MS Word usually is set for checking workplace grammar but not formal style.  And your spell check may not be turned on.  For formal writing, you should reset these two functions.

Word 2007: For grammar and spell check In Word 2007, click on the "Review" tab, then "Spelling and Grammar."  Then check the "Check grammar" box.  Next, in this same box, click on "Options."  Then, in the "Word Options" box, be sure "Proofing" is checked. 

Word 2000: For grammar check, go to "Tools," "Options," "Grammar," and "Writing Style."  (In earlier versions, reset it to "Formal" grammar style.)  For spell check, turn it on by going to "Tools," "Options," and "Spelling" and check the first box (in Word 2000 and later).  

Word Count: Do you need a word count?  Go to "Tools" and "Word Count."

Additional, more detailed directions are available.  See "Spell and Grammar Check" in the chapter called "What Is 'Revising'?"
        

Small but Important Errors: 

One important activity in editing your workplace writing is to check very carefully for your use of words and phrases.  A "not" or the lack of it--or a missing or incorrect word--in any sentence or paragraph may completely change your meaning or otherwise create quite a bit of confusion or misunderstanding among your readers.

 Checking for such mistakes is much more important in professional writing than in academic (school) writing.  In school, the focus is on your overall ideas and the development of them.  However, in professional writing, your details and ideas may be explained so efficiently and concisely that what may seem like a minor mistake to you, the writer, can become a major misunderstanding to the reader. 

For this reason, it is wise to carefully check what you have written--backwards, paragraph by paragraph; read it aloud; and/or have someone else read it.  In fact, if your paper is very important to you, you should try all three of these methods.  

Source Materials:

Source materials--quotations and paraphrases--include not only what others have said in print or aloud but also what they have created as graphs, statistics, or pictures or in other audiovisual formats.   Always clearly show what has originated from someone else and who that source is. 

If you are using a graphic (a table, chart, picture, etc.), it is acceptable in some professional writing simply to mention the source in a side note immediately after, beside, or before it.  In more formal professional writing, however, and especially in using quotes or paraphrases of printed or spoken words, the words generally should not just be inserted.  Rather, it is better to offer a phrase or sentence of introduction beforehand, just as you might introduce one person to another at a professional function. 

A bibliography may or may not be necessary, depending on the type of workplace paper you are writing and how many sources you have.  When in doubt, use academic guidelines: see "Quoting & Paraphrasing" in this textbook and OnlineGrammar.org 's  three chapters on "Research & Bibliographies."

"He/she/it" vs. "I" or "You":

In most professional writing, you should use the third-person pronouns "he," "she," "it," and "they."  You should not use "you," as you are not giving directions. 

You also should not use "I" at any time, unless you are referring to yourself in an example, in which case you should start your example with a transition (e.g., "For example, one time I was...) to help show that you are moving into a personal story.  Once the story is over, simply return to the third-person pronoun again. 

However, if conventions are different in your workplace, follow the conventions that your supervisor expects.  In some professional writing, the use of "you"--as in this Web page you are reading now or as in many magazine articles--has become acceptable.

Active vs. Passive Verbs:

Many professional writing guides discourage excessive passive constructions.  A passive construction is, for example, "The project will be presented," as opposed to the active version of it, "Jane will present the project."

However, a certain amount of passive-voice writing may be necessary, acceptable, and even desirable.  This is because the passive voice emphasizes the activities that are under discussion and de-emphasizes--or entirely omits--who is doing the activities.  For example, examine how the passive "The project was terminated" avoids stating who terminated it, while the active "James Willard terminated the project" clearly states who did the terminating. 

As a result--for better or worse--when you use the passive voice, no one individual gets credit or blame for the activity, and the entire activity becomes part of the overall group effort.  For best results in your own workplace writing, you may want to examine examples of writing that your supervisor or instructor prefers and try to mimic the active- or passive-voice style in them.  

Paragraphing: 

Paragraphing in many professional workplaces follows some relatively standard guidelines.  As stated in other chapters about professional writing,

(1) your introduction and conclusion generally should be short and to the point.  Generally speaking, you may use more than one paragraph in each only if they are unusually long or you are adding extras such as an abstract (in the introduction), a brief credentials chapter (in the conclusion), or some other addition requested by your supervisor. 

(2) Each body section generally should have two or more paragraphs, unless your paper is rather short. 

(3) Paragraph length should be about 100-150 words, with a few short paragraphs allowable or even, in some professional writing, encouraged, and lengths should be varied on any given page to help maintain reader attention.  These guidelines are for short- and medium-length professional papers; longer, more formal ones may need a more academic style of paragraphing, with longer paragraphs. 

(4) A topic word, phrase, or sentence--announcing each medium or long paragraph's subject or conclusion--should be at its beginning. 

(5) Don't worry about paragraphing in rough drafts that your supervisor will not see.  For more advice, go to the "Paragraphing" chapter.

Always Take Time to Edit:

I write a monthly newsletter for two thousand professional in the field of English, so they are particularly aware of mistakes I make.  And I usually make at least one small mistake each month--fortunately, it often is formatting or something else almost invisible.  I go over and over my newsletter before sending it, deleting the several errors I always find, some of them glaring errors that make me look bad, even though usually they occur from line changes, deletions, etc., and not from my bad grammar or spelling.  Always check.  Everyone makes errors.  Just be sure you make so few that you get a reputation for good writing.