Champion Technologies tackles thorny topics in its print newsletter

An employee publication should address its readers—the company’s employees—like adults. Limp language and mysterious euphemisms instill little confidence in workers. 

Editors behind One World, the quarterly employee newsletter for Champion Technologies, understand that journalistic values and no-nonsense prose go a long way. That’s why One World earned the top prize for Best Employee Newsletter (Print) in Ragan’s 2012 Employee Communications Awards. 

Champion Technologies is a Houston-based chemical company with more than 3,200 employees in more than 100 locations worldwide. 

Take, for example, the March 2012 issue of One World. First of all, it looks like a consumer-facing newspaper, with sharp layout and design, interesting photography, and effective headlines. The cover shows three employees in the field along with a headline that screams, “We Heard You Loud and Clear.” The feature-length story delves into the company’s employee survey. 

On Page 2, beneath the letter from the CEO, a column from Champion’s chief financial officer takes a hard look at the company’s performance. 

“While these are positive results on the revenue side, I am disappointed to report that Champion fell short of its 2011 earnings target,” he writes. 

Disappointment? In an employee publication? You don’t see that often. 

Even when it’s bad news, arming readers with information, as Champion editors do with One World, is the surest way to boost employee engagement and keep them turning pages. 

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