In our modern age of communication, it's not just what you say that can get you into trouble at work, but also what you write. Thanks to laptops, Blackberries and cell phones, e-mail is arguably the primary means of communication for professionals everywhere. In 2007 alone, there will be an estimated 2.7 trillion e-mails exchanged, with even more to follow. While e-mail is convenient and easy to use, it's also easy to abuse.
As a professional in today's e-happy world, the more you know now about e-mail habits, the less likely you will be to make an e-blunder down the road.
With e-mail, there's no undoing our mistakes; there's only steadfast prevention. Here's our inbox of e-mail mistakes and tips to keep you protected.
Unprofessional tone
When we talk to someone in person, we have the benefit of physical gestures and tone of voice. Written words speak for themselves and are left completely to interpretation. In an e-mail exchange, it means that a sarcastic one-liner and a witty e-mail signature could be misconstrued as insults, regardless of the initial intention.
E-mail tone is also hampered by jokes, slang and typing in caps -- which is the written equivalent to shouting. In the office world, e-mail is an extension of business communication, so a bad e-mail tone makes for bad business, or worse, lack of business.
Re: Tips: There's nothing wrong with being courteous, but stay within professional boundaries. You can do this by reading a past e-mail from your recipient and matching their tone in your reply, instead of trying to invent your own. If they're talkative and informal, go with it. If not, stay brief and professional. Choose your words thoughtfully, writing as you might talk to them in person without the false safety net of a computer screen. Sticking to the essentials and being polite will keep your tone clean and your overall exchange pleasant.
Reply to all
If you've ever received a mass e-mail, you're aware of how an informational correspondence can evolve into an irritating inbox monster. Replying to all recipients is a deadly practice, even when accidental. It might seem funny to e-mail your co-worker and mention that the boss's dessert recipe was a poor addition to the most recent company newsletter, but you'll get your just desserts if your reply goes to all recipients -- including the boss. It's even worse when more important information is accidentally sent to clients. The reply all button is a mouse that's just waiting to become an elephant.
Re: Tips: Before starting a reply, think about whether it's really necessary at all and consider who needs to read it -- probably not everyone. So picking reply over reply all every time is a good solution. If your message winds up being relevant to more than one person, insert the other recipients carefully and ignore the temptations of reply all. This will cut down on overall e-mail volume and keep your e-mail reply reputation intact.
Sensitive or confidential information
E-mail is not the best way to exchange sensitive information. In fact, it's one of the worst. Modern computer upgrades haven't stopped hackers, which makes your e-mails vulnerable to interception on your side and your recipient's. If a hacker doesn't get you, remember that your recipient and their company are free to do as they please with whatever you send them.
If you think your e-mail stays private, think again. Many companies have strict e-mail policies and usually keep all messages on their company server, even if they're deleted from your machine. All of your messages can easily be traced back to your computer's IP address. E-mails are legal court documents. So where e-mail privacy is concerned, assume there is none.
Re: Tips: Think of your e-mails as public legal documents. If there's a private matter at stake, try calling your recipient instead or arranging a meeting. When e-mail must be used, don't include financial info and use e-mail encryption software like Centurion Soft or the budget-friendly PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). Be professional without being confidential, and your words won't come back to haunt you.
Subject line woes
E-mail subject lines are as important as the messages themselves and the worst subject lines are empty ones. Blank subject lines get as much attention as flavorless ice cream at your company Christmas party. With the average employee receiving over 100 e-mails per day, messages with blank subjects get filed at the bottom of the totem pole, to be looked at when everything else is done.
Subject lines also become problematic when they don't change with the growth of a project. If your e-mail dialog has evolved from a website to a marketing discussion, your recipient will not enjoy filing everything under "Website," since you haven't changed your subject line to reflect a topic change. Knowing your subject is as important as building your message.
Re: Tips: First off, always use a subject line, no matter how unoriginal you might be feeling. With that in mind, don't use greetings like "Hi John" or "Hello Doris" as a subject because they carry no significance to your correspondence. Subject lines are meant to catch the eye of your recipient, so choose keywords that will reflect that. As your e-mail exchange progresses into additional topics, remember to change subject lines accordingly.
E-mailing the wrong person
On the e-mail circuit, sending e-mail into the wrong hands is a classic blunder. It's unprofessional and especially damaging if your message doesn't carry a professional tone. Even worse is if you're writing about a coworker and, since they're on the brain, you accidentally select them as your recipient. If that's the case, don't expect any Christmas cards in the mail.
One of the "perks" of e-mail programs is the dreaded auto-fill feature, which allows you to type in partial letters in the recipient field, which the computer then completes on its own. This increases the chances of e-mailing the wrong person and it's a sign that maybe e-mail technology isn't so friendly after all.
Re: Tips: Because the address field is above an e-mail message, our instinct is to type the recipient in first and then our message. This is troublesome, because we're thinking about our message, not our recipient. Go the opposite route by writing your message first and then selecting the recipient. This will decrease the chance of error, as you will be totally focused on the address in question. Don't forget to double-check -- or even triple-check -- the recipient before you click "send."
Not checking e-mail accounts regularly
With e-mail being such a prime communication choice these days, it's an instant faux pas if you don't check it regularly. When you don't check your e-mail, you're probability for error rises; in your mad rush to download and read everything later, your risk of deleting important messages increases, as does the tendency to not give essential e-mails enough attention.
This problem extends to employees who use multiple accounts that deal with various clients, personal contacts and mailing lists, etc. It can lead to a significant loss in business if you don't read them or even acknowledge someone because you forgot to check one of your accounts.
Re: Tips: You might think that the solution lies in fewer e-mail accounts. And you'd be wrong, because the separation between personal e-mail, business and everything else will make your inbox easier to sort out later on. If you're having problems keeping track of your accounts or even checking them efficiently, try a program like Pooka that checks all accounts at once. When you are proficient at checking and responding to all e-mails in a timely fashion, don't overdo the habit by letting e-mail control your working time. Just stay on top of who's contacting you and what's important.
Sending too quickly
In your need for speed, a premature e-mail can breed grammatical errors and spelling embarrassments. A message that is littered with mistakes makes for a negative perception of you and your company. In a potential job interview situation, a sloppy e-mail assures a nonresponse.
Messages that are sent too quickly are often accompanied by missing attachments -- the ones you mentioned in your e-mail, but didn't include. Business colleagues and clients will not enjoy dealing with you if they have to spend time replying to ask you for something you thought you sent in the first place. If you add it all up, the fastest e-mails can make for unflattering professional pictures.
Re: Tips: If you want your reader to respect you, you have to respect them by making your writing professional and succinct. Aim for proper spelling and grammar: That means rereading your messages thoroughly and using advanced grammar software, if it's at your company's disposal. Spend more time writing your e-mails, but keep them brief with professional openings and closings. As for attachments, they can be included before you type your message. When you increase the time spent composing your e-mails, you will dramatically decrease your number of errors.
surviving the digital age
The electronic age has brought with it the wondrous tool of e-mail. As professionals, we are as accountable for our words as we are for our actions. With every new e-mail comes a new chance to be flawless or a new opportunity to fall into the blunder trap. With that in mind, you can take comfort in knowing that most e-mail dangers can be avoided with common sense, proper time considerations and a careful choice of words. So, just keep the right tools at your disposal and hope that all of your e-mails shine with professional perfection.
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