In today’s hectic work environment, email is a blessing and a curse. When used appropriately, it expedites and improves communication. When abused, email can harm business relationships, enable us to avoid responsibilities and commitments (“Hey, I never got that email!”), and otherwise adversely affect our ability to accomplish our primary tasks and goals.
My former Hilton colleagues may remember seeing this article of mine published as an addendum to Hilton Hotels Corporation's formal email policy.
10 points to keep in mind to practice email etiquette:
- BE THOUGHTFUL: Don’t send unnecessary email; it makes more work for everyone.
- BE CONSIDERATE: “Reply to All” should be used with careful consideration of the distribution. Do all parties really need to see your reply?
- BE NICE: Email should not be sent in anger. Don’t write things in email that you would not dare say to someone’s face. Misunderstandings can fester via email. When things seem to be going badly, pick up the phone, or go see someone about it in person.
- BE ETHICAL: Don’t send email merely to CYA or to dump tasks on unsuspecting recipients.
- BE A LEADER: Avoid adding to long chains of email when a meeting is clearly required to obtain closure. Suck it up and suggest or arrange a meeting.
- BE PERSONAL: Whenever possible, instead of sending an email, take a short walk to someone’s cube and have a real conversation. It builds relationships.
- BE CLEAR & SPECIFIC: Start long emails with a statement of purpose and a straightforward request of the recipient(s); otherwise they may not read all the information, and you may not get your answer.
- BE SMART: Never document and review human resource issues via email.
- BE RESPONSIVE: Before discarding email, carefully review and consider whether it requires your response. If so, reply as quickly as possible. If your response was delayed, apologize.
- BE PROFESSIONAL: Don’t put anything in email that you wouldn’t want to have indiscriminately forwarded to other people.
Email away!
I would like to take #9 a step further. I've found that being responsive can not only mean answering a question that either is obviously asked but also a "begging" question that is merely implied. A guiding principle I use is to have the last word. For example, if I hear someone lands in a job or position, I will send them a simple congratulatory note. They should respond with "thank you". I might reply back with saying it sounds like an exciting opportunity and perhaps ask how they found the position. In general, I try to keep up the conversation, which can lead to building a deeper relationship. You'll know when it's time to break it off. It takes a little extra effort to do this, but building relationships does take effort. In the end, it's well worth that extra effort.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dan for the thoughtful addition to #9. What a great way to work at building relationships!
ReplyDelete