E-mail has made life easier in some ways — at least I’m no longer on the phone for 7 hours every day.  But it does have its downsides.  E-mail makes it easy to say things you might never say to someone’s face.  It also provides you with an avenue to copy everyone and her sister if you want them to know something negative about a person or a particular interaction.  Then there’s the mistaken belief that you don’t have to worry about grammar as you might in hard copy correspondence. 

If you want e-mail to be your friend instead of your worst enemy – follow these simple tips:

1. Don’t be a chicken — never say something in an e-mail you wouldn’t say in person. 
2. Consider anything you put in an e-mail public knowledge — because you don’t know how it will be used. 
3. Respond to all e-mails within 24 hours — even if it’s only to acknowledge receipt and say you’ll get back to the person.
4. Treat e-mail correspondence the same as you would any other important document.  Avoid short-hand, cute emoticons, and check for spelling and grammar.
5. Think about who really needs to be on the distribution list vs. copied.   The only people on the distribution list should be those who have to take action or respond.  FYI’s should be copied.  This helps people distinguish what they have to reply to.
6. Avoid “CYA” copies.  It only makes people distrustful of you. 
7. When forwarding messages, check the e-mail trail below.  If it’s a long train there could be information that was not intended for public consumption. 
8. If two e-mails back and forth don’t clarify an issue, pick up the phone. 
9. When it’s clear an e-mail war is about to rage, arrange a face-to-face meeting or teleconference.
10. Keep in mind that your workplace computer is the property of the company and they may check your correspondence at any time with or without your knowledge.  If you’re going to diss the boss, do it on your own equipment.

TAGS: e-mail, E-mail etiquette, e-mail wars