You changed your phone number or address and want to alert your boss to update your information on the company file.
Or maybe there’s a mistake in your personal information and you want to get it rectified. But you don’t want to spend the next hour trying to draft an appropriate email.
UnitWriter, has you covered as this article provides templates you can easily modify for the purpose.
Additionally, we’ve also included some general tips to help you write emails to your boss now and in the future.
Tips For Emailing Your Boss
While tools like Slack and Teams are leveraged for easier communication across organizations worldwide, emails continue to be used in these organizations, especially when communicating with a supervisor over formal correspondence.
But unlike sending emails to coworkers where you can be informal and not worry about mistakes, you should be careful when writing to your Boss. Let’s look at a few things to keep in mind.
Decide On Your Reason For Writing The Email
It doesn’t matter how close you may be to your boss; you should keep in mind that the workplace is a professional setting and you’re expected to act as such in official communications.
What exactly do you need from your boss? How do you ask them for help when you aren’t sure what the problem is and how they can help you address it?
Make sure you identify this before you reach out to them. If you’ve identified a specific way your boss can help, make sure you include this in your email.
Clear Reasons
Don’t waste their time by beating around the bush. Let them know exactly what you want or the specific information you’re presenting.
If they don’t know of the mistake in your personal information file, explain this to them. If you simply changed your address, phone number, email, or something else and want them to update your file, make sure you inform them.
Act Early
Don’t wait till the last minute as it could become a problem if the information has been used for something. A typical example is changing your home address.
Inform the company as quickly as possible if the company frequently forwards mail or other packages to your address.
Clear Subject Line
While you would not be able to include all relevant information in the subject line of the email, it should present the general purpose of the email within a few words.
This helps your boss or supervisor locate the email, understand the possible content even before reading the full message and finally ascertain the importance and urgency of the email.
After all, your boss would most likely have a busy schedule. A clear subject line would help them identify the urgency of the email especially when they have a boatload of work to get done.
Examples:
Request to Update Personal Information
Use Proper Name
Coming down to the body of the email, you should identify the name your boss wishes for you or the general employee body to call them.
If they prefer to be addressed by their first names, you should address them as such. On the other hand, if you aren’t sure how they want to be addressed, you can either ask your colleagues or simply use your boss’ surname.
Keep in mind your workplace culture at this point. Some workplaces encourage informal communication between all members of the organization.
For informal workplaces, you start with:
Good {{morning/afternoon/evening}} {{Boss’ firstname}}
Hi {{Boss’ firstname}}
In the case of a very formal workplace where you aren’t sure of the best way to address your boss, you can simply start with:
Dear {{Mr. /Mrs /Ms. Surname}}
Hello {{Mr. /Mrs /Ms. Surname}}
Set Tone
Maybe something happened at the workplace that you didn’t like or there’s something you find annoying. You should always mind your tone in your professional emails.
It doesn’t matter whether the company’s doing something you’re unhappy with, you should always mind the tone of your communication. If you sound angry, your Boss is less likely to mind your request or even finish reading your email.
Use Work Email
Refrain from contacting your boss through your personal email. Most organizations implement some form of spam filter that may flag personal emails as spam.
The last thing anyone wants is to send an urgent message to their boss only to find out days later that they never got the email. Emails that come through the company emails are whitelisted ensuring that your boss receives them inside their inbox.
This is why most organizations provide their employees with company emails for communication within the company as well as correspondence with external companies.
Keep It Concise
Your boss probably receives loads of emails daily. The last thing they want to do is to spend precious time reading through a long email to determine its content.
No matter how important your email may be, your boss is not likely to spend 30 minutes trying to understand its content. It’s advisable to use short and clear wording to easily convey the content of your message.
Proofread
No one likes reading terrible grammar, especially in a professional setting. It’s advisable to proofread your email to identify any grammatical errors before sending it to your boss.
Tools like Grammarly are readily available to help identify errors in your writing. Keep in mind that these tools aren’t perfect. So manually proofreading your email can further enhance your message.
On the other hand, poor grammar could give your boss some laughs. But keep in mind that others are bound to join in.
Easy To Understand
Your boss most likely receives tens or even hundreds of emails daily, especially in the case of larger organizations. Ensure that your email is easy to understand within the shortest amount of time.
To determine this, you can ask a colleague or friend to skim through the email to test whether it’s easy to understand and adequately presents the necessary information.
End Formally
At this point, you can thank your boss for taking the time to review your request and then reiterate any relevant information before signing off.
Example:
Thanks for your time and consideration
Signature
Official emails to your boss should be signed off with your official signature which includes your full name, job title, department if applicable, and contact details when available.
This can be easy if you’ve already created your signature template for your company email. The system would automatically include your signature in every email.
If you haven’t created a signature template for your email, you should manually include this in your email to your boss.
It can be something like this:
Sincerely,
{{Fullname}}
{{Department if applicable}}
{{Job role/title}}
{{Contact details (optional)}}
Sample Email To Employer To Update Personal Information
Template 1: Requesting Personal Information Update In Smaller Company
Email Subject
Request to Update Personal Information
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
I hope this finds you well. I recently changed my {{Changed information type}} and would like to update my file to reflect the change. Please find the new {{Changed information type}} below:
{{New changes}}
I have also attached {{Proof/Document if applicable}} for your reference. Please let me know if you need any additional information.
Sincerely,
{{Full name}}
{{Department name if applicable}}
{{Job tile}}Template 2: Requesting Information Change In Large Company
Email Subject
Requesting Personal Information Update
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
I hope this email finds you well. My name is {{Full name}} from the {{Department name}} department. I am writing to request an update to my personal information on file.
I have recently changed my {{Changed information type}} and like to update my file, as mandated by the company. Please find the new {{Changed information type}} below:
{{New changes}}
I have also attached {{Proof/Document if applicable}} for your reference. Please let me know if you need any additional information.
Sincerely,
{{Full name}}
{{Department name if applicable}}
{{Job tile}}Template 3: Requesting Change Of Contact Information
Email Subject
Change of Contact Information
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
I hope this finds you well. I recently changed my contact information and would like to update my file to reflect the change. The details of the new contact information can be found below:
{{New contact information}}
Henceforth I’ll be available on the above-mentioned contact details. Thank you for your time and assistance.
Sincerely,
{{Full name}}
{{Department name if applicable}}
{{Job tile}}Template 4: Requesting Correction Of Contact Information
Email Subject
Correction to Personal Information
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
I hope this finds you well. I’ve noticed my {{Contact information type}} on file is incorrect and I would like to bring this to your attention for correction. Please find the correct contact information below:
{{Correct contact information}}
I’ve attached a copy of my {{Proof/Document if applicable}} for your reference. Please let me know if you need any additional information to make the necessary changes.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
{{Full name}}
{{Department name if applicable}}
{{Job tile}}
