Resurfaced Biden letter tells ‘wonderful staff’ he will be 'greatly disappointed' if they miss family commitments for work
‘I would like to take a moment to make something clear to everyone,’ letter begins
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Your support makes all the difference.A resurfaced letter from Joe Biden when he was Vice President addressed to staffers has revealed how he encouraged employees not to miss family commitments for work.
The letter, which surfaced on Twitter on Monday, was sent from Mr Biden to his staff before Thanksgiving in 2014 under the then Obama administration.
In the note addressed to his “Wonderful Staff” the then vice president urged his employees not to miss any family commitments for work, saying it is “very important to him” that people do not.
“I would like to take a moment to make something clear to everyone,” the memo begins. “I do not expect nor do I want any of you to miss or sacrifice important family obligations for work.”
“Family obligations include but are not limited to family birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, any religious ceremonies such as first communions and bar mitzvahs, graduations, and times of need such as illness or a loss in the family,” the letter continues.
He adds: “This is very important to me. In fact, I will go so far as to say that if I find out that you are working with me while missing important family responsibilities, it will disappoint me greatly,
“This has been an unwritten rule since my days in the senate.”
Dan Barker shared a copy of the note on Twitter, which quickly gained attention from other users, amassing 14,700 likes and 2,800 retweets.
“By coincidence: exactly 6 years ago today, as Vice President of the USA, Joe Biden sent this note to his staff,” Mr Barker said in a caption.
“I presume in the background, thoughts of his first wife & daughter who died long ago; or his son, who died of cancer just a few months after this note.”
In December 1972, Mr Biden lost his first wife Neilia and 13-month-old daughter Naomi in a car accident.
His son, Joseph “Beau” Biden III, an Iraq War veteran and Delaware attorney general, died in 2015 following a brain cancer diagnosis.
Many social media users were touched by the letter, saying it set an example for compassionate leadership.
“This is what broke the dam for me. I’ve been in happy shock all day and this letter let the emotions flow,” one user wrote.
“What a fantastic model of leadership and compassion. We can all use more of this right now!,” another said.
Mr Biden was declared winner of the 2020 presidential election by networks and news agencies on Saturday. President Donald Trump has yet to concede to the president-elect.
The day after the win was announced, Mr Biden attended Saint Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic church near his home in Wilmington and visited the graves of his son, daughter, and first wife, reports said.
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