How to write a work report

Writing effective work reports takes practice and requires good communication skills.
The more reports you write, the more efficient you will be in composing them. The
following are steps you can take to write a professional report in the workplace:
1. Identify your audience.
2. Decide which information you will include.
3. Structure your report.
4. Use concise and professional language.
5. Proofread and edit your report.
1. Identify your audience
Knowing who will be reading your report is an important step in determining how you
will format your report, what to include and the tone you should use when writing it.
For example, if you are writing a sales report for your manager, will anyone else be
reading the report? If you are composing a business analysis report, will your higher-
ups be reading the report or only your immediate supervisor? Establish who will be
reading your report and cater the report to these specific people.
2. Decide which information you will include
After determining who your audience is, you should focus on identifying the purpose
of your report to decide what information should be included. If you know who will
be reading the report, you could ask questions regarding what they expect to see.
Choose to include information that will provide the clearest picture of what you are
trying to convey. For example, if you are writing a sales report, your report may need
to include information about whether sales goals are being met, products and services
that are selling the most, challenges you or your team are facing and your sales
forecast for the next month or quarter.
3. Structure your report
When writing a report, you should structure it so that it can be easily read and
digested. While each report will vary in the sections you should include, you can use
the following report components as a guide when writing your report:
 Title or title page
 Executive summary/abstract that briefly describes the content of your report
 Table of contents (if the report is more than a few pages)
 An introduction describing your purpose in writing the report
 A body paragraph where you include the information you are conveying with
the report
 Conclusion or recommendation depending on the purpose of the report
4. Use concise and professional language
You should strive to use clear and concise language when writing your report. Try to
get the point across as clearly and quickly as possible and use simple yet professional
language. Avoid using "fluff" or wordy sentences when possible. For example, rather
than saying "you might find it helpful to regularly refresh your inbox to stay up-to-
date on emails," you could say "regularly refresh your inbox."
5. Proofread and edit your report
Proofreading your work report is an essential step in the report-writing process. This
gives you the opportunity to ensure that your writing is as professional as possible and
to catch any mistakes before you send it out. Proofreading also allows you to cut out
any unnecessary information and make sure that your report is as efficient and
effective as possible. Once you have finished writing your report, set it aside for an
hour or more before you proofread it. This will allow you to look at the report in a
fresh way and catch mistakes you may not have seen before.
Work report template
The following is a template you can use when formatting a work report:
[Project name]
[Date]
[Prepared by - your first and last name]
[Company name]
[Executive summary or abstract: Use this section to note your conclusions or
recommendations that will be made in the report. You should also include the most
important ideas discussed in the report. If you are writing a daily work report or
progress report, you do not need to include this section.]
[Introduction: Your introduction should be two to four paragraphs summarising what
you will cover in the report as well as your reason for writing the report. Be as
specific and concise as possible when writing your introduction so that the reader can
clearly understand what they will find in your report. For daily or progress reports,
your introduction only needs to be a few sentences detailing work you have completed
and what you plan to work on next.]
[Body: For the body of your report, you should focus on detailing the information you
wish to convey. You can include results, conclusions and findings that were made
related to a project. For daily or progress reports, include the accomplishments you
have achieved or tasks you have completed.]
[Recommendations: In this section, you should list your recommendations based on
the conclusions or results of a project or that will solve a particular issue. For
example, you may write "spend one hour training employees on the new handbook
each week" as a recommendation. For a daily or progress report, you can list your
next goals or tasks in this section.]
[Conclusion: Conclude your report by summarising the findings or results discussed
and reiterating the most important recommendations.]
Work report example
The following is an example of a work report you can use as a guide when writing
your own report in the workplace:
November 5, 20XX
Prepared by: Sally Smith
ABC Company
This report is to provide an update on the XYZ project that is due on December 5th.
This project will result in the creation of a new employee handbook that will include
updated rules and regulations as well as the approved increase of paid-time-off. This
handbook will work to increase employee awareness of workplace expectations as
well as inform them of the new benefits that have recently been implemented.
Summary of work completed:
As of this date, I have completed the following for the XYZ project:
• Verified all information that will be in the handbook with upper management and
HR
• Drafted a table of contents
• Formatted layout of handbook
• Composed the first 12 pages of handbook
Tasks to be accomplished by November 12, 20XX:
• Compose five more pages of handbook.
• Proofread and edit all pages that have been completed up to this date.
• Have the manager of HR read handbook content to ensure accuracy.
Conclusion
The XYZ project is on track to be completed by the scheduled date. This project
currently has no obvious obstacles or issues, but if they should arise, they will be
promptly addressed.
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