Internal Employee Announcements

The purpose of this guideline is to ensure that internal employee announcements concerning deaths, illnesses, retirements, awards, and similar events are done in a consistent and appropriate manner by establishing guidelines for the sharing of information with co-workers throughout the Texas A&M Forest Service. Notifications are sent by e-mail and may also be shared on Jostle as an additional means of notification.

1. Death Announcements

• These guidelines must be followed when the death of an employee, a retiree, or an immediate family member occurs, and the employee’s or retiree’s family members choose to inform an agency employee. An immediate family member is defined as a spouse, mother, father, child, grandparent, mother-in-law, father-in-law or sibling.
• In the case of the death of an employee, retiree or immediate family member, the first employee to receive the information will inform the supervisor in charge of the office in which the employee or retiree last served.
• The supervisor will be responsible for collecting the following information:
  • Name of employee/retiree
  • Name of deceased person
  • Relationship to employee/retiree
  • Date of death
  • Name of funeral home
  • Information to be shared
• The supervisor will forward this information regarding the situation through the chain of command. If the employee or family member chooses to provide death notification information, the appropriate death notification e-mail will be sent to all employees by the supervisor. Standard wording for notifications is as follows:
  1. Active Employee: It is with great sorrow that I announce that [employee] of the [employee’s location] office has passed away on [date of death]. Arrangements have been announced as [name of funeral home and other information to be shared].
  2. Retiree: It is with great sorrow that I announce that [retiree] formerly of the [retiree’s last location] office has passed away on [date of death]. Arrangements have been announced as [name of funeral home and other information to be shared].
  3. It is with great sorrow that I announce that [deceased person] the [relationship] of [employee] of the [employee’s location] office has passed away on [date of death]. Arrangements have been announced as [ name of funeral home and other information to be shared].
• If the employee or family chooses not to provide the death notification information, then no e-mail notification will be sent.
• The sending of the death notification e-mail by the supervisor does not authorize any employee to take duty time off to attend funeral or memorial services. This attendance authorization must be requested in accordance with paragraph 7.1 or 7.2 of Administrative Procedure 10.16 Leaves of Absence.

2. Illness/Hospitalization Announcement

No official announcement concerning illness or hospitalization of employees is authorized.

3. Retirement Events

• Announcements for retirement functions will be in accordance with Administrative Procedure 10.19 Employee Retirement Recognition Functions.
• The sending of the retirement function notification e-mail does not authorize any employee to take duty time off to attend these functions. Attendance authorization must be approved by the employee’s supervisor.

4. Fundraisers

• Non-profit fundraiser notification e-mails are allowed if sent to specific employees, not to all employees.
• Notification e-mails regarding an organization raising funds in connection with an event to recognize an agency firefighter who died in the line of duty may be sent to all employees.
• Notification e-mails regarding raising funds for an employee who suffered the loss of home or property during a catastrophic event (such as wildfire or flood) or an employee or former employee who is experiencing a significant financial hardship (such as large medical bills) may be sent to all employees. Prior approval from the Director’s Office is required.