Receiving and sending correspondence

In each institution, a special organizational unit is responsible for accepting letters and distributing them among departments. This is usually a secretariat or office.

Depending on the type of case the letter concerns, the office – the secretariat – sends them directly to the head of the appropriate organizational unit, i.e. the department or director of a given institution.

The chancellery (secretariat) accepts and opens all incoming correspondence, telegrams, faxes and telephones, courier items, except for:

• secret and confidential shipments handed over to the management of the unit through the secretariat,

• cash or valuables that are accepted by the cash desk of the organizational unit,

• parcels addressed by name to the names of employees of the organizational unit

Opening shipments

Open envelopes so as not to damage the contents of the envelopes. If, after opening an envelope not marked “secret” or “confidential”, it is found to contain a secret or confidential item, it shall be delivered to the management stating the reason for opening the envelope. After opening and removing the contents of the shipment, check:

• does it not contain a letter of misdirection?

• is the number of attachments attached to the letter?

If the parcel was misdirected, it should be immediately directed to the competent authority, notifying the sender about it.

Missing attachments should be noted in writing. If the parcel contains only attachments without a cover letter – a note is made on the envelope which is attached to the parcel.
Attaching envelopes to receipts

Envelopes are attached to the following receipts:

• secret, confidential and valuable,

• letters with a predefined response time,

• letters in which the sender’s name and address are missing,

• attachments sent without the basic letter.
Influence stamp

The employee opening the correspondence prints the impact stamp on the first page. The stamp includes the date, file mark (or the number from the journal in the journal system), the number of attachments and the symbol of a given cell whose correspondence has been assigned.

The hour and minute of receipt are also noted on telegrams, telephones and faxes. The surname and position of the sender and the recipient are additionally entered on the telephones.
Responsibilities when sending correspondence

When sending correspondence, the following steps are taken:

• checking if the letter is signed and dated and if the above-mentioned attachments are attached,

• the date of sending is entered on the copy of the letter.

• letters intended for dispatch are segregated and entered in the journal of outgoing letters,

• puts letters in envelopes with addresses,

• records of registered items posted at post offices via the mailing book of registered letters are kept,

• records of the settlement of postage fees are kept.

When sending letters, in order to avoid the time-consuming activities of sticking stamps, other methods of payment for postal items are used:

• instead of a stamp, the envelope is stamped “Flat-rate postage” and settled with a flat rate, regardless of the number of letters sent in a given month,

• there may be a stamp “Accredited postage”, then we settle accounts with the post office after the end of a given month,

• it is also possible to use a franking machine which, in place of a postage stamp, impresses the postage on the envelope.

Postage in francs must be delivered at the post office, they cannot be thrown into postal boxes. When paying for postage, e.g. thanks, congratulations, pay attention to the fact that they are always paid for by sticking postage stamps on the envelope. Sending correspondence is most often carried out via post offices, in accordance with the instruction placed above the address of individual letters (registered, priority).

Letters addressed to the same recipient shall be sent in a common envelope.

Office aids

Practical equipment will be very useful in the office, which will help, among others in receiving and sending letters:

• machines for opening envelopes,

• enveloping machines (for sealing envelopes),

• screening of the envelopes to check if the entire content of the envelope has been removed,

• date stamps (containing the company name, symbol of the organizational unit) to which the letter is addressed, number of attachments),

• franking machines (eliminating the sticking of postage stamps).