Making Connections
Business memos are an effective way to keep everyone on your office team in the loop on what's going on insofar as new policies and procedures for performing their jobs. Too often, however, business memos get ignored or tossed because the content is too long or the message is too confusing for recipients to understand what they're supposed to do in response.
Audience
The memo should be addressed to employees that the content directly affects. These can either be individuals that are specifically named or collectively referenced as a whole group. Examples: "All Employees", "Division 4 Managers", "Clerical Personnel".
Subject Matter
In its subject line, a business memo should clearly state what the topic is. Examples: "New Overtime Policy", "U.S. Savings Bond Campaign", "Holiday Vacation Schedule", "Affirmative Action Training". A brief title not only preps readers for the content but conveys its level of urgency as well.
Introduction
The first paragraph of a business memo establishes the purpose of the content and why it is important. Example: "The impending closure of our Rio Linda facility may have many of you concerned about how this will impact staff reassignments and the processing of new orders. To address these concerns and dispel rumors before they affect company morale, our task force has come up with the following procedures to ease us through this transitional phase."
Implementation
The second paragraph lays out in narrative form, numbered steps or bullet points what the new policy or procedure will be. The language should be clear and uncluttered and convey a brief rationale for each step so that readers can understand the problem/solution correlation set forth. If there are actions to be performed by specific dates, the second paragraph may include a timeline for completion of each task.
Enforcement
In the case of policies and procedures related to ethics, professionalism and personal accountability, the third paragraph of the memo explains how the new rules will be monitored for compliance as well as the consequences if these rules are not followed. Examples of this include disciplinary actions such as letters of reprimand or termination from employment. The third paragraph should also provide contact information on where employees can seek clarification of policies that aren't clear.
Acknowledgment
An optional component of a business memo related to personnel issues is a signature line wherein employees acknowledge they have read the material. The original is then placed in personnel files and a copy is retained by the worker.
