> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.harmony.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.harmony.io/settings/broadcasting-and-sending-company-wide-announcements.md).

# Broadcasting and Sending Company-Wide Announcements

Harmony lets you create and send company-wide announcements directly from the platform, reaching employees through the channels they already use - including Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, and the self-service portal. You can target specific individuals, departments, locations, or user groups, and choose to publish immediately or schedule delivery for a later time.

This article explains how to create announcements, configure delivery settings, and manage your announcement history.

***

### Announcement types

When creating an announcement, you select a type that helps employees understand the context at a glance. The available types are:

* **Outage** - Notify employees of a current or upcoming service disruption.
* **Maintenance** - Communicate planned maintenance windows.
* **What's New** - Highlight new features, tools, or process changes.
* **Event** - Promote upcoming company or team events.
* **Tutorial** - Share instructional content or how-to guidance.

***

### Delivery channels

Announcements can be delivered through one or more of the following channels:

* **Slack** - Delivered as a direct message or channel post, with rich text formatting rendered natively.
* **Microsoft Teams** - Delivered as a direct message or channel post.
* **Email** - Sent directly to employee inboxes, with bold, italic, and hyperlink formatting preserved.
* **Self-service portal** - Displayed as a banner within the Harmony employee portal.

You can select multiple delivery channels for a single announcement to ensure broad reach.

***

### Targeting your audience

You can control exactly who receives an announcement. Harmony supports the following audience options:

* **All employees** - Broadcast to your entire organization.
* **Specific employees** - Select individual employees by name.
* **Departments** - Target one or more departments.
* **Locations** - Deliver to employees in specific office locations or regions.
* **User groups** - Send to any defined user group configured in Harmony.

Selecting a combination of these options lets you reach the right people without over-communicating to those who are not affected.

***

### Formatting announcements

The announcement composer supports rich text formatting so your messages are clear and visually consistent across all channels:

* **Bold** - Emphasize key information.
* **Italic** - Add context or highlight terms.
* **Hyperlinks** - Link to relevant resources, tickets, or documentation.

Formatting renders natively in each destination channel, so a bold phrase in Slack appears bold in the Slack message, and the same is true in Teams and email.

***

### Creating and sending an announcement

1. Navigate to **Settings** in the Harmony Admin console.
2. Select **Announcements**.
3. Click **New Announcement**.
4. Choose an **announcement type** from the available options.
5. Write your message using the rich text composer. Apply bold, italic, or hyperlinks as needed.
6. Under **Audience**, select the employees, departments, locations, or user groups you want to reach.
7. Under **Delivery channels**, choose one or more channels - Slack, Teams, email, or portal banner.
8. Choose a delivery option:
   * **Send now** - The announcement is delivered immediately.
   * **Schedule** - Pick a future date and time for delivery.
9. Optionally, set an **expiration date** so the announcement is automatically retired after a specified date. This is particularly useful for time-sensitive notices such as outages or maintenance windows.
10. Click **Send** or **Schedule** to confirm.

***

### Scheduling and expiration

* **Scheduled announcements** are queued and delivered at the date and time you specify. You can edit or cancel a scheduled announcement before it goes out.
* **Expiration dates** automatically retire an announcement on the date you choose. After expiration, portal banners are removed and the announcement is marked as expired in the Admin console. This helps keep the portal and communication channels free of outdated information.

***

### Viewing announcement history

All announcements - whether sent, scheduled, or expired - are recorded in the **Announcements** section of the Admin console. The history view includes:

* **Announcement title and type**
* **Status** - Sent, Scheduled, or Expired
* **Audience** - The targeted groups or individuals
* **Delivery channels** used
* **Send date and expiration date**

Use the history view to audit past communications, review who received a specific announcement, or reference previously shared information.

***

### Permissions

Only **Harmony Admins** can create, send, schedule, or manage announcements. Standard users and managers do not have access to the Announcements settings.


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