| Email Etiquette in the Workplace
Rodney Nicholson
Email has become what seems to be our primary way of communicating in the business world. It is a more convenient and less intrusive way of communicating these days. Email can also serve as a way to document previous communications or attempts of communication with others. I found some basic email etiquette practices from various articles and would like to share a few things to keep in mind.
Assume there is No Privacy when using Company Email and Resources
Corporate email is the property of our employers. The best rule to follow is to keep email communications strictly professional. Many companies have policies stating that the use of their resources (i.e., computer equipment, technology, email communication, etc.) should be used for business purposes only. From your employer’s point of view, there should be no expectation of privacy when it comes to email.
Subject should be Clear and to the Point
The subject line of the email should be relevant and clearly state why you are writing the email. Having a well thought-out subject line can sometimes determine if the recipient will open the email. The subject line can also be thought of as the first impression the recipient has when receiving the email. Remember, we never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Address Recipients in the Appropriate Fields (TO: / CC: / BCC: )
The TO: field should include the person or persons who are directly being addressed in the email. These would be the people you would expect a response from if your email does, indeed, require a response.
The CC: field should be used for those people who are not directly addressed, but need to be kept on the same page. Think of this use as a way to let these people know as an FYI.
The BCC: field should be used when e-mailing a group of people who do not personally know each other. This is primarily a privacy issue. Do not publish others’ email addresses without their consent. Doing so can cause their email addresses to be unintentionally forwarded across the Internet which, in turn, opens up their email addresses for potential spammers.
Use Proper Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
Almost all email programs have spell check, so be sure to use it. Take time to read through your email before sending, so any spelling or grammatical errors can be corrected. Spell checkers catch only words that are actually misspelled. For example: from and form are both words. Spell checker cannot interpret the context in which a word is being used; it simply knows whether a word is spelled correctly.
Do not make the mistake of TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. This is interpreted as shouting. Also, do not type in all lower case, as this can be interpreted as a sign of laziness. Keep in mind that you should apply the same rules when drafting an email as you would if you typed a letter on company letterhead and sent it out via postal mail.
Read Receipts
Use caution when requesting a read receipt. Your email program should not default to request a read receipt for every email sent. Some people simply view this as irritating, while others feel it is an invasion of their privacy. Depending upon how recipients’ email is configured, they can permanently turn off sending a read receipt by simply selecting ‘never send one when prompted’, and also selecting ‘don’t ask me this again’. Limit requesting a read receipt for those emails that are truly necessary to have confirmation that they have been read.
Using “Reply All”
Replying to “All” should be used only when you feel confident that “All” need to know your response or they need to be aware of the contents of your response. You should not use “Reply All” if you do not know “All.” If you are unsure whether to use “Reply All,” simply reply to only the sender.
From the sender’s perspective, to help circumvent unnecessary “Reply All” messages, list your recipients in the BCC: field instead of the TO: or CC: fields. By using this method, if someone uses “Reply All”, you will be the only one who receives the response.
Include Signature Block
Be sure to include your contact information in your signature block. If the recipient chooses contact by means other than responding to your email, your information is readily available. Also, many companies, especially law firms, make it mandatory to use some type of email disclaimer / confidentiality statement at the bottom of the signature block.
It is a good practice to not forward jokes, virus hoaxes, chain mail or any other unprofessional types of email to coworkers. Be sure to also leave animated emoticons (dancing smiley faces, etc.) out of all professional emails.
Reprinted with permission from “The Houston Courtyard,” the newsletter published by the Houston Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, Fall 2010. |
