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Emails can be a curse, used for backside-covering, being evasive or abused with bad manners and ill-placed humour. Avoid these and become an e-saint.


This article has been nominated for deletion; When reviewing this article, we noticed that this title appears very similar to "How to Effectively use Email at Work", which we call a duplicate.


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If you don't think this is a duplicate, please comment on the discussion page by no more than one week after 2014-10-15.

EditSteps

  1. 1
    Probably the most important rule of all: never say anything in an email you wouldn't be willing to stand by in court. E.g. Sniping about colleagues via email leaves evidence and evidence leads to being disciplined.
  2. 2
    Use underwear to cover your backside, not emails. I used to work for a manager who insisted on having email confirmation on everything. The very people we needed it for, in order to hold them to account, were the ones who never sent it or replied. Instead I got these kind of responsibilities laid out in meetings (think witnesses), got it minuted and emailed round for approval. Also I used to keep endless emails to prove I either had/hadn't done a particular task. Better to just get the task done and make sure the boss knows it.
  3. 3
    Lay off the jokes. Don't be tempted to send those chain mail jokes around. It slows down the IT systems and most companies take a dim view.
  4. 4
    Always include a phone number on your email signature. One of the most frustrating things than can happen is a conversation via email where it would be easier and quicker to just pick up the phone. So make it easy to do so.
  5. 5
    Don't bother with read-receipts. If you want to know if someone has read your email, ask them. If you're assigning a task then set a time limit and when it's reached ask them what's going on and why they haven't got back to you. However, if it's urgent you wouldn't really email the task would you?
  6. 6
    Don't waffle. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm a big fan of the short email repsonse. My favourite is "NP" or "no problem". This might sound terse but some people are masters at reading something into something you either didn't say or couldn't possibly have meant. This knocks that problem straight on the head.
  7. 7
    Don't reply via email. Sometimes the best way to reply to an email is by picking up the phone or talking face to face. It gives the impression that you actually care. Taking a little more time out of your day to show a personal interest not only scores points with the boss but gives a better impression of yourself to your colleagues or staff. Also it counteracts the kind of people who want your email repsonse to cover their own backside.
  8. 8
    Busy day? If you've got tasks that need done, say by 10am, then don't open your email client. It stops you getting distracted by answering pointless emails about birthday collections or missing keys. If anything comes in that's urgent then expect a phonecall or a face to face visit. If asked, just say "I've got an urgent job on and I'll get round to my emails later" - although in all my years of office work I've never had to say this.

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Article Info

Categories: NFD (Duplicate) | Email and Instant Messaging | Workplace Management and Coping Skills

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