Special occasions

14.4.1

Letter of condolence

Letters of condolence should never be written in the third person, i.e. by someone else on your behalf.

Dear Mr Stanton,

I was shocked to hear about the death of your partner, Mr John Brendon, and offer my condolences. He was a fine person and a well-liked man who will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Please pass my smcerest sympathies on to his family, and assure them that all his associates will have only the fondest memories of him.

Yours sincerely,

14.4.2

Letter of congratulations

Congratulations are also best given directly, not by someone on your behalf.

Dear Mr Carrington,

I would like to offer my congratulations on your being elected chairman of our Trade Association.

No one has done more to deserve the honour, or has worked harder to promote our interests. You can count on me and my company to give you any assistance you require in your term of office, and I wish you every success for the future.

Yours sincerely,

14.5

Points to remember

1. The conventions governing formality should be observed just as rigorously with social correspondence as with business correspondence. The writer, e.g. a secretary, should be aware of the relationship of the sender and the receiver and use appropriate language.

2. Letters of invitation, e.g. to a product launch, should state clearly where and when the event will take place, and some indication of how formal it is.

3. When cancelling an appointment, you should say why you are unable to keep it.

4. Letters of condolence or cogratulation should never be written on someone else's behalf.

14.6

Words to remember

to make a reservation

to accept/refuse an invitation

to make/confirm/cancel an appointment

a letter of introduction

a letter of thanks

a letter of confirmation

an invitation

a letter of condolence

a letter of congratulations

a request for hospitality

15 In company communications

Memorandums; reports.

15.1

Memorandums

Memorandums are written internal communications which advise or inform employees of policies and procedures that their company has decided to adopt.

The memo may be put on a notice board for everyone to see, or circulated in internal mail to the departments it concerns. In the latter case, the employee usually signs the memorandum to acknowledge that he/she has read it.

There are numerous subjects that memos deal with, from informing staff of a retirement, to announcing important administrative or structural changes in the company.

15.1.1

Layout

Companies often use a special letter-heading for memorandums which gives less information about the company but indicates which department has issued the memo. Compare the letter-heading on the memo at 15.2.1 with the one Westway use for letters (see 12.3.9).

Note that the memo states who it is to, who it is from, the subject, and the date.

Paragraphs in memos are often numbered, as here, particularly when the subject concerns a procedure to be followed.

15.1.2

Guide to contents

Memos may have a title, e.g.

Subject: Introduction of shift-work Subject: Annual Audit Subject: Pension Scheme

If there is no title, introduce the subject in the opening paragraph:

A Shi ft-Work system is to be introduced next month.

The annual Audit will begin on 1 March 19—.

A Contributory Pension Scheme is to be introduced as from 1 July 19—.

Explain to staff howthey will be affected:

The shift-work system will affect аЦ employees in this branch ofHalliwell & Fischer and will be introduced on a two-shift basis - 06.00 to 14.00 hours, and 14.00 to 20.00 hours. You will be told by department heads...

The Auditors will be allotted offices which will mean that some members of staff will be temporarily transferred to other offices in the building...

Members of staff will have to join the pension scheme and contribute 6% of their gross monthly salary. The contributions will go towards a retirement benefit plan which at 60 will offer a pension of 70% of gross salary, in addition to the Government scheme.

Unless already stated, the employees must be told when the policy becomes effective:

The scheme will begin from 1 February 19—.

The audit will begin on 1 March and should take about three weeks...

Contributions to the scheme will be deducted from the pay month ending 1 July 19—.

State who will be affected and where:

The audit will affect all branches of the company, and warehousemen are reminded that they will have to account for any missing items. Staff will be expected to explain the loss of any equipment, or damage to...

The pension scheme will only affect those members of staff who were employed on or before 1 January 19—. Employees who joined after that date will be included in the scheme as soon as they have completed six months' full-time employment with the firm.

Once you have mentioned how staff will be affected, when\he scheme becomes effective, where it will operate, and who will be involved, you must explain what should be done:

Will all employees please see either their supervisors or department

managers, who will let them know which shift they will be working on for the first month? Another memo will be circulated next week, explaining a bonus scheme which will be introduced as part of the new arrangement.

Everyone included in the scheme will receive a booklet giving them details of how the pension plan will work and what benefits they will receive on retirement or in the event of their deaths. A contract with a copy will also be enclosed and you should sign it, then hand it to your departmental manager before 21 June 20…..

Finally, if the memo appears to be complicated, or you think it might not be completely understood by everyone, you should advise them to contact a manager, supervisor, or departmental head, who will explain it to them and consider their comments and complaints, if they have any.

If you have any problems whatsoever with the shift you have be_en allotted, or cannot work on a shift basis, please tell your supervisor or manager when you see him.

If there are any problems you feel your manager should be made aware of before the auditors arrive, please let him know at once.

The booklet should explain the scheme clearly to you. But if there is anything you do not understand, or if you are already in a scheme that might be affected by the firm's pension plan, please inform your departmental manager as soon as possible.