OFFICE PROCEDURES

Prepared by Maria Asuncion

8 of 14
Project 8-7 (p. 147) [2nd entry to ePortfolio]
• Develop your own behaviour guidelines for the ethical
use of email. List at least 5.
• Review the email ethics section (p. 143) and email
use policies (p. 142 and Figure 8-7 [textbook
correction])
• Make sure to add a title, and send it to
mariakasuncion@gmail.com when completed
• Read an example: https://tinyurl.com/mariaproject8-7
Ch. 9: Handling mail (p. 148)
• For many years, almost every single piece of mail
in Canada went through Canada Post Corporation
(CPC), which even sent mail internationally
• But in more recent years, there have been a great
increase in more mailing options; e.g., Canada
Post, Purolator Inc., FedEx (Federal Express), UPS
(United Parcel Service), and DHL Worldwide
Express
• There is also the easily accessible electronic mail
(or more commonly known as email), which
Canada Post has competed with by adding the
epost feature
• epost: free, secure, online personal digital
mailbox, allowing individuals and businesses
to access, view, and pay bills online; it can also be
used as a digital safety-deposit box to store copies
of important documents such as passports,
insurance documents, etc.
• epost Connect: secure service that is linked to an
epost account to provide the same private and
confidential online secure communication services
for business customers
• The growth of online shopping and parcel shipment
has increased sending mail, including more paper
mail (such as letters, flyers, brochures) to be sent,
even though email and other electronic
communications are very popular to use
Incoming mails (p. 149)
• It’s important to recognize the role of incoming
mails; unanswered or misplaced mail can cost your
organization a lot, such as losing potential business
• In any organization, big or small, it is necessary to
make sure that incoming mail is well organized and
presented to your supervisor in a timely manner
• If you work in a large organization, the mail is likely
delivered in a central mailroom where it is sorted
and sent to different departments
Incoming mails (p. 149)
• The mailroom also usually offers additional
services, such as opening the incoming mail
• Letters or any correspondence inside the envelope
are not taken away or removed; the focus is on the
information on the envelope, which will help the
mailroom organizers sort out the information to
send to different departments, and the letters’
addressees
Incoming mails (p. 149)
• Mail opened in mailrooms is often processed
through automatic mail openers that also count the
items; this helps a business see if there are any
cost to the mail that needs to be analyzed
• A professional usually picks up the mail from the
mailroom and delivers it to its addressees at set
times so employees know when to expect it
Mailroom technology
• In some businesses, mailrooms include imaging
technology that scans and electronically stores
the contents of the mail, adding the content into
an electronic communication system
• For example, colleges and universities receive
thousands of applications for admission from
potential students, so electronically distributed
mail makes the process a lot easier
Smaller companies
• For smaller companies, offices or workplaces,
Canada Post carriers can simply deliver the mail
to them, or maybe the workplace has a PO box
Sorting mail
• At most workplaces, after receiving and
organizing mail, the next step is to sort them out
in a particular order
• Personal and confidential
• Xpresspost, Registered or Priority
• Regular business mail (Lettermail)
• Interoffice communication [Figure 9-1]
• Advertisements, newspapers, magazines and
catalogues
Opening mail
• Most of us know how to open mail, but
professionally, keep in mind that you may have
mail supplies available for you: letter opener, date
and time stamp, routing and action slips (Fig. 9-
2), stapler, paper clips, sticky notes, pen and
pencil
Keeping envelopes (p. 150)
• An incorrectly addressed envelope
• A letter with no return address
• An envelope that has a significantly different
postmark from the date on the document
• A letter specifying an enclosure that is not enclosed
• A letter containing a bid, an offer or an acceptance
of a contract
• An envelope that seems suspicious (may contain
something bad; e.g., Anthrax); your company will
have a procedure for this event
Reviewing & annotating (p. 150)
• Mail is often visually scanned, with important
information often underlined, highlighted or
marked with pen or pencil; sometimes, sticky
notes are used to leave a brief message for the
addressee (bottom half of p. 151)
• Also, most of the time, mathematical calculations
and dates are double-checked and verified to
ensure that the sender made no mistakes
• You may also want your mail annotated (when
there are notations about previous action taken or
helpful facts in regards to the mail)
• When organizing and presenting mail at a
company, a final sort is completed, where mail is
placed in individual folders
• At your future placement and workplace(s), you
might have colour-coded envelopes instead of
labeled envelopes
Routing (p. 152)
• A routing slip is used to save copying costs
• If it is not urgent mail, incoming mail can be sent
to addressees by simply using a routing slip
(Figure 9-2)
 Outgoing mail (p. 153)
• Most offices outsource their mail, which means they
hire a third-party to deliver mail on their behalf; e.g.,
Kelly Management Services & Pitney Bowes
Management Services Canada Inc.
• In the mailrooms of large companies, computer
applications allow employees to easily record
accountable items (express items) including
registered mail and items sent via a private courier
Preparing mail (153-156)
• Check that every letter is signed and that any
enclosures noted are included; if the enclosure does
not fit in the envelope, you may want to send it
separately
• Address envelopes carefully; double check the records
at your workplace, if necessary
• Canada Post requests the following specifications:
• Address is in ALL CAPS (but it is acceptable
otherwise)
• No punctuation
• Use CPC-approved two-letter provincial, territorial or
state abbreviations (Figure 9-5)
Transaction mail: lettermail (p. 157)
• Lettermail: any type of mail that measures no more
than 156 by 245 millimetres and weights 50 grams
or less
• Lettermail includes:
• Letters
• Cards
• Postcards
• Financial reports
• Other promotional and non-promotional mailable
items, typed or handwritten
 Transaction mail: incentive lettermail (p. 157)
• When a company sends a delivery of large amounts
of mail, usually lettermail delivery is discounted by
signing an Incentive Lettermail Agreement with
Canada Post
• The minimum requirements of items is 1000
machineable (can go through a machine) or 500
presorted mail
• Canada Post has an online checklist to help
businesses see if they are eligible for the discount
 Direct marketing: admail (p. 157)
• Admail: enables businesses to promote their products and
services by delivering their message directly to specific
customers, neighbourhoods, or prospects
• The 2 types of direct mail are available from Canada Post:
• Addressed Admail enabling businesses to promote their
products and services to specific delivery addresses
• Unaddressed Admail or “householder mail”, which does
not contain any specific delivery address and is delivered
to locations based on demographics, consumer
purchasing behaviour, or geographic location
Direct marketing: business reply mail (p. 157)
• Business reply mail: a self-addressed, postage-
prepaid business reply card or envelope used by
businesses and other organization to request
information, raise funds, or receive payments or
subscription renewals
Parcel services (p. 158)
• Typically, anything that cannot fit into a normal
envelope is seen as a parcel; depending on the
girth, it can be sent through Canada Post
• It cannot exceed 30 kg in weight or 3 metres in
combined length and girth (measurement of
thickest part)
• A bill of lading [lay-ding] is included on the parcel; it
is a document that itemizes a shipment’s contents,
quantity, and delivery destination (top of p. 159)
Reprographic equipment (p. 161)
• Reprographics: a term for the process of making
copies; also a term to describe any piece of
equipment that makes copies of an original
documents
• Most offices have digital multi-functional
equipment that includes the features of a printer,
scanner, fax machine, and copier
• Equipment such as these are available in
different configurations and speed ratings
Ethics in office equipment
• It is important to make ethical decisions when
using even reprographic equipment
• e.g., knowing the capabilities of copiers will help
you understand the importance of ethical copying
and avoid wasting resources by making
unnecessary copies (remember that ethical
organizations are environmentally responsible)
Copier classifications
• There are 4 basic categories of copiers,
depending on their speeds (p. 161, Figure 9-6)
• A company should consider the features needed
at the workplace: cost of the copier, toner and ink;
and availability and cost of maintenance and
repairs
• It is important to ask the following questions when
thinking about purchasing or upgrading the office
copier(s):
• How many people will use the copier?
• How many copies will be made per month? What
size of paper will be used? What are the potential
costs of consumables such as the toner?
• Do you expect the volume of copies produced to
increase or decrease?
• What type of materials will be copied?
• What features are needed? Collating and/or
stapling of multi-page documents? Colour copying?
• Are there space limitations for the copier?
• Will it be used as a networked printer for a group of
department?
Copier features (p. 161-162)
• Reduction and enlargement
• Automatic document feeding: platen cover
• Duplexing: copying both sides
• Editing
• Collating and stapling: creating
multiple sets of documents that
are preassembled in the desired
order
• Automatic folding: offset (not folded to the edge)
• Networking
Ethical, legal & privacy considerations (p. 162-163)
• Conserving paper is ecologically important, which
means that it’s important in terms of how humans
affect their physical and social environments
• Copyright: exclusive right granted to the author or
creator of an original body of work to reproduce
or authorize someone else to reproduce the
material
• Let’s read the list on page 163
Laminator

Shredder
Project 8-7 (p. 147) [2nd entry to ePortfolio]
• Develop your own behaviour guidelines for the ethical
use of email. List at least 5.
• Review the email ethics section (p. 143) and email
use policies (p. 142 and Figure 8-7 [textbook
correction])
• Make sure to add a title, and send it to
mariakasuncion@gmail.com when completed
• Read an example: https://tinyurl.com/mariaproject8-7
Project 9-6 (p. 168-169)
[3rd possible entry to ePortfolio]
• Write about the problems that have been
happening
• You remember that you’re friends with Josh, but
what can you write to him to encourage him to
improve his behaviour while keeping his goodwill?
• Send it to mariakasuncion@gmail.com

when completed