Email 101- Managing Your Online Reputation
We recently asked our readers, "Is Your Workplace Missing E-mail Etiquette?" This is what they said,
- Yes (26%)
- No (18%)
- Sometimes (49%)
- Don't Know (5%)
Commentary and Checklist
Office etiquette plays an important role in the workplace. Based on a Robert Half International survey, 48 percent of employees believe that courteous workers can greatly accelerate their advancement at work.
Email etiquette, specifically, is playing an increasing role in the workplace.
With almost half of our readers (49 percent) agreeing that email etiquette is sometimes missing from their workplaces, there is room for improvement.
While the rules of email etiquette are still evolving, we have come up with some generally accepted rules:
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Begin each email with a greeting.
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Make sure your subject line is concise and reflects the content of the message for recall and filing purposes
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Always ask permission before forwarding a message from someone else.
Also, use the blind carbon copy function when sending mass emails to protect sendees' email addresses. -
Refrain from caps and explanation points, but also from using all lower case.
Check the tone of your email. -
Don't keep including people in an email discussion if they don't really need to get the message. Specifically, don't copy or forward to sendees that do not need to read it.
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Keep work emails work related.
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Reply in a timely manner. What is timely depends on the workplace culture. However, reply quickly (within 24 hours) even if to say that you have received the message and will reply later in more detail.
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Avoid lengthy emails. If the message requires more than a few pages, include an attachment.
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Make sure that you are sending the email to the correct address.
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Spell check and read over your message once top to bottom. Then, end your email with a salutation and a signature line that includes alternative contact information.
Article Courtesy of Travelers Insurance
