Your boss has asked you to draft a companywide e-mail that explains a change in policy. Previously, the company would buy a cake for each employee’s birthday and there would be a small celebration in the office. However, due to budget cuts, the company will no longer be purchasing cakes for each employee. Your boss is worried that this bad news will hurt office morale, and wants you to break the news gently. Analyze the following e-mails. How well does each relate the news? How well does each message follow the negative messages checklist?

Subject: No more cake Hello everyone, We are sending this e-mail to let everyone know that due to budget cuts, we will no longer be purchasing cakes for employee birthday parties. Sorry! If you want to bring in your own cake, that would be fine.
Subject: Budget Cut Information We regret to inform you that due to some changes to the current budget, we have decided that the company can no longer afford to purchase birthday cakes for each employee’s birthday. We do, however, encourage everyone to bring in treats or cake on their own birthday so we can still continue with the office birthday tradition.
Thank you for your understanding!
Management.

Subject: Cake This e-mail is to inform you that the company will no longer be buying cakes for employee’s birthdays. It has simply become too expensive for the company to buy that many cakes every single year.
I would like to remind everyone, before you start sending out angry e-mail replies, that our country has been in an economic downturn and we are still recovering from that.
Look at the bigger picture and try to appreciate the fact that you all still have jobs.
Thanks.