Case Study and Assignment:

You just met with an average-performing employee who has recently asked for an increase in rank and salary in their yearly review. Write a business letter tactfully denying his or her request. However, make sure to give the employee in question key suggestions for how he/she could work in order to gain this promotion next year.

Remember, you are denying the employee due to the fact that such employee is only “average-performing.”  If in your letter, you inform the employee that his/her request is being denied because of lack of seniority, newness to the position, lack of experience, or any other reason that is not based primarily on the fact that the employee is only average-performing, you will lose points.

Grading Assessed On:

· Clear use of opening buffer

· Immediately after the buffer, you should lay out the criteria for the rank and salary increase.

· Clearly outlining why the employee does not meet this criterion.

· Reasons why this bad news message is sound

· Clear refusal

· Clear steps for improving performance in the future

· Clearly organized using the indirect approach

· Concise

· Correct: Free from grammatical and spelling issues

· Ends with positive goodwill

SUMMARY:

1.  Write a letter in block format denying the fictional employee’s request for an increase in rank and salary.

2.  The denial letter must be primarily based on the fact that the employee is only “average-performing.”

3.  The denial letter must be tactful.

4.  The denial letter must give the fictional employee key suggestions for how he/she could work in order to gain this promotion next year.