There are a lot of milestones in one’s life that are so momentous they deserve a separate acknowledgement, for the person going through that milestone or achievement to take pride in and make an announcement to inform everyone about it. For some, it could be the announcement of an engagement, or an upcoming wedding. Proud parents will no doubt make an announcement about how their firstborn is celebrating his first birthday and, later, when the child earns an award or recognition at school.
In the workplace setting, there are also a number of events in one’s career that are worth talking about and, quite probably, the most obvious one is a promotion.
A promotion can mean a lot of things to an individual, depending on his priorities. It denotes a movement up the career ladder, leading the person a step (or a rung) closer to the higher position that he has been aiming for. Along with that rise is an elevation of his status or the esteem he gets from others in the workplace or in the industry.
A promotion is also seen as a means of improving one’s economic status, since it comes with a corresponding increase in his salary or benefits – both monetary and non-monetary. As his position in the company goes higher, so will the perks that will be given to him.
In contrast, the promotion may also mean a shift, transfer or transition, especially when the person will be promoted to a higher position in another office or department. He may find himself having to report to a different supervisor and working with different employees, in an entirely new environment. It is also a given that the promotion comes with more tasks and duties and, most definitely, heavier responsibilities.
A promotion is not something that affects only one person (the one who is promoted at work) or only one department of an organization or company. It also affects the people he will be working with in his new position, and those that he will be leaving behind in his old position, as they will try to find ways to cope without him, in the interval where the position he left remains vacant.
As such, there is a need to inform everyone – in a formal or official manner – about the promotion, and this is done through a promotion announcement.
An employee promotion announcement is exactly what the phrase describes: it is a formal document announcing the promotion of an employee. Actually, this document is basically in the form of a letter, which is why it is also often referred to as a “promotion announcement letter”.
In many cases, especially in small companies with a workforce numbering to around a dozen, news of promotions can be relayed in meetings, or by simple postings in bulletin boards. It becomes a different story when we’re talking about larger operations, or in bigger companies with a relatively bigger number of staff members. It is in these instances where making a formal announcement – in writing – is generally preferred.
The purpose of a promotion announcement letter is to provide information about a promotion and, in this particular case, there are two clear intentions in preparing this letter.
To inform the employee that he or she is being promoted to a higher position within the company; and
The rationale behind the second intention is simple, really. It is a common courtesy for the department or division where the employee is currently working in to be informed that one of their people will soon be moving out, so they can take proper corrective action to adjust to his absence without the work getting affected too much.
Those who are in the department that the employee will be moving into also deserve to be informed of the new addition to the staff, or even about the fact that they will have a new supervisor coming in. That way, they can prepare accordingly to accommodate the newly promoted employee, ensuring a smooth transition of work and responsibilities.
The use of a promotion announcement is applicable to all types of organizations where job promotions take place. Government offices make these sorts of announcements. Commercial and retail companies prepare announcements regarding promotions. Regardless of the nature of the organization, or its operations, composing employee promotion announcements are expected, and actually even encouraged.
Just as there are some things to be mindful of when writing other types of business letters and documents, there are also various considerations when coming up with an employee promotion announcement.
Depending on the culture and custom of an organization, a promotion announcement letter may take on various forms, including the content. It is a given that the name of the company and the date the letter is prepared appear on the face of the letter. Usually, the company name may appear in the form of the company logo or letterhead. However, there are other basic details and information that must be included in any promotion announcement.
Name of the employee being promoted. This is considered to be the most important element, since he is the person being promoted, and the one being informed of the promotion.
Current (and soon-to-be former) designation or position title. This is one way to make it clear that the employee is moving from a lower position to a higher one. If the promotion entails transferring to another division or department within the same company, do not forget to include the division, unit, or department that his current position belongs to.
New or promoted designation or position title. Similarly, do not forget to include the division, unit, or department it belongs to, if it is in one different from the current work location of the employee being promoted. Also, include a short summary of the old role, functions, tasks and responsibilities of the employee in his previous position.
Effective date of promotion. Include the relevant dates of the upcoming changes, specifically the date when the new employee will have to report to his new post or office. This is so the promoted employee, and the other employees whose work will be impacted by the promotion, can be more prepared for the change.
Tasks, duties and responsibilities under the new or promoted position. Highlight what the new role of the promoted employee entails. If there are specific projects or undertakings that will be assigned to him, mention it in the letter. If the new position is supervisory, it is even more imperative to mention that, in order to clear up any expectations on what the new role entails. Not only will this inform the promoted employee what to expect in his new position (so he can also prepare accordingly), but it will also provide the other employees a glimpse of what the promoted employee will be doing. It is highly likely that many employees within the organization are still unaware of who does what in the company, and the promotion announcement is another opportunity to provide that clarity. Make a clear connection between the new role of the promoted employee and the strategic goals of the company. It is all right to set high expectations; the promotion certainly requires the employee to live up to them.
A note of congratulations or welcome to the promoted employee to his new role and in his new workplace or department, if applicable. Express support for the employee and confidence in his abilities as he takes on his new role.
An acknowledgement of the employee’s hard work or qualifications that led to him earning the promotion, citing specific accomplishments that made him or her stand out during the evaluation and selection for promotion. This is to address any doubts or questions that other employees may have on why that particular person was given the promotion.
Key background information, particularly on education and certifications, of the promoted employee, to justify his promotion.
If the letter is also addressed to outside clients and other external parties, an explanation on how they may come in contact with the promoted employee.
Make sure you get all the facts straight and accurate, especially when it comes to the proper nouns, such as the names and job titles, addresses, division/unit/department names, and the like. Confirm details with the appropriate parties if there is something you are unsure about.
Do not write a novel. Be concise and succinct. Cut out all the fat and fillers and leave only the relevant information or details. You want to bring the message of the promotion across as quickly as possible, and not in a long and meandering manner.
There is one absolute rule with regards to the tone that the employee promotion letter should take: keep a professional tone throughout the letter.
It is all right to be congratulatory in the letter, especially if the promotion is something that management deems is well-deserved and long overdue. However, there has to be a clear line between making the letter sound too celebratory and too nonchalant about the promotion. It should strike a balance: be congratulatory, but keep it professional. Don’t go over the top, but don’t be too stingy with it, either.
If the letter is too effusive in giving its congratulations, other employees may interpret it as indicative of management’s favoritism, so they will be inclined to think that the promotion was made with a skewed or biased view. Some employees may end up feeling envious or jealous of the newly promoted employee, resulting to tension or strain at work and, worse, affecting how they will work together.
If, on the other hand, the letter is too sparing in offering congratulations to the point that it comes across as too glib or non-committal, it takes away the excitement of the promotion. For many employees, a promotion is a special event and definitely something to celebrate, and for the news to be handed out coldly or without feelings, that would totally defeat the very essence of an employee promotion announcement.
Be informative. Never forget that the main purpose of the announcement letter is to inform. More than offering your congratulations or listing down the many reasons why the employee deserved the promotion, the first order of business should be to provide the details about the promotion.
Always begin the letter on a positive note, and the best way to do that is to open it with the good news about the promotion. The first sentence should immediately provide a clear indication of what the letter or announcement is all about. If you start it with an explanation or an enumeration of the positive traits of the employee, the readers may be confused as to its purpose until they reach the end of the letter.
Observe proper etiquette and use appropriate words and phrases. This is to maintain a professional tone in the letter. Use the proper salutations, depending on the target recipients of the announcement. For instance, high-profile promotions usually have to be announced to external stakeholders and clients, so include them in the salutation.
Inject some enthusiasm or excitement when making the announcement, and avoid being too formal as to be staid and gloomy. The letter should be able to convey management’s confidence in the promoted employee, particularly on his ability to do the job and deliver what is expected of him in his new role. This is also an opportunity to show the promoted employee that he has the support of management as he takes on his new role.
There are some instances where preparers of the promotion announcement take liberties with the tone. For example, a relatively small company addressing the announcement to the members of the organization or of a specific team within the company may opt to adapt a slightly informal tone. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as it doesn’t go over the top and start sounding overly enthusiastic.
At the end of the day, the tone of the employee promotion announcement will largely depend on the recipient. However, it is important to never lose sight of the fact that it ought to remain professional to a certain extent, which means that the variability will be limited to the degree of formality that will be injected into the overall tone of the announcement letter.
Whether the promotion announcement is delivered through a physical letter on paper or through email sent via the company’s local area network, the formatting should stick to the basic rules of business letter writing.
Observe standard business letter writing formatting rules. Never forget that the employee promotion announcement is a formal letter and, thus, should adhere to professional standards of writing business letters or communication. Since the announcement emanates from the company, it makes sense to format it similarly to a company memo, using the company letterhead or logo to add a touch of professionalism. Use business paper, the same ones used in official and formal communications and correspondence of the company with clients, customers and partners.
Make sure it is legible or readable. Granted, it will be written using a computer or word processor, but that is not a 100% guarantee when it comes to readability.
Observe proper spacing between paragraphs. This is to give it a clean and relaxed appearance. The announcement is supposed to bring good news, not to annoy the readers with its poor formatting.
Break the parts down into smaller paragraphs. Avoid making the announcement one or two large blocks of text that will turn readers away from finishing reading the whole thing.
Mind your punctuations. Many disagreements have arisen due to erroneous punctuation marks used in business letters and documents.
Make sure all the signatories have signed off on the letter. It is possible that the person who actually wrote the letter is not the one authorized to sign it. Before sending it out, make sure that it is duly signed by the owner, supervisor, or member of management authorized to sign it. This is the final stroke in making the announcement official.
Keep it to a single page, as much as possible. In fact, make it a rule to keep it to one page only. This will be beneficial, especially if you are planning on having the announcement published, where a longer and bigger space is likely to cost a lot of money.
Formatting is still required even if the announcement is to be transmitted electronically, via e-mail or the company’s internal network message board, if any.
Prior to submitting it for final signature and delivery to the recipient, or even release to the press for publication, make sure to proofread the announcement letter for spelling and grammar. It never hurts to repeatedly do a spell and grammar check, since it will ensure the quality and integrity of the announcement letter.
The internet provides a wealth of sources for those who are looking for templates or samples of promotion announcements. There are even downloadable templates that require you to fill in the blanks, do a bit of customization, then you’re done!
The employee promotion announcement may be as long or as short as management, the Human Resource Manager, or any key personnel tasked to write it wants it to be, for as long as the basics are covered.
It is with great pleasure that I am announcing the promotion of Hugh Gough as one of the new Marketing Directors of InfoTech.
Hugh has been with InfoTech for close to ten years, painstakingly climbing the ranks with his dedication and commitment to his work. Three out of those ten years were spent as a marketing manager, where he has shown exemplary performance, as shown in the annual sales and customer retention reports.
Hugh has always shown initiative in the performance of his duties, even going above and beyond what is expected of him, in order to ensure that InfoTech delivers quality customer service while producing the expected outputs, well before their respective deadlines. We expect this same level of dedication and commitment to be applied in his new position as one of the heads of the Marketing Department.
As a Marketing Director, Hugh will be more closely involved in the formulation of marketing plans, with particular focus on the two biggest projects of InfoTech – the Deuz Project and the highly anticipated MegaWide Project, a five-year undertaking expected to launch in the coming year. Of course, these are on top of any other concurrent marketing projects requiring his marketing expertise and leadership.
We are pleased to announce the promotion of Hugh Gough as one of the new Marketing Directors of the Corporate Marketing and Communications department of InfoTech. Hugh joined InfoTech a little over ten years ago, holding positions in the Sales and Logistics Departments over his stint with the company.
Hugh brings his extensive expertise and experience in Sales, Advertising and Marketing to his new role in the Marketing and Communications Department, and we are excited to see where he will lead the department – and the company – in his new position.
Please join us in welcoming Hugh to the Marketing and Communications Department, and in congratulating him on the promotion.
Companies can announce promotions of employees in many different ways. In a small company, the announcement might come during a company meeting where all the staff are present. Larger companies, however, typically use email to make promotion announcements to the employees.
Those most closely affected by the change – team members, supervisors, direct reports - may be informed in advance of a formal company-wide announcement so that they will be able to support a smooth transition within the organizational structure.
Depending on the nature of the industry and the position, the news might also be shared on the company website. When someone is promoted internally to a C-level position, the media may be notified as well.
Once a job promotion has been offered to and accepted by an employee, the news will typically be shared in an email message to the company. The promotion announcement will either be sent by Human Resources or by the management of the department where the employee will be working.
A promotion announcement should cover several points in order to effectively explain the promotion committee’s selection decision, promote and support the chosen employee in his or her new position, and to congratulate them on their achievement.
When writing a promotion announcement, be sure to include a short summary of the employee’s old and new roles, and to mention any pertinent accomplishments during their tenure with the company. You are, in effect, telling the “story” of the employee’s history with your organization in order to justify their promotion. This is particularly important to do if the employee was one of multiple candidates for promotion.
It’s appropriate to include some background information like the employee’s education and certifications. In conclusion, you will want to encourage everyone to welcome and congratulate them on their new position.
We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Jane Doe to Director of Marketing in the Corporate Communications department. Jane joined the company five years ago and has advanced through progressively more responsible positions in both the Advertising and Sales departments, where she has played a key role during our transition to our newly acquired digital sales and marketing technology.
Jane thus brings a wealth of experience to the Corporate Communications department, and we are excited about her new role at the company.
Please join us in welcoming Jane to Corporate Communications and congratulating her on her promotion.
We are pleased to announce the promotion of Joe Smith to Regional Manager of our Northeast operations. Joe has been with XYZ Company for 8 years, during which time he has held positions in sales and management, proving himself to be a committed company advocate.
Joe came to XYZ from another retailer and brought with him energy and enthusiasm that he has continued to use while leading his employees to consistently improve their sales numbers.
His background in business gives him an overall understanding of how to improve customer satisfaction, and his ability to motivate his team has led to his continued success in Connecticut.
While the Connecticut offices will miss him, please join us in welcoming Joe to Boston, and in congratulating him on his new position.
I am pleased to announce the promotion of [Firstname Lastname] from [Old Position] to [New Position]. [Firstname] has been with [Name of Company] for [X years] and has worked in [insert Names of Departments/Positions]. S/he will be gaining these new responsibilities [list].
During her/his tenure here, [Firstname] has implemented protocols which have improved efficiency in the [Name of departments] and has frequently been recognized for outstanding achievement.
Please join me in congratulating Firstname on her/his promotion, and welcoming her/him to the New Department/Position.