No one would think to have a large group of people listen to a normal, routine work phone call, but an e-mail frequently copies large numbers of people for even the most routine notes. It is also easier to misinterpret e-mails without the assistance of voice inflections or visible clues evident in other forms of communication.
These common sense e-mail guidelines should apply to all e-mails but especially those generated at work, related to work or sent in the name of work. The following reminders are intended to make you stop and think before sending that next e-mail message.
Texting.
Use complete words and sentences in all e-mails. LOL may be cute texting, but you are not texting with business e-mails. Don’t try for cute or shortcuts. Texting jargon is immediately deemed as unprofessional and even offensive for many readers. Save it for your personal communication. It doesn’t belong at work. A banker friend lost a very large account due to his use of cute texting in his professional business e-mails to clients. Don’t let this happen to you.
Legal Documents.
E-mails are legal documents which can be subpoenaed and used in litigation action. Don’t put anything in an e-mail you would not want revealed on the front page of the news media. In addition, e-mails to vendors and service providers can be used as implied changes to contracts. Subpoenas for e-mail records frequently request all related e-mails for multiple years. Erasing or deleting an e-mail does not remove all traces of the e-mail. Retrieval of e-mail from electronic media is a frequent practice.
Harassment.
References to race, gender, religion or ethnic background have no place in e-mails. Sexual harassment and even stalking has been proven in many cases based on e-mails. Remember that once it is written electronically, it cannot be totally erased.
Work Related Only.
E-mails at work should be used solely for work related communication. Do not attempt to use work e-mail as your personal e-mail. Many companies now have specific policies against personal use of company e-mail including the option to terminate employment if company policies are disregarded or violated.
Do not keep or forward inappropriate or offensive e-mails. It is easily traced.
Carbon Copies.
Use e-mail as you would a telephone. You do not copy everyone in the chain of command on your phone calls – don’t do it with e-mails. Keep to a minimum the number of people copied on an e-mail. If you receive an e-mail with a lengthy ‘cc’ chain attached, break the chain. Respond to the person only and not the entire list. Use common sense on whom (and why) you ‘cc’ a third party.
The ‘24-Hour’ Rule.
Do not respond to an e-mail in anger. It is far too easy to quickly respond in the flare of the moment and hit ‘send’. Most e-mails cannot be recalled. Make a practice of letting your responses sit in ‘draft’ status at least overnight before rereading. If the moment of anger has not passed, consider communicating via phone or better yet – face to face. E-mails are too easily misinterpreted, especially when written in anger.
These guidelines apply to all written communication related to work as in written communication guidelines; they are basic common sense guidelines for an electronic messaging tool frequently misused in the business environment.
