Which medium when sending a negative employment message lets you control the message and avoid confrontation?

204 Unit 3: Brief Business Messages

You can help avoid accusations of defamation by not responding emotionally.

With so many instantaneous media choices at their disposal, some angry consumers will take their complaints public if they don’t hear back from you within a few days or even a few hours.8

If you deal with enough customers over a long-enough period, chances are you’ll get a request that is particularly outrageous. You may even be convinced that the person is not telling the truth. However, you must resist the temptation to call the person dishonest or incompetent. If you don’t, you could be sued for defamation, a false statement that damages someone’s reputation. (Written defamation is called libel; spoken defamation is called slander.) To successfully sue for defamation, the aggrieved party must prove (1) that the statement is false, (2) that the language injures the person’s reputation, and (3) that the statement has been communicated to others.

To avoid accusations of defamation, follow these guidelines:

■Avoid using any kind of abusive language or terms that could be considered defamatory.

■Provide accurate information and stick to the facts.

■Never let anger or malice motivate your messages.

■Consult your company’s legal advisers whenever you think a message might have legal consequences.

■Communicate honestly and make sure you believe what you’re saying is true.

■Emphasize a desire for a good relationship in the future.

Keep in mind that nothing positive can come out of antagonizing a customer, even one who has verbally abused you or your colleagues. Reject the claim or request for adjustment in a professional manner and move on to the next challenge.

5 LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Describe successful strategies for sending negative employmentrelated messages.

In messages informing prospective employers that you will not provide a recommendation, be direct, brief, and factual (to avoid legal pitfalls).

Implies that company policy prohibits the release of any more information but does provide what information is available

Ends on a positive note

As a manager, you will find yourself in a variety of situations in which you have to convey bad news to individual employees or potential employees. Recipients have an emotional stake in these messages, so taking the indirect approach is usually advised. In addition, use great care in choosing your medium for each situation. For instance, email and other written forms let you control the message and avoid personal confrontation, but one-on-one conversations are often viewed as more sensitive and give both sides the opportunity to ask and answer questions.

Refusing Requests for Recommendation Letters

Managers may get requests for recommendation letters from other employers and from past employees. When sending refusals to other employers who have requested information about a former employee of yours, your message can be brief and direct:

Our human resources department has authorized me to confirm that Yolanda Johnson worked for Tandy, Inc., for three years, from June 2007 to July 2010. Best of luck as you interview applicants.

Uses the indirect approach since the recipient is probably expecting a positive response

Announces that the writer cannot comply with the request, without explicitly blaming it on “policy”

Offers to fulfill as much of the request as possible and offers an alternative

Ends on a positive note

This message doesn’t need to say, “We cannot comply with your request.” It simply gives the reader all the information that is allowable.

Refusing an applicant’s direct request for a recommendation letter is another matter. Any refusal to cooperate may seem to be a personal slight and a threat to the applicant’s future. Diplomacy and preparation help readers accept your refusal:

Thank you for letting me know about your job opportunity with Coca-Cola. Your internship there and the MBA you’ve worked so hard to earn should place you in an excellent position to land the marketing job.

Although we do not send out formal recommendations here at PepsiCo, I can certainly send Coca-Cola a confirmation of your employment dates. And if you haven’t considered this already, be sure to ask several of your professors to write evaluations of your marketing skills. Best of luck to you in your career.

This message tactfully avoids hurting the reader’s feelings because it makes positive comments about the reader’s recent activities, implies the refusal, suggests an alternative, and uses a polite close.

Refusing Social Networking Recommendation Requests

Making recommendations in a social networking environment is more complicated than with a traditional recommendation letter because the endorsements you give become part of your online profile. On a network such as LinkedIn, others can see whom you’ve recommended and what you’ve written about these people. Much more so than with traditional letters, then, the recommendations you make in a social network become part of your personal brand.9 Moreover, networks make it easy to find people and request recommendations, so chances are you will get more requests than you would have otherwise—and sometimes from people you don’t know well.

Fortunately, social networks give you a bit more flexibility when it comes to responding to these requests. One option is to simply ignore or delete the request. Of course, if you do know a person, ignoring a request could create an uncomfortable situation, so you will need to decide each case based on your relationship with the requester. Another option is to refrain from making recommendations at all, and just letting people know this policy when they ask. Whatever you decide, remember that it is your choice.10

If you choose to make recommendations and want to respond to a request, you can write as much or as little information about the person as you are comfortable sharing. Unlike with an offline recommendation, you don’t need to write a complete letter. You can write a brief statement, even just a single sentence that focuses on one positive aspect.11 This flexibility allows you to respond positively in those situations in which you have mixed feelings about a person’s overall abilities.

Social networks have created new challenges in recommendation requests, but they also offer more flexibility in responding to these requests.

Rejecting Job Applications

Application rejection messages are routine communications, but saying no is never easy, and recipients are emotionally invested in the decision. Moreover, companies must be aware of the possibility of employment discrimination lawsuits, which have been on the rise in recent years.12 Of course, having fair and nondiscriminatory hiring practices is essential, but rejections must also be written in a way that doesn’t inadvertently suggest any hint of discrimination. Expert opinions differ on the level of information to include in a rejection message, but the safest strategy is to avoid sharing any explanations for the company’s decision and to avoid making or implying any promises of future consideration (see Figure 8.6 on the next page):13

■Personalize the message by using the recipient’s name. “Dear Applicant” can make it sound as though you never bothered to read the application.

■Open with a courteous expression of appreciation for having applied. In a sense, this is like the buffer in an indirect message because it gives you an opportunity to begin the conversation without immediately and bluntly telling the reader that his or her application has been rejected.

■Convey the negative news politely and concisely. The passive voice is helpful in this situation because it depersonalizes the response. For example, “Your application was not among those selected for an interview,” is less blunt than the active phrase “We have rejected your application.”

■Avoid explaining why an applicant was rejected or why other applicants were chosen instead. Although it was once more common to offer such explanations, and some experts still advocate this approach, the simplest strategy from a legal standpoint is to avoid offering reasons for the decision. Avoiding explanations lowers the possibility that an applicant will perceive discrimination in the hiring decision or be tempted to challenge the reasons given.

■Don’t state or imply that the application will be reviewed at a later date. Saying that “we will keep your résumé on file for future consideration” can create false hopes for the recipient and leave the company vulnerable to legal complaints if a future hiring decision is made without actually reviewing this candidate’s application again. If the

Experts disagree on which elements to include in a rejection letter, but the safest strategy is a minimalist approach.

206 Unit 3: Brief Business Messages

candidate might be a good fit for another position in the company in the future, you can suggest he or she reapply if a new job opening is posted.

■Close with positive wishes for the applicant’s career success. A brief statement such as “We wish you success in your career” is sufficient.

Naturally, you should adjust your tactics to the circumstances. A simple and direct written message is fine when someone has only submitted a job application, but a phone call might be more appropriate for rejecting a candidate who has made it at least partway through the interview process.

By giving employees clear goals and regular feedback, you can help avoid unpleasant surprises in a performance review.

Giving Negative Performance Reviews

Performance reviews are designed to clarify job requirements, give employees feedback on their performance relative to those requirements, and establish a personal plan of action to ensure continued performance in the future. Performance reviews also help companies set organizational standards and communicate organizational values.14 In addition, they document evidence of performance in the event that disciplinary action is needed or an employee later disputes management decisions regarding pay or promotions.15

The worst possible outcome in an annual review is a negative surprise, such as when an employee has been working toward different goals than the manager expects or has been underperforming throughout the year but didn’t receive any feedback or improvement coaching along the way.16 To avoid negative surprises, managers should provide regular feedback and coaching as needed throughout the year if employee performance falls below expectations. In fact, some companies have gone so far as to abandon the traditional performance review altogether. The online retailer Zappos, for example, has replaced annual performance reviews with frequent status reports that give employees feedback on routine job tasks and an annual assessment of how well each employee embodies the company’s core values.17

Fitcher opens with a simple

expression of

being considered, which acts as a mini-buffer for the bad news to come.

He closes on a positive note

without apologizing

or implying that the matter

is open for discussion.

MyBCommLab

Apply Figure 8.6’s key concepts. Go to mybcommlab.com and follow this path: Course Content Chapter 8

DOCUMENT

MAKEOVERS

The opening conveys the bad news quickly, using the passive voice to depersonalize the decision.

He invites her to reapply for any positions that may appear in the future, while avoiding any promise of reviewing her current application again.

Figure 8.6 Effective Message Rejecting a Job Applicant

This message rejecting a job applicant takes care to avoid making or implying any promises about future opportunities, beyond inviting the person to apply for positions that may appear in the future. Note that this would not be appropriate if the company did not believe the applicant was a good fit for the company in general.

Source: Used with permission from Microsoft.

Regardless of the specific approach a company takes, writing an effective performance review requires careful, objective assessment and a clear statement of how well an employee has done relative to agreed-upon goals. If you need to write a review that includes negative information, keep the following points in mind:18

■Document performance problems in detail as they happen. You will need this information to write an effective appraisal and to support any decisions that need to be made about pay, promotions, or termination.

■Evaluate all employees consistently. Consistency is not only fair but also helps protect the company from claims of discriminatory practices.

■Maintain a calm, objective tone. Manage the emotions of the situation by maintaining professional reserve in your writing.

■Keep job descriptions up to date. If a job evolves over time in response to changes in the business, the employees’ current activities may no longer match an outdated job description.

■Focus on opportunities for improvement. This information can serve as the foundation for an improvement plan for the coming year.

Negative evaluations should provide careful documentation of performance concerns.

Terminating Employment

If an employee’s performance cannot be brought up to company standards or if other factors such as declining sales cause a reduction in the workforce, a company often has no choice but to terminate employment. As with other negative employment messages, termination is fraught with emotions and legal ramifications, so careful planning, complete documentation, and sensitive writing are essential.

Termination messages should always be written with input from the company’s legal staff, but here are general writing guidelines to bear in mind:19

■Clearly present the reasons for this difficult action, whether it is the employee’s performance or a business decision unrelated to performance.

■Make sure the reasons are presented in a way that cannot be construed as unfair or discriminatory.

■Follow company policy, contractual requirements, and applicable laws to the letter.

■Avoid personal attacks or insults of any kind.

■Ask another manager to review the letter before issuing it. An objective reviewer who isn’t directly involved might spot troublesome wording or faulty reasoning.

■Deliver the termination letter in person if at all possible. Arrange a meeting that will ensure privacy and freedom from interruptions.

Any termination is clearly a negative outcome for the employee, but careful attention to content and tone in the termination message can help the employee move on gracefully and minimize the misunderstandings and anger that can lead to expensive lawsuits.

Carefully word a termination letter to avoid creating undue ill will and grounds for legal action.

Sending Negative Organizational News

As a manager or business owner, you may at times need to issue negative announcements regarding some aspect of your products, services, or operations. Unlike routine negative announcements, these messages involve significant changes that negatively affect one or more groups (such as losing a major contract or canceling a popular product), announcements of workforce reductions, and crisis communication regarding environmental incidents, workplace accidents, or other traumatic situations (see Figure 8.7 on the next page).

When making negative announcements, follow these guidelines:

■Match your approach to the situation. For example, in an emergency such as product tampering or a toxic spill, get to the point immediately and make sure all affected parties get the information they need.

6 LEARNING OBJECTIVE

List the important points to consider when conveying negative organizational news.

Negative organizational messages to external audiences often require extensive planning.

208 Unit 3: Brief Business Messages

Poor

The writer attempts the indirect approach in the body of the message but gives away the bad news in the headline of the blog post.

This opening makes it more about the writer than the readers or the company in general.

Saying that Triton “will get hammered when it hits the market” is too blunt for such a sensitive message.

He started the post by saying most people don’t look at the numbers, so this news will come as a surprise. Also, “pull the plug” and “It just won’t fly” feel too flippant for such an important message.

These statements about gossip and the rumor mill are uncalled for and introduce additional layers of negativity that serve no purpose.

This information would make a good buffer (see the Improved example), but it makes a poor close because it doesn’t leave the reader with anything to feel good about.

The post title preserves the indirect approach by not giving away the bad news.

The opening serves as an effective buffer because it

This will put the audience in a rational frame of mind, rather than an emotional one.

This paragraph introduces the first of the two reasons that led to the decision, and it does so in a calm but authoritative way.

This paragraph introduces the second reason and

project. At this point, all readers should be prepared for the bad news.

He delivers the bad news will keeping the focus on the project and its financial parameters. He also immediately shifts into a positive stance, talking about the talented staff and other opportunities.

This paragraph immediately puts to rest any worries other

The close is respectful and demonstrates sensitivity toward the people most affected by the decision.

Figure 8.7 Internal Message Providing Bad News About Company Operations

The cancelation of a major development project before completion can be a traumatic event for a company’s employees. People who worked on the project are likely to feel that all their time and energy were wasted and worry that their jobs are in jeopardy. Employees who didn’t work on the project might worry about the company’s financial health and the stability of their own jobs. Such messages are therefore prime candidates for the indirect approach. Note how much more effectively the “Improved” version manages the reader’s emotions from beginning to end.

Improved

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What is the best way to deliver a negative message?

When writing negative news messages you should use the indirect approach when?

What is negative message in communication?

When using the direct approach for negative messages you should do which of the following?