As an employer, supporting the progress and career development of your employees should always be a top priority - after all, a business can only ever be as successful as the team behind it! With that in mind, it’s always a positive when a team member has put in all the work, time and dedication needed to earn a promotion.
Whenever this exciting milestone comes, you should put together a promotion announcement to let the rest of your employees know. Here we’ll look at what a promotion announcement is, why they’re so important in the workplace and of course, how to write a promotion announcement to celebrate an employee’s new role - we’ll even give you a promotion announcement template to help you on the way.
What is a promotion announcement for?
A promotion announcement is used to tell the rest of your team about an employee’s exciting new role within the workplace. Promotion announcements are generally sent around to every member of staff within the workplace. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small business or have a large team to manage, it’s important to ensure that all team members are kept up to date with this new development.
Promotion announcements are usually distributed after the employer and employee have finalized the details of the promotion - they’ve accepted the role, signed contracts and such - but haven’t officially started working under their new title. This gives all employees, including the team member being promoted, a chance to get used to the upcoming change.
Why are promotion announcements important?
Promotion announcements are important for a range of reasons that benefit the employer, the promoted employee and the rest of the team.
For the employee being promoted, it’s satisfying to see all their hard work being acknowledged to the rest of the team, as well as between themselves and the employer. Even though they’ll have already accepted the new role before the announcement is distributed, seeing it finally made public will make their promotion feel much more official and will solidify that their hard work and dedication has paid off.
For the rest of your employees, it’s important to be kept in the loop about things going on within the company. Especially things which affect the team themselves - your team would almost always feel disrespected or disregarded if they heard about a big promotion through the grapevine. When an employee is promoted, their role and responsibilities will change, as well as the way they communicate with the rest of their team - it’s important that all team members have a chance to understand upcoming changes and ask questions where necessary.
As an employer, sending out a promotion announcement gives you the opportunity to celebrate the employee being promoted. This demonstrates to the rest of the team that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed or unrewarded in the workplace, boosting team morale.
These are just a few of the reasons why promotion announcements are important. Further reasons include:
- Strengthening communications between the employer and the team
- Demonstrating respect for the team and reinforcing a sense of teamwork
- Showing employees which qualities and skills may lead to promotions
- Encouraging team members to focus on their own progress
How to write a promotion announcement
So, what do you write in a promotion announcement? An efficient, effective promotion announcement is generally structured in the following way:
- Opening greeting
- Promotion announcement
- Reason for promotion
- Changes that will come with the promotion
- Congratulatory message
- Invitation to other employees to congratulate the promoted team member
Let’s break down how to write a promotion announcement effectively using this structure.
Choose the right opener
You should open the promotion announcement with a polite greeting that reflects the tone you’d usually take with your team. In some large corporations, a more formal greeting would be the most appropriate - ‘Dear valued employees’ or ‘Esteemed colleagues’, for example. However, if you foster a more approachable, laidback company culture within the team, you could open with a simple ‘Hi all’ or ‘Good afternoon, team’.
Get straight into the announcement
Jumping right into the promotion announcement itself means you’re not just respecting the time your team has taken to read the email but means you’re getting your point across quickly. A promotion announcement should be clear and straightforward.
Your promotion announcement should also include a brief introduction to the employee - one which makes sense to all employees, whether they work closely with the promoted team member or not. Give a quick overview of their history within the company and the duties they’ve taken on within their current role.
Back it up
Explain exactly why the employee is being promoted. Provide a rundown of the main reasons behind your decision to promote this team member to a new role - remember to include any accolades or achievements they’ve received or specific projects and results they’ve impacted positively.
Not only will this help your employees to understand why you’ve given the employee a promotion but it also demonstrates what you’re looking out for from other team members working towards a promotion.
Explain what happens next
Explain what the employee will be doing within their new role, including what their responsibilities will be and which team members they’ll be working the most closely with. This will help their coworkers to understand how this promotion might affect their own workflow or communications, especially if the promotion means there is a change in the hierarchy of the team.
Congratulations and CTA
You should always end your promotion announcement with a congratulatory message to the employee on behalf of you and fellow company management. Don’t forget to encourage the rest of your team to extend their congratulations to the employee, too!
You can also use this section to invite your team to send you any questions they might have about the promotion or what it means for them.
Promotion announcement templates
Below are a few templates you can use for reference if you’re still unsure how to write a promotion announcement. Remember to adjust these templates to fit your own use, keeping the tone and voice of your company in mind as you write.
Promotion announcement template 1
Dear [Company name] team,
I am pleased to announce the well-deserved promotion of [Employee's full name] to the position of [Employee’s new title] as of [New role start date]. After careful consideration and a thorough evaluation of [his/her/their] exceptional contributions to our team, it is with great pleasure that we recognize [his/her/their] dedication and hard work by offering [him/her/them] the chance to progress into an exciting new role.
[Employee's name] has consistently demonstrated outstanding skills, leadership qualities, and a commitment to excellence in [his/her/their] role. [He/She/They] has played a key role in [specific achievements or projects] and has shown exceptional professionalism throughout [his/her/their] time with [Company].
We are confident that [he/she/they] will continue to thrive in [his/her/their] new position and contribute significantly to the success of the team, where [he/she/they] will be responsible for [main roles and responsibilities in new role].
Please join me in congratulating [Employee's name] on this well-deserved promotion. We are confident that [he/she/they] will excel in [his/her/their] new role and continue to make significant contributions to our organization.
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Your title]
Promotion announcement template 2
Hi all!
I'm thrilled to share some very exciting news with all of you - thanks to all [his/her/their] dedication and hard work, our very own [Employee's full name] has been promoted to the position of [New title]!
[Employee's name] has been incredible in [his/her/their] role as [Employee’s current job title], demonstrating [specific skills and traits] in everything [he/she/they] does. We've seen [him/her/them] excel in [specific projects or responsibilities] - we’re all very happy to recognize [his/her/their] all their effort and successes with this well-deserved promotion.
From [New role start date], [Employee name] will be working closely with [Team name], taking on [specific new responsibilities and duties].
We’d love it if you’d join us in congratulating [Employee's name] on this great achievement. We can't wait to see [him/her/them] continue to shine in [his/her/their] new role! Thanks everyone,
[Your name]
[Your title]
Promotion announcement template 3
Good [morning/afternoon] everyone,
We’re very pleased to share some fantastic news with everyone. As of [new role start date], our [Employee’s current role] [Employee's full name] will be stepping into an exciting new role - [New role’s title].
As you’ll all know, [Employee's name] has been a key part of the [Company name] team, consistently demonstrating [specific positive skills, traits or qualities]. [He/She/They] has played a vital role in [specific achievements or projects] - this promotion is a testament to [his/her/their] dedication and continuing contributions to the whole team’s success.
As [New role title], [Employee’s name] will be working closely with [Team they will be working closely with], tackling [New roles and responsibilities]. We can’t wait to see what [he/she/they] will accomplish in this exciting new chapter.
Please join me in congratulating [Employee's name] on this well-deserved promotion. We're fortunate to have [him/her/them] as part of our team, and we’re confident [he/she/they] will continue to excel in [his/her/their] new role.
Here's to celebrating success and looking forward to even more great things from [Employee's name]!
Best,
[Your name]
[Your title]
How to distribute a promotion announcement
Once you’re happy with how to write a promotion announcement, you should decide on the best way to distribute the promotion announcement to your employees. The most efficient way to do this is to send the promotion announcement to all employees via email, though you might choose to distribute a physical copy of the announcement to different departments, too.
If you do decide to release a public announcement about the promotion through your company’s social media platforms, website or as a press release, make sure you only do this once you’re sure that all your employees have already heard the announcement and have had time to ask any questions.
Conclusion
Writing a great promotion announcement is key if you’re looking to congratulate an employee on their new role. Or demonstrate to your team that you’re a company that encourages and rewards progress.
We hope we’ve not just answered the question of what to write in a promotion announcement but also given you some helpful tips, templates and examples that you can use.
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