I didn't get the memo

When two women in the office are wearing the same color and I am not, I will often joke, "I didn't get the memo!" My young colleagues smile indulgently and move on. But, it reminds me that each of us, even the most confident, can sometimes feel as though everyone else is on the same page, they know something that we don't. We didn't get the memo. So, if you sometimes feel that way:

To: Those who often feel you missed the memo

From: A fellow traveler

Re: Facts about memos

Date: April 3, 2017

1. Memorandum comes from Latin and means something to be remembered. Usually that something falls into one of two categories: something that is an FYI, such as the office will be closed on Monday in observation of Memorial Day, or a policy, like effective next Wednesday, all residents must remove and keep all paraphernalia from the hallway or items will be discarded. 

2. The subject matter is not always clear. There are classes on how to headline your memo (or email) to get more people to open or read them. You may not always know that a memo applies to you and it not your fault if the writer didn't make it clear.

3. To be effective, memos need also to be timely. There were memos early in my life, in my career, that I thought I would get to later. But, here I am, decades later, wondering why I didn't save more for retirement or spend more time on a relationship or, well, the regret list is long.

4. Some memos seem to be written in a foreign language. These days it is emojis, abbreviations and phrases involving people I have never heard of. I give myself permission to ignore those or to learn what parts of that language I want to understand. LOL.

5. There are too many memos. Technology has made it possible for everyone to be a profuse memo writer and believe that others must read and comment. In two weeks I will have a new boss. He has asked me to pay attention to the relevant local or national daily, weekly or monthly memos that cross our desks. So far I'm at 54.

6. The memo was too long. Two years ago I implemented a Monday morning email at work to give highlights of the coming week. It includes general news, welcomes and introduces new employees, informs about important meetings people are hosting or attending, who will be out of the office, who is on kitchen duty and so on. The concept started small and has grown. One problem is that as a former writer of policies and procedures it is hard for me to not write sentences. As informative as this regular newsbrief is, I'm sure many colleagues do not read it because of its length.

7. There were memos whose directions made sense and I attempt to follow. I try to not buy gas on the weekends. I usually have a shopping list for the grocery store and don't go shopping when I'm hungry, but I am still susceptible to impulse buys. I try to pay more attention to quality than quantity.

8. The subject matter was boring or not my cup of tea. Most memos about pop culture or sports I ignore but it is sure fun occasionally to pick up a People magazine in the dentist's office. I don't know 95% of the people mentioned but I enjoy seeing what I'm missing. In some areas I don't mind being out of the loop or feel bad that I didn't get the memo.

Now, excuse me, after sharing all my insights on the subject I will now research how to write a memo in today's world. If I find any helpful tips, I'll pass them along. Meanwhile, perhaps there is someone you know who would enjoy getting a hello memo from you. Go make someone feel included, which is where this all started.

Marilyn