What is an enclosure?
You can also include a document in an enclosure with business correspondence, but these are supplemental and most recipients can understand them without reading your letter. Even though you typically put it in the same envelope when delivering a physical letter to colleagues, this document stays separate from your correspondence. Many of the documents you’ve enclosed are related to the content of your letter, but readers don’t need to read each one individually to understand it.
Since the resume and cover letter are two documents that readers can understand separately, enclosures are frequently sent when sending a physical resume and cover letter to employers. However, you can also include business materials that go with a letter or memo, such as brochures about your business that clients can distribute.
What is an attachment?
An attachment is a specific kind of supplemental document that is typically required for the recipient of business correspondence to comprehend the correspondence’s content. Typically, attachments contain information that is extra to a letter or memo and aid in giving context, visuals, or additional insight into the specifics you send to a colleague. All attachments are related to the correspondence you send and are better understood when they are attached to and explained by your letter. Sometimes, attachments are continuations of a business letter that go into more detail about a topic.
A series of product designs that you staple or paperclip to a letter describing the product, its design process, and the next steps you want the recipient to take would be an example of an attachment for a physical letter.
Attachment vs. enclosure
While an attachment and an enclosure share some similarities, there are some differences regarding when each is appropriate in the workplace. To better understand how to label your additional documents when sending business correspondence, take into account the following factors:
Relation to correspondence
How the document relates to the content and goal of your correspondence is one of the key distinctions between when to use an attachment or an enclosure. You might attach a document when you need to provide more details about a subject so that your reader fully comprehends the concept. A graph outlining the budgets of various departments, which you discuss in your correspondence, is one example of an attachment that provides information you may discuss in your letter. The graph enhances your reader’s understanding of the letter by making more sense without the letter.
Enclosures, however, dont complete the correspondence but complement it. You could, for instance, include a document to back up your decision, such as performance reviews that demonstrate to a colleague how you determined the amount of your team’s annual bonuses. Although both documents could probably be understood by your reader without the other, the enclosed document gives your correspondence more context.
Delivery method
Some recipients may view your additional documents as attachments rather than enclosures, depending on how you send and deliver a letter. The majority of professionals refer to any document you send via email as an attachment because email systems allow you to attach additional documents to the email body. This indicates that recipients may view the additional document as an attachment even though the contents of the letter and the document are distinct.
However, you can distinguish between attached and enclosed documents more easily if you’re sending a physical letter or memo. With staples or paper clips, you can actually fasten a supporting document to your letter. However, you can enclose more information without physically attaching it by placing an enclosure in the same envelope as your letter. These distinctions between attachments and enclosures were traditionally made by business professionals, though they aren’t always necessary, especially if you’re concerned about sending papers without a paperclip or don’t have any envelopes on hand.
Type of communication
You may want to attach or enclose additional documents depending on the type of communication or correspondence you are sending. For instance, email and other electronic communication frequently use attachments because online services have developed a system in which attaching a document or file to your correspondence makes more sense than enclosing it because email does not support the enclosing of files.
Additionally, many organizations may establish guidelines for when to attach or enclose documents. In these circumstances, your employer might mandate that you send a memo with an attachment or restrict the use of enclosures to certain kinds of letters or reports. You can determine whether to attach or enclose additional documents for a particular form of communication by consulting your employee handbook.
Citation format
Depending on the content of your letter and the type of additional document, many business professionals may anticipate specific citations, though there is little variation in the citation format. To cite additional documents, simply identify the type of document and provide a brief description. You could end your letter with “Attached: Sales Charts” or “Enclosed: Employee Organization List,” for instance.
You can usually include a sentence mentioning the attached document or write it beneath your signature line when sending an attachment via email or physical mail. You can apply the same technique to enclosures, but swap out the word or abbreviation that denotes an attachment for an enclosure. It may not be necessary to cite less formal documents that include attachments if you simply mention the document in your letter, but it is crucial to do so for the majority of enclosed documents to prevent them from being misplaced or forgotten.
Placement of information
There are a few ways for business professionals to send brief copies of documents or additional information in electronic formats despite the limitations of emailing enclosed documents. You might be able to paste the text of a document at the end of an email or add reports and images as images in the body of your email. You can think of the information as an enclosure because it is technically a part of the email and not an attachment to it.
This could be helpful if you need to send a colleague important complementary information but lack a file you can quickly attach to an email. However, this is most helpful when sending just one or two brief documents. Otherwise, look for a suitable file you can send as a physical copy or an attachment to the email.
Professional usage
Most people are familiar with the meanings of attachments and enclosures when they see them in business correspondence. On the other hand, since attachments are more familiar to those outside the industry, mentioning them when you include documents in correspondence can be a better choice for less formal business settings or topics. For instance, even though the holiday schedule is separate from the invitation and is being sent along with an invitation to a company-wide event, you might refer to it as an attachment rather than an enclosure.
Use the terms “enclosure” and “attachment” more precisely in formal communications with clients and your managers since business professionals can frequently tell the difference between these terms. Additionally, your recipient will benefit more from this because they will know what kind of supporting documentation to include with your letter and how valuable it is.
Tuesday Tip: Attachment or Enclosure?
FAQ
What is the difference between an attachment and an enclosure?
Even though the terms “attachment” and “enclosure” are frequently used interchangeably in business correspondence, they refer to various ways of including things. A letter’s enclosure is not considered to be a part of the letter; rather, it is treated as a separate document.
Is enclosed and attached the same?
enclosed means, inside an evelope, a body of text; e. g. , Please find enclosed . The terms separate, joined/added to, outside the envelope, stapled or paperclipped to the main page, and attached all refer to these. g. , Please find attached .
Is enclosure are also known as attachments?
Contrary to popular belief, an enclosure is not a synonym for an attachment in this context. They are similar but quite distinct from each other. While an enclosure stands alone, an attachment does not. An attachment is a separate document that provides additional context for the business letter’s content.
What is enclosure in an email?
An enclosure is a separate document that you can include with business letters; these documents are helpful, and recipients frequently understand them without reading your letter.
