A company’s policies are never set in stone, and occasionally changes are made to them to respond to particular situations, or new ones may need to be created. Employees may also have to be reminded of particular procedures, for example ones regarding safety, that they may have begun to neglect. To address this need, company officials may issue a directive establishing or changing company policies, or reaffirming existing ones. These letters may be sent to specific employees, or just to be posted on a bulletin board for all the staff to read.

The essential parts of this letter include identifying the particular policy or procedure being changed, reaffirmed or introduced, the rationale behind the changes, and the date when changes take effect. The tone of the letter is straightforward and informative, as well as being concise and to-the-point. It does not begin with a salutation, as it is not addressed to any particular person.

Below is an example of a letter issuing a directive to change, reaffirm or establish a policy or a procedure.

SAMPLE LETTER

Subject: Cost Saving Measures

To all Concerned Employees,

As you know, the country has been undergoing an economic recession that has also affected our company’s financial performance. In light of this, we are constrained to implement the following cost-cutting measures in order to reduce our operating costs.

1. Air conditioners must only be operated from nine to five, after which they must be shut down. It is the responsibility of sub-department heads to ensure that this procedure is followed strictly.
2. Except in cases where there is urgent work to be completed, all workers must be out of the office by nine at the latest. If they need to stay beyond this time, they must inform their immediate supervisors.
3. The use of office supplies is also to be restricted. Employees must inform their supervisors if they need to avail of any new supplies and sign in the logbook for monitoring purposes.

We hope that all employees appreciate the need for these and any other cost-cutting measures the company deems necessary, and will cooperate fully with company officials in helping to implement them.

Respectfully yours,

Ted Farmer
President, Sigma Corporation