Best Practices for Employee Profile Photos, Digital Meeting Backgrounds, & Email Signatures

We are committed to fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and consistent virtual environment that respects and values the diverse needs of State of Colorado employees while honoring their freedom of speech and expression.

To assist employees in choosing workplace-appropriate virtual imagery, we recommend adhering to the following best practices for employee photos, digital backgrounds, and email signatures.

We hope these best practices will help make our virtual workspace more accessible, foster familiarity and trust among colleagues, facilitate better collaboration, and promote a positive work culture and employee engagement.

Employee Profile Photos

You can, but are not required to, upload a personal profile photo to your digital workspace. With many employees working virtually, providing an image of yourself helps create team cohesion and a meaningful connection. For profile photos, consider
the following:

• Upload a photo of yourself, ideally a recent photo (below are some examples)
  • Avoid using group photos, avatars, or pictures of animals or celebrities as your profile picture.
    • A clear image helps teammates clearly associate tasks and workflows with individuals.
    • Group photos, avatars, or pictures of animals or celebrities can be challenging for people who have low vision.
  • If you are not comfortable using a photo of yourself, consider using your agency or division logo.
     
• We are committed to building a Colorado for All and a workforce where every employee feels welcomed and valued, no matter their background, political affiliation, or religious beliefs. Avoid using words or images that would alienate a coworker or diminish the significance of another's lived experience.

Digital Meeting Backgrounds

You can also personalize your video conferencing backgrounds. Certain backgrounds can impede accessibility for participants. If you opt for a virtual background, please consider the following:

• Avoid using low-contrast backgrounds or flashing/quickly changing backgrounds.
• Avoid backgrounds that match your hair, skin, or clothes color.

Feel free to download and use our State of Colorado-branded meeting backgrounds.

• Instructions for uploading a background in Google Meet
• Instructions for uploading a background in Zoom

Email Signatures

We want to foster a work culture that champions respect and appreciation for varied perspectives while aspiring to collaborate for the betterment of Colorado. Below are best practices for building a signature block:

• Use a State-branded signature template (please reach out to your agency’s HR or communications team).
• Use black text to avoid text color contrast issues.
• Every person has inherent value; refrain from using words or images that diminish the significance of another's lived experience.

Questions

For any concerns or if you have questions and would like assistance, please contact your agency’s HR liaison.