Scenario: You (the Procurement Team Lead) are preparing to write an email to the CEO of the

company with regard to suggesting that your team be allowed to alternate days in the office with
home office days (working from home) to allow flexibility and foster productivity. You are aware
that the CEO is not a big supporter of such a policy and will probably use counter arguments in
favour of a 5-day work week in the office.

Task: Prepare 200-250 word reflective notes in which you explain what elements of reader-
centred writing you should consider and why. You will then apply the 7Cs of professional writing
and draft a short email (180-200 words), demonstrating your ability to draw upon these 7Cs.
The email should contain:
Greeting
Purpose
Explanation with details (body)
call for action
sign-off
Salutation
When writing an email to the CEO of the company to suggest alternating office and home office
days, it's important to consider reader-centred writing. This means writing in a way that is
tailored to your audience and their specific needs and perspectives.
The first thing to do is to understand the COE’s view on remote work, and what issues they may
have with this proposal. This will help to predict their counterargument and address it proactively
in the email.
The next thing to do would be to structure the email. It should include an introduction that
explains the purpose of the email, a body that contains all relevant information about the
alternate office days and their benefits, and a conclusion that summarises all of the points made
and expresses gratitude.
Using persuasive language will also be beneficial in getting the point across. Avoid trying to
make the email sound too forceful, and instead, use language that appeals to the reader’s
emotions and logic, while remaining respectful and accurate.
Finally, it is important to be respectful and professional. The CEO is the head of the company
and deserves to be treated with respect, even though you disagree with how they feel about
working remotely.

The 7Cs of professional writing must be applied to make the email effective:
1. Clear: The message must be well-structured and easy to understand.
2. Concise: The email should be brief and focus on the main argument.
3. Coherent: Information should be logically arranged and easy to follow.
4. Concrete: The email should have words that provide an accurate description of the idea
being expressed.
5. Correct: The email should not have errors (spelling, grammar and content).
6. Complete: The email should include all relevant information needed to make a decision.
7. Courteous: The email should maintain a professional and respectful tone.
Dear (CEO’s Name),

Greeting: I hope this email finds you well.

Purpose: I am writing on behalf of the procurement team and would like to express my team's
interest in alternating between working in the office and working from home. I believe this action
will provide our employees with greater flexibility and improved productivity.

Explanation: The are numerous advantages that will come with this policy. It will improve morale
amongst the team, as they will have more control over their schedules and be able to make
better use of their time. This will also lead to decreased stress levels and an increase in
efficiency. Moreover, the company will save on costs such as office rental, electricity and other
utilities.

I understand that you are a strong advocate for a traditional 5-day workweek in the office, and I
respect your perspective. However, this change would have a positive impact on both our team
members and the company as a whole.

Call for action: I kindly request that you consider our proposal and allow us to alternate our work
days between the office and working remotely. I believe that this policy will benefit both the
company and its employees.

Sign off: Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to scheduling a meeting to
discuss this proposal further and address any concerns you may have.

Salutation: Best regards,

Ridhima Malhotra
 Reference
WEBSITES

Neveu, C., Smith, M., Gaudet, L., & Last, S. (2019, January 1). 2.1 key concept: Reader-
centred writing. Technical Writing Essentials. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from
https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/readercentred/

The 7 CS of Communication. Revolution Learning and Development Ltd. (2022, June 26).
Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.revolutionlearning.co.uk/article/the-7-cs-of-
communication/

Einstein, M. (2016, September 2). The 7Cs of communication and email. Email Overload
Solutions. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.emailoverloadsolutions.com/blog/7cs-
of-communication-and-email

10 tips for writing professional emails. RIT. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from
https://www.rit.edu/behindthebricks/content/10-tips-writing-professional-emails

Writing professional emails in the workplace. Writing and Communication Centre. (2022,
December 21). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-
communication-centre/resources-writing-professional-emails-workplace

Composing business messages - wordpress.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2023, from

LECTURE

Moursalien, R. (6AD, February). Part 2 Writing for Business. Class Lecture.