How to teach e-mail etiquette in the workplace
Business e-mails say a lot about the caliber of people who work for the company, but also reflect upon the company in general. An e-mail that is incoherent, unclear and disjointed tells the reader that the author is not professional, doesn’t understand the subject, or is too distracted or lazy to care about what has been written.
Misspellings, slang and “text” spelling like “gr8” for great or “k” for OK are also huge turnoffs to people in the business community—often making them feel doubtful about the company’s commitment to issues affecting them. Such e-mails also reflect on the ability, quality and professionalism of the company as a whole.
Many businesses are focusing on the need for professional, clear correspondence in the workplace and specifically when it comes to electronic mail. Although e-mail is less formal than written business letters, it must still be factual, concise and grammatically correct.
Teaching methods
Companies are using many educational techniques to help their employees create better e-mails—offering refresher courses on writing, holding seminars on proper e-mail construction, handing out style sheets that address e-mail etiquette, and hiring consultants to help monitor and educate employees on the basic tenets of a good, friendly but professional e-mail.
Basic rules of e-mail etiquette
According to the article, “Workplace Email Etiquette,” some of the basic rules of e-mail etiquette that should be taught are:
- Make sure you know who you are writing to or replying to in your e-mail before you create a business e-mail or reply to one. Large companies often have many people with the same last name (Smith, Jones, Baker, etc.) and one person might be the CEO while another might be a mailroom courier. Double check the name and the position of the person before you generate or respond to an e-mail.
- Do not hit "Reply All" unless it is necessary that you do so. According to the article, “Nine times out of 10 the e-mail could have just been sent to those people immediately affected by the message.” An inbox full of e-mails that don’t relate to you only keeps you from answering the ones that need a personal response.
- Stay focused and on task. Don’t make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. If it’s imperative that you discuss numerous issues, it is better to meet in person or to phone rather than attempt to cover a complicated subject in an e-mail. Use short sentences and clear and concise language.
- Answer all questions in your reply. If a client is asking what the cost of a product is and when it can be shipped, for example, include both answers in a single e-mail. By eliminating a glut of e-mails, the important e-mails will stand out. Also change the subject line so that it reflects what you are writing about and in some cases, start a fresh e-mail to eliminate a tail of past e-mails that are no longer relevant.
- Use spell check on every e-mail, but do not rely on spell check to fix all errors. Read your e-mail to yourself and make sure you haven’t missed any glaring errors. Use paragraphs to make your text more readable and “sign” your e-mail even though the recipient knows who you are.
A company that thinks e-mail etiquette doesn’t need to be taught is missing an opportunity to upgrade its reputation and express its professionalism in a very simple but effective way: proper e-mail etiquette. The company is also risking the detrimental effects of a poorly written e-mail like misunderstandings, confusion, irritation and annoyance.
In most cases, employees respond well when given tips in a numbered list like the one in this article. Extensive lectures or multi-paged style books are often no more effective than a clear concise e-mail highlighting the elements of a “proper e-mail” by example.
