Lesikar's Business Communication: Connecting in a Digital World 13th Edition by Kathryn Rentz,Paula Lentz

Exercise 34

You are an intern in the human resources department at a financial services firm. Your boss has instructed you to send an announcement to all staff letting them know that the staff photo will be at 5 p.m. next Wednesday after you've closed for the day. The office takes a staff photo once a year. The pictures are used in promotional material (e.g., brochures, the company webpage, Facebook). Unfortunately, in recent years fewer people have shown up for the picture. Last year only a quarter of the firm's 100 employees attended. Excuses included "I'm too busy," "What's in it for me?," "I have to pick my kids up from dance lessons," "I have to go to the gym," "I only work until 3:00, and I'm not staying or coming back," and "No way. Make me." Your boss is counting on you to write a persuasive announcement to the employees requesting that they take the time to show up for the photo; she hopes that everyone will be there. They don't have to do anything special. All they have to do is take five minutes to be part of the picture. As you write, think about why taking such a photo might be important to the firm and to its clients.