Assignment
Indirect Writing Strategy – Formal Business Letter Format
You – as day-shift supervisor of the mechanics on staff at Capital City Ford – a dealership that provides auto service and repair, have been asked to temporarily look after the responsibilities of the Office Manager, who has been called away for a four-week period on emergency leave. Part of these responsibilities involves written communications in response to union/personnel issues. During this short-term replacement interim, you encounter the following situation involving one of the part-time mechanics:
Case:
Mack Wingham has worked as a part-time mechanic at Capital City Ford. His contract calls for him to work three shifts a week, rotating between days and evenings. Last week – in an attempt to make more time available to do construction jobs with his brother – Mack decided to request a change in status from a regular part-time position to a casual position. This change would allow Mack to work only when called, and he would have the further advantage of not being obligated to accept shifts. The choice would be his, enabling him to schedule more time to work with his brother.
However, Mack wrote two letters addressed to the Office Manager. First, he wrote a letter to resign from his part-time position; then, a full week later, he wrote another letter to request the shift to a casual position. In effect, Mack quit one job and then applied for a new one. By resigning or quitting his part-time job, he has lost his seniority and hourly rate of pay. If he were to be hired as a casual worker, he would have to start at the lowest level of seniority and pay scale.
Mack should have written a single letter, not to resign but to simply request a change in status. He also made a big mistake by leaving a significant time gap between the two letters. Because of very clearly defined company/union policy on this matter, you, as acting Office Manager in charge of personnel matters, legally have no choice but to accept the resignation and to offer Mack a casual position at the reduced rate and seniority level. Ethically, you can’t “overlook” the letters and pretend you didn’t receive them.
Adapted from A Case for Writing by Kim Fedderson and David parsons, Toronto, Harcourt: 1995.
Your Task:
As acting Office Manager, write a letter to Mack Wingham explaining the situation:
- Use formal business letter format.
- Use Indirect Writing Strategy. Remember to construct a “buffer” before delivering the negative news. You must be very careful in establishing your tone. If you are too positive, too phony, or if you fail to provide specific explanations, you will leave Mack wondering about the consequences of his miscommunication. As the same time, if you are too negative and domineering, you’ll end up alienating Mack and you might lose a valuable trained worker.
- Be constructive! Provide a realistic alternative which might help Mack recover his loss of pay and seniority.
