Level 5 Sample Response:
Upon reviewing the schedule for the quarterly employee meetings, I noticed that
they are planned from two o’clock until three-thirty on Friday afternoons. In my
opinion, Friday afternoon isn’t a good time for such meetings, even if it’s only four
times a year. In this letter, I will explain my reasons as well as suggest an
alternate meeting schedule. Friday afternoons are very hectic for some
departments, fewer employees are at work on Fridays, and recent studies
indicate that the most productive meetings are held in the morning and are
limited to one hour.
First, Friday afternoons are the most demanding time of the week for some
departments. The packaging and shipping department employees work
frantically to meet the early Friday afternoon shipping deadline imposed by most
of our carriers. Halting the process so employees can attend such meetings will
result in some orders being delayed until Monday, which may not serve our
business well. For the sales department, it’s their last chance to call those hard-
to-reach customers who need answers this week. If they make anxious
custo
mers wait over the weekend, those customers generally seek other
suppliers. From my sales experience, I expect that Friday afternoon meetings
would result in our sales staff losing two customers per meeting.
In addition, because most of our part-time employees do not work on Friday, the
number of meeting participants will automatically be reduced for Friday meetings.
Furthermore, employees who do not have Friday deadlines occasionally take
vacation on Fridays. Given that management wants employees to participate in
the meetings, the Friday schedule does not correlate with this corporate goal.
The workdays with the greatest employee presence are Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday. I recommend holding the meeting on one of those days.
Whats more, a recent university study suggests that the best time to hold
meetings is in the morning. The study revealed that the average individual
generally absorbs more information and contributes more in the morning than in
the afternoon. It also suggested that the ideal meeting should not exceed one
hour because people begin to lose interest after that.
In summary, Friday afternoons are not ideal times to schedule employee
meetings. It would be impracticle for some departments to participate, thus
hurting the entire company. In addition, employee attendance is lowest on
Fridays, reducing meeting participation. Furthermore, studies indicate that
meetings are most productive when held in the morning and limited to one hour.
In light of this, please consider rescheduling the meetings to Tuesday,
Wednesday, or Thursday mornings and limiting each one to one hour in length.
Indications that this is a Level 5 response:
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Sentences are varied in length and complexity.
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