Email etiquette, like cubicle etiquette, is another one of those things that is not quite common sense yet doesn’t get included in many companies’ orientations or formal job trainings. Ignorance may be bliss, but when it comes to your professional reputation, bliss could actually turn out to be a nightmare.
To avoid that, here are five things to keep in mind when sending emails in the workplace:
Create and use a simple, consistent and professional email signature:
Signatures provide people with the information they need about you. This is especially useful for when emails are forwarded and recipients need your information. Some companies, like mine, require a standard template. But this has not kept some people from using the color pink. I can only imagine some of the horrors witnessed elsewhere.
Your signature can be as simple as this:
First and Last Name
Phone Number │ Email Address
Or as comprehensive as this:
First and Last Name
Title, Company
Phone Number │ Fax Number
Email Address
Company Address
Use a consistent, simple font and a basic color such as blue or black. Of course, again, this may change depending on your company’s policies and branding. So, unless that hot pink font color has been suggested to you, I strongly advise against using it no matter how much you love the color.
Use the reply-all and forward options cautiously
Have you ever been the victim of an overloaded inbox because of reply-alls in an email chain that no longer has or never had anything to do with you? Have you ever been victim to an abundance of forwards by individuals, whether it be hoax email chains or professional conversations between colleagues you need to know nothing about? If you answered no to both questions then somehow I doubt you’ll need to continue reason this article because there is no way you actually have an email account. If yes, then please, I beg of you: use this experience as fuel to think before you click. Stay away from reply-alls and forwards whenever possible.
Pick up the phone
Let’s face it. Email is not always the most effective form of communication. A constant back and forth via email about a basic issue can quickly become frustrating. A simple call and a follow up email with a summary of the call, copying all the individuals who need to know the information, is not only more time efficient but also more professional as well.
Read the entire email before responding
One of my personal pet peeves is getting an email response that does not answer my critical questions, or worse, asks questions with answers that were already addressed in the email. Not only does this show that you don’t pay attention to detail, but it is offensive to the sender who feels like you think your time is more important than hers. Mistakes happen and these things may occur once or twice, but don’t become that person known for never reading their emails.
Remember that anything you send lasts forever and may be seen by millions
Okay, maybe millions of people won’t see your email, but hundreds or even thousands is very possible. Take this young woman for instance. Something she – in poor judgment, of course – took to be light hearted fun made its way around the globe and back, resulting in her quitting her job.
So be cautious. Read and reread your emails before sending, ensuring that you are comfortable with the message you are sending. While reviewing the content make sure that it’s error free (typos are no fun) and that it’s something you wouldn’t mind seeing on tomorrow’s front page. You just never know.
What email advice would you share with your colleagues, both new and veteran? Did I miss anything crucial?
For more tips on putting on those power pumps and taking the lead at work, check out more career posts
