Workplace DocumentsWHAT ARE THEY AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?At work, what if you need to ordersupplies, take a leave of absence, orhave a piece of equipment repaired? Toget it done, you will most likely need tocomplete a form and/or send amessage to another employee. In theworkplace, the use of written documentsis a key way of communicating. Wesend and receive many writtenmessages at work and use manydifferent types of documents tocommunicate with others. Importantdocuments may include emails, memos,forms, instructional guides, or reports.These documents may tell us of upcoming meetings, policy changes, workprocedures, and other information you may need to know for your job.The types of documents an employee may use or see depends on thepolicies and procedures of the company and the job. Some workplacedocuments are more common than others. Regardless, any documentused at work to send or receive messages are referred to asworkplacedocuments.To be able to do your job effectively, it will be important to understand theworkplace documents sent to you and to be able to use them correctly. Ifyou make a mistake with a workplace document such as using the wrongform, completing a form incorrectly, or misread an important document, itcan be disastrous. It can lead to miscommunication and can reflect badlyupon you as an employee. Miscommunication can lead to accidents, costlyerrors, hurt workers’ morale, or damage a customer’s relationships.
