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A Policy Change at Affinity Software Solutions Communicating change is a challenge in the workplace, especially if the change will not be a popular one. In this type of bad-news message, your goal is the same as it is in other bad-news messages: to communicate the bad news, preserve goodwill, and project a professional image. Analyzing this case requires an understanding of the following regarding negative announcements: -Using the indirect plan for organizing a message -Setting up the bad news with a good buffer -Explaining the situation -Presenting the bad news -Focusing on next steps or any benefits -Closing on a positive, encouraging note Read the case and answer the questions that follow. Your company, Affinity Software Solutions, has a policy that allows your senior management staff to attend one professional development activity a year (e.g., an annual professional conference, continuing education). The senior managers really enjoy this program because it provides a break in their routine and lets them travel, network, and build their skills. The program has been a fabulous morale builder among your senior management staff and has provided assistant managers with motivation to earn senior management status. However, business has not been good this past year, and to save money, the company has decided to suspend this policy indefinitely. You know the employees are not going to be happy, but when the alternatives are layoffs, increased employee contributions toward health insurance (or perhaps switching to an employee plan with less coverage), and elimination of sales performance bonuses, this policy seems to be one of the least necessary expenses for the company. If senior managers want to take vacation time and pay for the professional development activities on their own, they certainly may, but the company will no longer pay for any time off or any costs associated with professional development activities. As Affinity's budget director, you know senior managers will be surprised and upset by this decision. They really look forward to professional development activities. The policy has been around so long that some even see this policy as a right rather than a privilege. Some others may wonder how they will maintain their skills or network. They certainly won't want to pay for these activities themselves. Mara Harris, the human resources director, has written the following draft of a message. She has now sent it to you for your revisions. Read Mara's message, and provide feedback. SUBJECT: Discontinuation of Personal Development Program Funding Dear Senior Managers: Due to budget issues, we are forced to discontinue our Professional Development Program effective immediately. We know you enjoy the program, and we know this will be an inconvenience for many of you. We apologize for the inconvenience, but of all the things we can cut to help our financial situation, this program has the fewest consequences companywide. No other employees even get this benefit, and laying them (or you) off, cutting health insurance coverage, or cutting sales incentives while senior managers enjoy vacations from work on the company's dime is simply unacceptable. There are better and cheaper ways for you to network (e.g., local professional organizations, webinars, brown-bag lunches hosted by area professionals), and this will give you the opportunity to find them. If you want to take your own vacation time and pay for your own professional development, you may, but the company, unfortunately, will no longer pay for any time off or any cost associated with professional development activities. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience. Many of us have enjoyed these professional development activities, but we will need to suspend the program indefinitely. We hope that your commitment to your customers will be sufficient motivation for doing your job well as a senior manager. 4.54 points eBook Print References motivation for doing your job well as a senior manager. You will tell Mara all of the following about her message except that Multiple Choice the message should be organized in the indirect approach. she does not need to apologize, as this is a necessary step based on solid business reasons. the message contains unnecessary negative language that affects its tone. the opening paragraph is a good way to begin given the audience's likely reaction to the message. the conclusion should be more forward-looking and less condescending. O Mara asks you if you can identify her main point. What is her main point? Multiple Choice O to announce that the Professional Development Program will be discontinued to ask employees to decide which action to take to address the company's budget problems (discontinuing the Professional Development Program, laying off employees, increasing heath insurance premiums, or discontinuing the sales incentives) to show all employees that managers are willing to sacrifice a costly benefit for the good of the company to let managers know that the company will pay for costs associated with the Professional Development Program but not for time off to attend professional development activities to apologize for discontinuing the Professional Development Program points eBook Print References Does Mara need to apologize to her readers? Multiple Choice No. The readers' feelings about the decision are irrelevant. No. The readers are probably not going to be that upset by the news anyway. No. The decision is based on sound business reasoning. Yes. The news will be extremely upsetting to the readers. Yes. The readers deserve an apology for Mara's extreme actions. To improve the tone and style of her message, Mara could do all of the following in her second paragraph except Multiple Choice remove the information about the other possible cuts that were considered. begin with the reasons and explanation for the decision and then embed the bad news in a subordinate (dependent) clause or in the middle of the paragraph O eliminate the negative language. end the paragraph with the alternatives to traveling for professional development or with the news that employees can attend professional development activities if they pay for them and take vacation time. avoid referring to the decision as an "inconvenience and instead present the decision as a logical outcome of all of the factors that were considered. How should Mara rewrite the concluding statement to reflect a goodwill ending? Multiple Choice She should not rewrite the conclusion. It is fine as it is. Thank you in advance for your understanding and willingness to give up this beneft. Clearly, this is the best of all the alternatives. "We are truly sorry. We hope that your commitment to your customers will be sufficient motivation for doing your job well as a senior manager "To learn more about free or low-cost professional development opportunities, please visit the Professional Development page on the company intranet. The page contains a list of over 100 local and online meetings, webinars, seminars, and roundtables that may interest you "You are a valued member of our staff, and this decision in no way reflects what we think of you. We needed to make the cuts in order to save the company