Business owners have many reasons to create new policies and procedures. A business should have both an employee handbook and operations handbook written and acknowledged by all employees. These books keep the record of company policies. If a policy changes or a new one is implemented, employers need to notify employees of the change. Writing the memo for a new or updated company policy is the first step.
Choose a Memo Format
Most business word processing programs such as Microsoft Word have templates for business memos. Templates make the process of formatting a memo easier. You just add the components to the template to format your memo. Most templates put the word Memo or Memorandum across the top in a large font. They may also include in a smaller font a clarifier such as Confidential or For Internal Use Only. This can all be in the header of the page.
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The body of the memo should use business formatting, called block formatting. Align each section with the left margin and separate each block with line space. Business font choices should be Courier, Arial or something similar. The point is to be legible. Business font size is usually 12 point.
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The first block is the distribution, date and subject section. For example:
- To: All Employees
- From: Director of Operations
- Date: March 1, 2017
- Subject: Unassigned Parking Spaces.
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The recipients should get a clear picture of who sent the memo, who is receiving a copy, the date and the purpose of the memo.
Stick to the Facts
Chances are good that the memo is being generated because a law has changed or something happened during work that caused a problem. To prevent future problems, the business is implementing a new policy. While it is perfectly fine to reference new laws, never cite individual occurrences that led to the creation of the new policy. Avoid referencing employees specifically and avoid inflammatory or derogatory language in the memo. Keep the tone professional and stick to the facts exclusively. For example, if a new locker policy is being implemented, the language should not be accusatory or refer in any way to previous employee thefts.
Things to Include
The body of the memo can be one or more paragraphs that use the block format style for business. The memo should state any existing policy and the new policy along with the effective date of the new policy.
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You may need to provide additional information pertinent to the new policy. For example, a company might need to change safety protocols on location because of new federal regulations. Highlight any changes to existing policies, clearly defining how the old is different from the new. Reference existing relevant policies by stating the policy name and section or page number where they are located in the existing policy manual.
Each policy manual should be dated so employees know they are looking at the correct version. When referencing changes in a new policy memo, include the date of the manual being referenced.
Check the Distribution List
Employers need to find a way to make sure every employee who needs to get the memo receives a copy. Not every company has every employee on an email distribution list. To be sure the memo is received by all, post it where the Department of Labor and OSHA posters are kept for all employees to review. Email the distribution list of employees that have emails. Include the memo with pay stubs or ask managers to hand a copy to each employee and conduct a meeting on the change.
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Update the Manuals
Add the new memo as an addendum to the existing employee manual. If you haven't updated the employee manual for some time or there are a lot of changes happening, it might be wise to update the entire manual with a new publication date. That way employees won't accidentally reference outdated policies.
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