1. Week 5 Writing Employee Relations Letters One common type of business letter is an employee relations letter. There are three main types of employee relations letters: –Letters of reference / recommendation –Employee announcements –Letters of introduction These letters describe an employee in an honest, sincere, truthful, and positive way. Before you write the letter, make sure you have all the facts. These letters are an important source of information about a person, and the must be accurate.

2. Week 5 –A. Getting Started 1. Read the e-mails between an executive and his assistant. They discuss several employee relations letters. 2. Complete the Employee Correspondence Checklist. Write a check ( √ ) if the assistant wrote the letter. Write To do if the assistant has not written the letter yet.

3. Week 5 –B. Model Letter of Reference Look at the different elements of a letter of reference. –Useful language It is my pleasure to write this letter of reference for ______. ______ was a ______ at [company name] from ______ to ______. ______ was responsible for ______. I recommend ______ for ______.

4. Week 5 –C. Composing Your Message –The body of a letter of reference generally has four parts Part 1, Opening –Content: Introduce the person you are writing about. »Ex: It is my pleasure to write this letter of reference for Matsuo Yukiko. Part 2, Focus –Content: Give relevant details about the person. »Ex: Ms. Matsuo was a summer intern at Bozeman International from May to August this year. ………………………..

5. Week 5 –C. Composing Your Message Part 3, Action –Content: Discuss the future. »Ex: I recommend Ms. Matsuo for any position that requires a self-starter who is able to follow through on a task. Part 4, Closing –Content: Restate the main idea. Ask the person to contact you if necessary. »Ex: Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

6. Week 5 »Practice 2 »Write O if the sentence is for the Opening, F for Focus, or A for Action. –Well Said In China, Japan, and Korea, the family name comes first, so Matsuo Yukiko is Ms. Matsuo. However, when a person uses an English first names, Western order is used, as in Raymond Hu.

7. Week 5 –Writing Your Message Adjectives and Adverbs –Letters of reference describe employees and how they work. These letters often contain many adjectives and adverbs. Remember that adjectives describe nouns, and adverbs describe verbs. »Practice 3 »Choose the correct adjectives or adverbs to complete the sentences.

8. Week 5 –That’s Good Business There are two types of reference / recommendation letters. –To whom it may concern »You write a general recommendation that can be used in more than one situation. –Direct / Specific names »You reply to a specific request to recommend someone for a job.

9. Week 5 –D. Model E-Mail: Employee Announcement (New Employee) Look at the different elements of an employee announcement. –Useful language We are pleased to announce ______. ______ comes to our company with ______. She has worked at ______. Let’s all welcome ______.

10. Week 5 –E. Composing Your Message –The body of an employee announcement generally has four parts Part 1, Opening –Content: Introduce the person you are writing about. »Ex: We are pleased to announce that Michelle Fung has joined our firm as senior account specialist. Part 2, Focus –Content: Give relevant details about the person. »Ex: Ms. Fung comes to our company with 22 years of accounting experience. ………………………..

11. Week 5 –E. Composing Your Message Part 3, Action –Content: Discuss the future. »Ex: She will be calling on you in the next few weeks to introduce herself and to discuss any questions you have about your orders. ……………………………………………. Part 4, Closing –Content: Restate the main idea. »Ex: Let’s all extend a friendly welcome to Michelle Fung.

12. Week 5 »Practice 5 »Read these opening sentences for letters announcing a new employee. Then circle the letter of the sentence that gives a relevant detail about the employee. –That’s Good Business A letter announcing a new employee or an employee’s promotion should clearly outline the person’s qualifications. It is appropriate to include information from employee’s résumé. –Well Said The expression call on means to visit someone for a short time.

13. Week 5 The Simple Past and the Present Perfect –When you refer to a specific past time, use the simple past verb form. –When you refer to an unspecified past time, use the present perfect verb form. –The exact time is not important. »Practice 6 »Choose the correct verb form to complete the sentences.

14. Week 5 –F. Model Letter of Introduction Look at the different elements of a letter of introduction. –Useful language This letter will introduce ______. I hope you will able to meet with ______. ______ has been with our company for ______ years has ______. Thank you in advance for meeting with ______.

15. Week 5 –G. Composing Your Message –The body of a letter of introduction generally has four parts. Part 1, Opening –Content: Introduce the person you are writing about. »Ex: This letter will introduce Lee Ming-Tang, our sales manager, who will ………………………………….. Part 2, Focus –Content: Give relevant details about the person. »Ex: Ming-Tang has been with our company for ten years and has rapidly moved up …………………………….

16. Week 5 –G. Composing Your Message Part 3, Action –Content: Discuss the future. »Ex: If you have any leads he might pursue or suggestions about contacts in your are, I’m sure he would be glad to hear them. Part 4, Closing –Content: Restate the main idea. »Ex: Thank you in advance for meeting with Ming- Tang. ………………………………………………

17. Week 5 –That’s Good Business A letter of introduction explains why you are introducing the person. Readers need to know how the new person may help them or their business. »Practice 8 »Read these opening sentences for letters of introduction. Then circle the letter of the closing sentence that best restates the main idea. –That’s Good Business In a letter of introduction, it may be appropriate to give personal information about the person if it is directly relevant to the reader.

18. Week 5 –Not only …… but also The expression not only ….. but also emphasizes that more than one item is related to a topic. Not only …… and …….. but also are placed directly before the parallel elements they join in the sentence. »Practice 9 »Combine the sentences using the expressions not only ….. but also. –That’s Good Business In the model letter on page 105, the writer (Ray) uses the first name of the person he is introducing (Ming-Tang). When he signs the letter, he uses only his first name. Ray known Ming- Tang and the reader of the letter for a long time and has worked closely with them.

19. Week 5 –Homework Assignment »On a separate piece of paper, write an employee relations letters for one of the following situations. »1. Write a letter reference for one of your co-workers or classmates. Use real descriptions and specific examples of this or her work and work habits. (You don’t have to use his or her real name.) »2. Write an e-mail announcing a new employee. The new employee is you. Use information about yourself in the e- mail. »3. Please look definitions of these words in the glossary at the end of the book: a). branch, b). contact, c). employee announcement, d). employee relations, e). extend, f). follow through, g). letter of introduction, h). letter of reference, i). reliable, j). under pressure, k). unspecified.