How to Address a Letter or Memo to Your Supervisor

You've been wanting to talk with your supervisor about something like a pay raise or a concern with with your job. You may want to request a meeting or talk about these issues in a letter or memo, but may not know how to address it. Just stick to a business-formal tone when addressing any form of writing, especially in a work environment. Follow a few guidelines, proofread and send away.

Address your letter by writing "Dear First Name" followed by a colon. If you talk with your boss every day, it is not necessary to include your last name.

Begin your letter in a different manner if you don't have contact with your boss or aren't on a first-name basis with him. You would write "Dear (Mr./Mrs.Ms.) Last Name." This salutation should end with a colon and not a comma. If you don't know the addressee's gender, use the addressee's first and last name.

Leave a blank line after the salutation before beginning the body of your letter.

Write "To: Supervisor's Name and Job Title." Follow the rules you would when addressing a letter. If you know your boss by her first name, include only her first name and title. If you don't know her very well, address it with her first and last name, including her title.

Place "From: Your Name and Job Title" directly under the "To" section.

Write out the complete date underneath the "From" line.

Put the subject of the memo directly under the date. Write "Subject:" or Re:" followed by a short, detailed description of what the memo is about.