most staff, there is no immediate action required.
Instead, we're encouraging colleagues to begin using the Staff Hub as their first destination for University news, announcements, project updates and practical information. Over time, you should find that information is easier to locate and more consistent across channels.
For colleagues who regularly publish content or request communications support, we will also be introducing updated channel guidance and a simple decision-making framework to help determine the most appropriate channel for different types of communication.
How we'll review and develop the approach
This is not a one-off change. We'll be reviewing how colleagues use the Staff Hub, gathering feedback, and monitoring use over the coming weeks and months to understand what's working well and where improvements are needed. As new publishing rhythms become established, we'll further refine the approach based on staff feedback and evidence from channel performance.
Making use of Viva Engage
Alongside the refreshed Staff Hub, we'll also begin encouraging greater use of Viva Engage. It’s a channel that everyone has access to, and forms part of the Microsoft Teams ‘suite’ of tools. Its use within the University has grown steadily over the past few years and it is proving to be a useful community communications tool.
The Staff Hub will be the place to find news and information, while Viva Engage will play a different role: helping colleagues discuss, share, ask questions, celebrate achievements and connect with communities across the University. It is not intended to replace formal communications, but to create more opportunities for conversation and engagement around them.
We'll share more guidance about how to use Viva Engage, including practical advice on notifications and getting involved in relevant communities with all staff as part of this process.
What's coming next?
Later this autumn, we'll introduce a new fortnightly staff newsletter that focuses on priority updates, actions and key information, while signposting colleagues to the Staff Hub for more detail. We will share more information about this closer to launch. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that PS Essentials and Academic Update have been discontinued, and the plan is to include key messages that would have previously appeared in these publications in the new staff newsletter.
These changes are designed to help ensure the right message reaches the right people through the right channel, while creating a simpler and more joined-up experience for staff.
If you have questions about any of these changes or about communicating with staff, please contact the Internal Communications team via email: internalcomms@sussex.ac.uk.
Thank you for your support.
Internal Communications Team