Question

Kowloon Bank (KB) was established by a wealthy businessman in Hong Kong in 1962, with 26 branches across the city today. As a local bank, the management always wants to maintain the status quo. Just like many other local companies, KB has a masculine culture in which productivity is preferred to employees’ quality of life. In other words, assertiveness, achievements and power are valued within KB.

Catherine Chung is the human resources manager, and has been with KB for more than 5 years. Catherine is open-minded and has an emphasis on the importance of work-life balance, and she believes that employee satisfaction is a prerequisite for the attainment of organizational goals. In this regard, she plans to send an email to all staff members to inform them of a revised policy on maternity leave after she successfully persuaded her superior to make the change.

Before the review, only female employees were entitled to maternity leave. In the revised policy, it extends to all male employees with KB, which is a significant step towards a caring workplace. In the email, Catherine needs to highlight the reason for the change and key features of the revised policy, e.g. eligibility.

Imagine that you are Catherine Chung, and then handle the following two parts:

Part A (5%)

With reference to the information provided, decide the message tone required in the email to all the staff members of SB and justify your answer in no more than 100 words.

Part B (45%)

Write the email to all staff members in a full email format. You need to invent further details to

make the email sufficiently informative and logical. Remember that you will gain no marks by merely copying wording from the question into your answer, and that the letter should not exceed 350 words.

Answer 1

Answer) PART A ) The message tone required in the email to all the staff members of the SB will be a serious tone where the Employees donot take the email lightly or linenetly. They must be read it seriously regarding the chamges which is to be done as it will have a big impact in the Organisation. The message should convey the seriousness of the topic and why was it necessary.

Answer) Part B

From : Catherine [email protected]

To : [email protected]

Subject - Revisal of Maternity leave Policy.

To all the staff members,

This is to inform you that after serious discussion and meetings, I have made an appeal to the superior management to revise the maternity leave Policy and it has been approved. As we know that in the Organisation , we work to our full potential and always try to maintain efficient productivity, sometimes we are not at our best to deliver. As when we have children, we are not in our senses to leave our families and work. So their has been a change in the maternity policy. Earlier as we knew only femal candidates were granted a full paid leave of three months , one month before the baby and two months after the baby was born. But now we have understood that it is the job of both the parents to take care of their child . So we are now granting one month of paid leave for the male parent as well so that they can also stay with their family and take care of their child. The important thing is that they have to give an advance notice in the company three months prior to get the leave and they have to grant approvals from their respective managers.

The eligibility criteria is that - The male has to be working in the company for more than 6 months , and for the female it is that if they are working in the company for less than 6 months, they will get only 2 months paid leave. Second eligibility is that they have to provide the birth certificate and their marriage certificate for leave approval.

I hope this Revisal policy will give you a sense of relief and it will make easy for you to plan you family.

Thanking you,

Catherine Chung.

HR MANAGER.