One of the most popular benefits offered by many companies to their employees is a company savings plan that helps them save for their retirement. When companies set up such savings plans, they usually send employees a letter informing them of the plan. Such letters are short and to the point, since they are mainly informative in nature.

A brochure may also be included with the letter that would go into the plan in greater detail. They are usually form letters not addressed to individual employees, although the name of a particular employee may be typed next to the opening salutation.

The important elements of a letter informing employees of a company savings plan are the details of the plan and the date when it will start to be implemented. The letter should also state if participation in the plan is mandatory or on a voluntary basis.

Below is a sample of a letter announcing a company savings plan that can easily be adapted to a writer’s particular needs.

Sample Letter

June 25, 2010

Subject: Company Savings Plan

To everyone concerned,

Greetings!

As you may know, our company has been searching for a way to help our employees save money for their retirement. In line with this, we have signed up with Savings Plans, Inc. to implement a company savings plan, which will begin starting July 15. Employees can contribute as much as 50% of their annual compensation on a before-tax basis, which will be matched by the company on a 25% basis.

However, this is not necessarily fixed and an employee can adjust the amount of their contributions by notifying the accounting department a month in advance. The full amount of an employee’s savings can be withdrawn upon their retirement from the company, or when they reach 65. They can also take out loans against the amount of their contributions to the plan.

Statements will be provided on a monthly basis to allow them to monitor the status of their savings. Participation in the plan is mandatory.

For further details on the plan, please read the accompanying brochure. If you have any further questions, you can consult with Rhonda Johnson at the Accounting Department.

Respectfully yours,

Jason Houseman
Vice President, SBJ Inc.

Letters introducing a new product or service are among the most essential pieces of correspondence a company can issue, since they can spell the difference between the success and failure of the new product. They can be sent to retail outlets or directly to individual prospective users of the product or service. These letters usually begin by introducing the product or service and identifying the features that make it distinct from similar products in the marketplace. It can also offer a promotional rate to users who will immediately avail of the service or a discount to early buyers of the product.

The essential features of the letter are the name of the product or service and its distinguishing features, as well as any promotions attached to launch of the product. If sent to individual clients, it may come with a sample of the product and enumerate retail outlets where the product is available or how they can avail of the service. It may also come with contact information if the client is interested in learning more about the product and service and if they want to immediately subscribe to the service.

Below is a sample of a letter introducing a product or service.

Sample Letter

August 31, 2010

Cablecast Services
Los Angeles, California
email@server.com
www.address.com

Harry Cliff
25 Wilson Avenue
Los Angeles, California

Dear Mr. Cliff,

Greetings!

As one of the pioneers in cable TV, we strive to give our clients the most innovative range of services available in the market. In line with our mission to offer only the most up-to-date services to our subscribers, we are very pleased to inform you that we are now offering digital video recording through your cable box. This feature allows you to record multiple programs airing at the same time, ensuring that you never have to miss a show that you want to watch. You can also program the recorder to record even when you’re not at home, as well as setting it to record for as long as two weeks in advance.

Best of all, the service is available to old subscribers for just an additional $5 per month on your current cable bill. New subscribers are entitled to try the service for the first two months for free. If you would like to avail of this service, or learn more about it, please call John Smith at 090-823-7263 or visit our website www.cabletv.com.

Thank you for your continued patronage and we hope to hear from you soon.

Respectfully yours,

Gordon Larson
President, Cablecast Services

In the course of doing business, companies occasionally need to convene special meetings to discuss matters of urgency. To inform staff of such meetings, a letter is written and issued containing the vital details of the meeting. The letters can be sent to staff individually or e-mailed. For smaller companies, the letter might simply be posted on the company bulletin board with employees required to sign at the bottom to certify that they have read the letter.

The essential elements of a letter informing staff about a special meeting are the subject of the meeting and the date, time and venue. If necessary, the letter may also include the agenda of the meeting to ensure that staff members are adequately prepared. The letter should also mention if staff members are required to prepare anything in advance for the meeting, such as particular data or reports. Finally, the letter should mention if attendance is mandatory or just highly encouraged, and if employees are required to give notice if for any reason they cannot attend.

The tone should be formal, as the purpose of the letter is purely informative. However, if the circumstances surrounding the convening of the meeting are particularly urgent, the letter should be written in such a way as not to worry the staff or affect their morale.
Here is a sample of a letter informing employees about a special meeting.

Sample Letter

December 5, 2010

Photocell Corporation
Irving, Texas
email@server.com
www.website.com

Subject: Special Meeting

Dear [name of employee]

Greetings!
As you all know, times have been hard lately for our country. There have been many recent developments in the economic and financial situation that are seen to impact the operations of our company. In light of these developments, we have decided to convene a special meeting of the staff to discuss measures we should take to deal with them. Please see the enclosed attachment for the agenda of the meeting.

The meeting will be held on December 10, 2 pm at Meeting Room C. If there is any information generated by your work that you feel could contribute significantly to our discussion, please feel free to bring it to the meeting.

Attendance is mandatory. However, if there are pending matters that prevent you from attending, please inform your supervisor beforehand.

Sincerely yours,

Thomas Nash
Executive Vice President, Photocell Corporation

Wondering who are the people that the key executives of your firm have brought on board? You can always refer to the memorandum announcing the appointment of a new employee. This kind of correspondence serves as a way of urging the employee force to welcome a new employee who has decided to join a firm.

Since it is for company-wide dissemination, it is important to ensure that there is no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Readability is likewise important. A correspondence announcing the appointment of a new employee recommends some action to the targeted audience, so the message must be clear and the details complete and accurate.

Closely related to this kind of announcement is an internal memorandum announcing the promotion of an employee. The tone is congratulatory, and expresses enthusiasm and confidence in the employee’s abilities. Giving the salient details is essential. By informing everyone about the appointed person’s qualifications, a dual purpose is accomplished: all employees will learn just how qualified for the job the person is, while the new employee is given due recognition and support.

In both the letter announcing a new employee to a new post or a promotion of an existing employee, the previous position and key accomplishments are highlighted in the correspondence. Here is a sample memorandum announcing the appointment of a new employee:

Sample Memorandum

28 May 2010

TO : ALL EMPLOYEES

FROM : MR. IVELISSE M. SALCE
Supervising Officer – Administrative Services
Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center

SUBJECT: New Business Development Manager
====================================================================

We are pleased to share with you that we have recruited a new Business Development Manager for our Business Development Group. Mr. Glenn Gerald Pantig has accepted the position effective May 31, 2010. Glenn comes to us with a wealth of experience. He was previously the Business Development Head of St. Luke’s Medical Hospital, where he oversaw the performance of the Business Development Managers/Supervisors. He also handled the preparation of hospital financial projections and profitability reports, reviewed and analyzed market trends, and helped conceptualize sales and marketing concepts.

We are excited about his decision to join the hospital’s managerial team. Please join us in welcoming him to the Center in his new role.

A quick, formal announcement of the death of an employee or an employee’s immediate family member is an expression of sympathy. It informs and encourages employees to lend some support to the bereaved family, notably the affected employee. This piece of announcement should be posted on the bulletin board and/or emailed immediately because time is of the essence. Employees and higher-ups reading the announcement will be able to pay their last respects to the family in mourning.

Basic details including the location of the wake and funeral arrangements are therefore important. A solemn yet sympathetic tone is necessary for such a correspondence. As with other types of announcements of bad news, the approach may be straight to the point but the manner of phrasing must show respect, understanding, and consideration for the affected employee.

If it is an employee who died, the co-workers, managers, and even customers that the employee constantly touched base with while alive may be quite affected, so the bereavement announcement must be properly phrased. If the employee has long been with the company and widely known in the organization, the opening line may state begin with the phrase, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of…” Make sure that the information in the body of the announcement letter is clear and accurate. That way, numerous or repeated queries are avoided.

Nonetheless, the announcement, even if brief, must show some compassion. Communications of this type vary from company to company, but it’s best not to use so many flowery words. The right approach is to be objective and direct yet sensitive enough to express heartfelt sorrow. Here is a sample internal memorandum informing everyone in the organization of the death of an immediate family member of an employee.

Sample Announcement Letter

MEMORANDUM

Date : May 28, 2010
HR. Ref. No. 10-137

To : ALL EMPLOYEES

From : HUMAN RESOURCES & ADMIN DEPARTMENT
______________________________________________________________________________

Please be informed that Mr. Sabas Tumao, father of Ronald G. Tumao, Vice President of SM Prime Holdings Inc., passed away today, May 28, 2010.

His body lies in state at Room Baltazar, Funeraria Paz, Manila Memorial Park, Sucat, Parañaque.

Let us pray for the eternal repose of his soul and for his family who is in deep sorrow and grief.

MONINA S. LASALA
Vice President

An obituary is the last word to be written about a person who passed away. Usually short death notices run for free in newspapers. On the other hand, longer obituaries are with a fee. The most important thing to do is for the family to get the accurate information out there about the deceased.

Newspapers consider if the person or his life story can be of great interest to the public before the story can be published. You have to remember that there are limited spaces for obituaries in newspapers. This is the reason why online obituaries can be a great alternative for those dispersed families.

The information that you need to include are as follows: name, age, occupation and city of deceased, his time and place of death, cause of death, his birth date and place, member in a national or local organization, if he was in military service and lastly the funeral, memorial and burial details. If you paid for a bigger space in the newspaper, then you can add a profile of the deceased.

Sample Obituary Announcement

Johnny Davis, a 75-year old man, of Orange County, Boston died last 28th of May 2010. He died of heart attack. He is the eldest son Mr. and Mrs. Davis, both were professors. He was educated in Boston High School and later on went to Harvard to study Law.

He married a pre-school teacher by the name of Kristina Marie Bradshaw. They were blessed with twins.

Aside from practicing and teaching Law, Mr. Davis was kept busy by his Church activities. Because of his long experience in the Church and Biblical studies, he became a full-pledged Pastor and at the same time, elected as the Dean of Law in Harvard.

The funeral and burial are reserved for the family and closest friends. A memorial service will be celebrated in his honor in the morning of the burial, 10 a.m., on the 1st of June. His remains will be buried at the Boston Memorial Park. The family and Mr. Davis appreciate donations more for Red Cross International instead of flowers.

If given a choice, you would not want to break the sad news to anyone, right? Death within a family is the saddest one but oftentimes, this becomes an opportunity to see relatives, catch up and have updates with each other.

These days, there are already several ways on how to announce death publicly – newspaper obituaries, death notice, feature obituaries, online obituary sites and a telephone call from relatives.

Writing a letter about the death of a family member should possess a solemn tone, no fuss. Also, keep in mind that the letter will highly depend on the relationship you have with the deceased family member and his/her relationship with the recipients of the letter.

Sample Announcement Letter

Dear Patricia,

I regret to inform you that our grandmother Emilia passed away last Sunday, the 30th of May 2010. For two years now, she had been suffering from cervical cancer.

She was still able to celebrate her 75th birthday last 1st of May with her friends. In fact through that small party we threw her, she was already able to bid everyone farewell.

By the 15th of May, we needed to run her to the hospital because of profuse bleeding. We were not able to bring her back anymore like what she wanted because she was already comatose in the last five days of her life. She stayed at the hospital for ten days.

Her funeral will be taking place at the St. Peter’s Church in her home town in Mississippi on the 5th of June 2010. She will be laid to rest beside our grandfather Paul.

Since you live overseas, we understand if you will not be able to come. However, donations are very much appreciated. Please give the donations in lieu of flower wreaths since it was also one of her wishes. We have the complete details attached to this letter.

I’m sorry for this sad news. I certainly hope to speak with you soon about lighter matters next time.

If you have any inquiries, please do call me right away.

With all my love,

Vanessa

There comes a point in a couple’s life where they come to a decision to live separately and move on to their new lives as individuals. This is a sad situation for the rest of the family members and their friends, but all they can do is to accept and respect the decision.

Definitely, the time to announce it will surely come. You need to inform people that you are going to resume using your maiden name. If left unannounced, you can get into some legal trouble. Anyway, divorce is something you cannot keep private for a long time.

At this time, divorce announcements are packaged along with divorce showers, a slowly growing tradition. In announcing a divorce, it is pertinent for couples to both decide on the date and time when to announce to family and friends of your plans to separate. You have to make sure that neither one of you will announce it unexpectedly as a sign of respect for each other. More importantly, do not announce a divorce in any public forum without your soon-to-be-ex knowing that you are about to file a divorce.

Second, you need to make a list of the most important people you need to inform about the separation. Your children and parents should be on the top of your list and make sure you inform all of them on the same day, either one-on-one or in an intimate dinner. Never announce the divorce in public without letting these people know first. In case your friends and colleagues have known about it, you may supply the information via blog posts or Facebook update. Lastly, maintain at all cost, civility in public places and forums. The last thing you need is more problems just because there was some story about how you announce the divorce.

Here is a sample of wordings you can use in your divorce announcement:

Sample Announcement Letter

Mr. Theodore Johnson and Ms. Theresa Bradshaw jointly announce that the court has already granted their Divorce effective on July 21, 2010.

Theresa Bradshaw will be reverting back to her maiden name beginning on the date mentioned. At that time, she will be known again as Theresa Sanders.

Please be guided accordingly.

Class reunions can be a very interesting yet the most challenging event in one’s life. What more organizing it? For anyone who is assigned to organize one should have the ability to make the event interesting since he/she will be convincing classmates of years back – and this can be quite a challenge.

You see your classmates are now executives in the corporate world and they run busy lives. Most of the time, reunions are the least of events they will spend time to go to unless it proves to be worthwhile. Therefore, you have to peak into their interests for you to convince them. An announcement including the invitation should show that the event is interesting. Aside from convincing them to come to the reunion, you are also convincing them to contribute financially. So your invitations should resemble like a sales letter.

You may use the wordings of the sample letter below:

Sample Announcement Letter

Dear Alumni of 1976,

Greetings!

On August 12, 2010 is our 44th Reunion. We have more than enough time to plan ahead. I have convinced some of our classmates to help in the initial preparations.

Currently, we have planned out a fun-filled itinerary for all of us in a beach resort in California. This is the best time for you to meet former classmates and renew friendships. We promise you a very memorable weekend.

Below are some of the activities we have initially put up:

Dinner cruise registration at Long Beach on Thursday night.
On Friday, we will have some water sports competitions and island tours.
On Saturday, our alumni association will be holding an informal meeting to catch up.
On Sunday, we will be sending you off with a perfect beach breakfast.

We are encouraging everyone to book their stay at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Long Beach so that we can all be together and for easy coordination. Make your reservations two weeks in advance at 562-491-1234 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              562-491-1234      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Please send in too your updated contact details and profile.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Mary Smith
Class of ‘65 Reunion Chair
588-345-1713

Announcing a broken engagement can be the most embarrassing moment in anyone’s life. But many say that this is better than a broken marriage in the end. However, if the announcement about the engagement has already been sent out, then the process becomes more complicated and hurting. The couple or even the family has no choice but to inform the confirmed guests about the broken engagement. This is necessary because some of the guests may need to cancel their flights and book other appointments.

In writing announcements such as this, the only thing present should be the news informing people that the engagement is off. There is no need for explanations. The relatives and friends should also not expect this from the couple. If in case no announcement about the engagements has been sent out yet, then a few words or handwritten notes can be given to the closest friends and family members.

They can be the ones to inform the rest of the guests about the recent news. Remember not to prod the couple for explanations. It is important that privacy should be maintained well when passing very sensitive information.

There are times too that broken engagements are caused by a death in the family. If this is the case, then the couple can send an announcement about the postponement and the new date of the engagement so that guests can make the necessary adjustments.

Announcements of these kinds must be simple and direct to the point and wordings such as below can be used:

Sample Announcement Letter

For a broken engagement

Mr. Gerald Philips and Mrs. Joanne Philips are sorry to announce that the engagement of their daughter Mary Jane to Mr. Mark Morris has been ended by mutual consent.

For postponement of the wedding/engagement due to a family member’s death

Mr. Jake Smith and Mrs. Lorinda Smith are sorry to inform everyone about the recall of the reception invitations of their daughter’s wedding on the 14th of June 2010 due to a death in the family. However, the marriage ceremony will be held in private in the presence of the immediate family.