PeopleMuster

Promotion letter format

Promotion letters record a step up: bigger title, wider scope, usually a new reporting line. The letter is also the thing the person shows their family.

Heading
[COMPANY NAME]
Date: [DATE]
To: [EMPLOYEE NAME]
Employee ID: [EMPLOYEE ID]
Subject: Promotion to [NEW JOB TITLE]

The promotion
Dear [EMPLOYEE FIRST NAME],
Congratulations. You are promoted to [NEW JOB TITLE], effective [EFFECTIVE DATE].
Previous title: [CURRENT JOB TITLE]
New title: [NEW JOB TITLE]
New grade: [NEW GRADE OR BAND]
You will now report to [NEW MANAGER NAME], [NEW MANAGER TITLE].

What the role now covers
[NEW RESPONSIBILITY ONE]
[NEW RESPONSIBILITY TWO]
Team: [NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS] direct reports
Approval limit: [APPROVAL AUTHORITY]
Handing over: [WHAT THE PERSON STOPS DOING]

Pay
Your revised pay is [NEW ANNUAL SALARY], effective [PAY EFFECTIVE DATE].
A detailed breakdown is attached.
All other terms of your employment remain unchanged.

Closing
This step is earned. [ONE SPECIFIC THING THE PERSON DID].
[SENDER NAME]
[SENDER TITLE]
Acknowledged: ______________  Date: ____________

Before you send it

  • Say what the person hands over. A promotion that only adds work burns the person out.
  • Make the pay effective date explicit. It is often different from the title date.
  • Name one specific achievement. Generic praise in a promotion letter reads as a form.
  • Tell the old manager before the letter goes out.
  • Agree the internal announcement wording with the person first.

Questions people ask about this letter

Does a promotion letter need a pay rise in it?

Not always. Some promotions are a scope and title change with pay reviewed at the next cycle. Say which it is in the letter, because silence on pay is read as an increase that never arrives.

Should the letter go out before or after the announcement?

Before, always. The promoted person should never learn the details from a group message. Hand over the letter, agree the wording, then announce it.

What if the new role means new direct reports?

Name the number in the letter and update the reporting lines the same week. People find out who their manager is by looking at the org chart, and a stale chart quietly undoes the announcement.

Other templates