|BC352 fundamentals of business writing |
|Assignment 4.1 |
|Business Memo |
| |
|Trevor White |
|9/25/2013 |

MEMORANDUM 9/25/13

TO: Refinery Operations Department

FROM: Trevor L. White

SUBJECT: Overtime Policy Guidelines Revisions

The overtime policy in which Shell put into place last January has affected all of us tremendously over the past year. Together with Shell and the Union we have put together a team to mandate revisions that will have the best interest of the employees.

The overtime policy was developed by BP in a response to their Texas City explosion that was later recognized as negligence. Refineries along the ship channel have adopted their response into their company to show that they are willing to negate the possibilities of an incident. While this was a great show of what the company is able to do for the environment and community, this has negatively impacted all hourly employees.

Overtime is one of the many benefits that Operations personnel look forward to on an annual basis. I will need your support with the selected delegates to develop possible revisions to this policy in order to better suit the employees globally. The team and I have been researching data to present our case and importance of removal or revisions to this policy in the near future.

The research has uncovered the lack of motivation from Operations and Maintenance personnel since the policy’s enacted date. Many people have retired because of the decrease in income which directly affects people’s pensions. The quality and expertise of new hires has decreased since this policy, which has led to an increase in safety incidences. It has been discovered that money alone has been linked to society placement and depression (1).

I personally have seen the effect on Operation’s morale and motivation to complete work quickly and safely. I have noticed that the complaining in the work sections in regard to ‘company’ guidelines and how it has made their life harder. Some people have had to give up things that were once cherished by them because of the lack in pay for the past year. An article that I read in regards to the Fair Labor Standards Act has addressed the effects of overtime, which is the direct reason of this policy in the first place (2).

In order to develop a policy revision that will be in the best interest of both parties we ask for your complete cooperation and input. As we all know the company recently has taken on a new set of guidelines which seem to impede our own morale and personal well-being. I want to propose that we, as a team, develop revisions that have our best interest and the interest of the company at hand in order to become once again the leaders in the refining business! I look forward to working with you and thank you for your continued support over the next several weeks.

Sincerely,

Team Lead – OT Policy

References

1. Eleon, W. (Nov. 6, 2011). In Money Invariably Linked with Depression. Retrieved Sept. 24, 2013 from http://money.wikinut.com/Is-Money-Invarioubly-Linked-With-Depression/1mx2k7g-/

2. Scheid, J. (June 27, 2011). How Does Working Too Much Overtime Affect Employees? Retrieved Sept 24, 2013 fromhttp://www.brighthub.com/office/human-resources/articles/120237.aspx