California Art School Business Memo

Bovee, C. and Thill, J. (8th Edition). Business Communication Essentials: A SkillsBased Approach

Routine / Direct Message – Written MEMO format

Informational Memo: Driving Less and Breathing Easier

The air in your city has been getting progressively worse over the years. Your company,

Mercer Enterprises, just received another announcement from the Air Quality Management District (AQMD). To reduce air pollution, the AQMD is requiring all big employers to offer incentives that encourage employees to participate in the AQMD’s Trip Reduction Plan. If your company can’t get a significant number of employees to share rides, take the bus, or ride a bicycle to work, it faces huge fines.

After surveying what other large companies were doing, Mercer developed a number of incentives to entice employees to leave their car at home. One incentive offers employees who maintain a 75 percent rate of participation in the ride-share program for a period of six months one full work-day off with pay. This incentive begins October 1 and is for any employee using any of the ride-share plans and who meets the participation requirement. Other incentives include preferential parking near building entrances.

These special parking places are for car pools only, and a parking pass is required. Another incentive involves bus passes. Employees who use public transportation will receive a subsidy of $25 per month. Employees will also get a free round-trip transit pass for the first month. This pass applies only to workplace commuting, of course.

Employees receiving this memo might want more information about the program. They may want to sign up for the incentives mentioned here. If so, they should contact Jennifer O’Toole [removed] at extension 4230 in the corporate H.R. department before September 30.

Another incentive is the provision of a subsidy for van pools. The company will help obtain a van and will provide a $150 per month subsidy to the van pool. What is even more terrific is the van-pool driver will have unlimited personal use of the vehicle off company time. Van pools must include at least five people. A final subsidy involves bicycles. Employees who bicycle to work will receive $25 per month as a subsidy. And Mercer Enterprises will provide bicycle racks, locks, and chains.

Your Task. As employee transportation coordinator for Mercer Enterprises, send a memo to all employees describing the incentives offered by Mercer to comply with the Air Quality Management District’s Trip Reduction Plan. Use the information covered in Chapters 3-5, Chapter 7(focus on Sharing Routine Information,Pages 175 – 178), and Page 437 (Memo Heading and formatting) of the Bovee and Thill textbook to properly organize and write this direct message. Make sure you adopt the “you view”. Consider appropriate use of graphic organizers. Use all the information provided above to make sure the employees clearly understand the company’s plan.