As a manager, sometime you have to give your employees some "bad news," or Negative Message. This is one of the more difficult documents to prepare, since you need to be careful not to discourage that person nor create a negative air/negative morale in the company. The key is to identify the key issue of the problem and to support your decision with facts. Keep the tone of the letter objective and constructive rather than subjective and destructive.

Be sure to study the chapters on How to write Negative Messages before you attempt this assignment.

Here is the scenario for this assignment:   "Memo giving a negative performance review at SBC Pacific Bell."

Because doing business in San Diego is a multicultural proposition, SBC Pacific Bell tries to be savvy about its diverse workforce, but it does not condone behaviors that interfere with the tasks as hand. In this case, the offender happens to be your 22-year-old nephew, and his offense is likely due to his Japanese American heritage of having a very close knit family - which won't get him off the hook, even though you may understand it better than anyone. You long ago joined your culture to his by marrying his mother's sibling. (So in this scenario, your beloved spouse is Japanese American.)

You are supervisor of the billing adjustments department for SBC Pacific Bell. You and your staff ensure that every phone bill sent out by the company has been correctly calculated by your software and satisfies the ever-changing government tariffs. You didn't hire George Tanaka. That was done by a man one level below you, who found Tanaka working as a temporary in another department and, with your approval, gave him a try.

Both of you have been pleased with his fast learning skills and innate understanding of the customer accounts associate job - a job that's been almost impossible to fill. Few employees could enter, verify price changes, and test computerized price-calculation formulas with the accuracy and speed that Gutierrez could. He's an extremely intelligent and skilled mathematician. With over 1 million customers, every tiny mistakes can be costly. Tanaka was a real find - except for one problem he hasn't been able to surmount.

His supervisor, tells you that every morning your nephew receives a phone call from his loving, but too doting Japanese American mother, who wants to be sure he's made it to work safely. Often his father also calls. Afternoon calls are from his baseball buddies - the ones he plays with in the Japanese league on weekends - and other family members. Then it's his girlfriend, also Japanese American. In one month's time, he asked permission to leave for "family emergencies" to (1) change his girlfriend's flat tire on the freeway, (2) deliver an extra car key because she locked herself out, and (3) defend her from an aggressive and unsavory boss at a job she quit that afternoon.

Tanaka is fully aware of how these calls are interfering with his work, and he has asked friends and family not to call his office number - so they dial his cell phone instead. He still lives with his parents, which may be why they seem insensitive to his appeals.

Both you and his supervisor have given Tanaka verbal warnings. You really can't afford to lose him, so you're hoping that a written, negative review will give him greater incentive to persuade friends and relatives. You'll deliver the letter in a meeting and help him find ways to resolve the issue within a mutually agreed-upon time frame.

As an "adopted" family member, you fully understand that Japanese American families tend to remain close-knit. Still, after six months on the job, Tanaka should be better at balancing his family with his career.

Instructions:

Write an official company letter addressed to George Tanaka, using suggestions in this chapter and details in this case to help you put the bad news in a constructive light. Avoid culturally biased remarks or innuendo. Culture isn't really the issue, maturity is.

From legal point-of-view, it is advisable to include a timeframe as to when you will assess him next. Don't wait too long for the next review time (2 weeks is standard), for allowing this problem to prolong will bring down morale by other employees who may interpret management's acceptance of Tanaka's behavior to be favortism.