Expert: Melisa Singh - 8/23/2010

Question
The company I work for used to have a basic letterhead that included the logo, name, address, and phone number. It also included the director and assistant director. Over time it has evolved to include three other employees of position (myself included) as well as 4 - 6 commissioners, each with their respective titles and degrees. I feel that this is overkill and unprofessional and requires us to change all of our forms each time positions change. What is the appropriate name recognition, if any, that should be included on a company letterhead?

Answer
Hi Robyn,

Yes, having so many employees on the company letterhead is overkill. The company should have a professional letterhead that includes all of the information that does not change such as the logo, address, phone number, etc.. This should be used when a letter is sent out from multiple people within the company or by someone who does not send out letters that often.  The contact information can be added through a letterhead template. That way when someone changes their title, the template just needs to be changed instead of ordering new letterhead. People in the company that send out many professional letters should have their own professional letterhead made up.  

The above response is for general companies.  Since you have "directors" and "commissioners" you may belong to an organization or government agency where most letters are submitted from the organization rather than a specific person or group of people.  In that case, I would recommend that the basic letterhead should be limited to the organization's highest individuals - such as the director and assistant director.

Best,
Melisa