Circulars and Notices

Like memos, circulars and notices are also written forms of communication within the organization.

The difference between a circular and a notice is that circulars are announcements that are distributed to small or selective groups of people within the organization, whereas notices are meant for a larger group of people.

Example – If a manager wants to call a meeting of heads of departments, he will pass around a circular only to the heads, requesting them to attend that meeting.
On the other hand, notices generally contain information or announcements that are meant for all the employees of an organization.

Example – A list of declared holidays for a calendar year is a notice, since the information is relevant to all employees.

A notice is therefore a legal document that has to be put up on an official notice or bulletin board.

A sample circular and notice are given below –

TO : All Departmental Heads CIRCULAR Safety Aspects in Science Laboratories

The purpose of this circular is to emphasize the importance of safety in research laboratories. All laboratory supervisors are responsible for the safety of research scientists in their charge. It is their duty to draw their attention to any safety hazard that pertains to a particular activity. In this context, supervisors should be familiar with relevant guidelines on laboratory safety and they should be careful at all times to observe standard safety procedures, when practical activities are being conducted in the laboratory.
Please bring this circular to the notice of the supervisors concerned and to the
Notice of the representatives as appropriate, for transmission to individual research less space scientists.

General Manager – HR
March 11 th , 2011

Note that a circular, like a memo is brief and to the point. It has a caption that indicates the message to be conveyed, Like a memo, there is no formal salutation or close.

MANIPAL UNIVERSAL LEARNING March 11 th , 2011
Manipal Towers, Bangalore REF: ADM/N/4499

NOTICE

Sub: Manipal Family Day Celebrations

This is to inform all employees of MUL that a Manipal Family Day celebration will be held at Manipal County on Friday March 14 th , between 10 am and 7 pm. A pickup and drop back facility is being organized for all employees and their family members.
In view of the celebrations, this will be a holiday. Instead, Saturday, March 15 th will be a working day to compensate for this holiday. All are encouraged to attend and make the event a success.

Manager Admin

The above notice is meant for all employees of the organization. It has a reference number, date and a subject, similar to a memo. The notice covers two different issues related to one subject.
Employees are first informed that a holiday has been declared to celebrate Manipal Family Day. Then the same notice mentions a different working day to compensate for this holiday.

Sometimes, under special circumstances, notices may also be sent to individual employees. An example of this type of notice is the “Show Cause Notice”, which is sent when an employee is found to be guilty of major misconduct. The notice mentions the allegations against the employee and asks for a written explanation within a specified time, failing which the action that would be taken against him/her( e.g., being suspended from the job)is stated.

Notices are read by a large number of people and can also be used as evidence in court cases. Therefore, care must be taken when writing them. They have to be worded very precisely and clearly, to make sure that there is no ambiguity. They should also be brief and to the point. The tone should be firm, but not offensive and arrogant. Depending on the type of notice, the duration of display of a notice is specified under various legal provisions.