SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
March/April 2005
BTW, Do U Know E-Nuff about E-Mail Etiquette?
Rosemary Azzaro
Marketing Communications Consultant;
Creative Contributor, HBA Bulletin
An intriguing feature on the morning news program, “Good Morning America,”(1) was provoked by the recent ouster of a high level Boeing executive whose email use tipped off the company to a consensual affair with a female executive. The story underscores the fact that when it comes to electronic communications at work, nothing is “private” and begs the question, “Do you observe appropriate e-mail etiquette?”
I always considered myself an early adopter of corporate e-mail; my AOL account is at least a dozen years old. However, I was truly surprised to learn that in 1985, the Rand Corporation had already issued a white paper, “Toward an Ethics and Etiquette for Electronic Mail” (2) for e-mail, for a medium the authors Norman Z. Shapiro and Robert H. Andersen had been using for 15 years. The report is surprisingly still right on about e-mail characteristics that affect its use: speed (“It is clear that it is almost always faster than other common alternatives.”), durability (Electronic messages appear temporary, but are, in fact, quite permanent; “Never say anything in an electronic message that you wouldn’t want appearing, and attributed to you, in tomorrow morning’s front-page headline in The New York Times.”), and emotionality (“Meanings are misunderstood. Tempers flare and cause ill-conceived responses to be written. Many recipients’ time is wasted reading contentfree or irrelevant messages.”). Shapiro and Andersen call for “a new set of rules: how to be a constructive, courteous sender and receiver of electronic messages.”
So what do you need to know about e-mail etiquette?
Start with the basics: good manners.
“The formula for etiquette is manners + principles,” notes Cindy Post Senning, EdD, Director, Emily Post Institute and the great-granddaughter of the etiquette guru. Senning reminds us that etiquette applies to all aspects of business, including e-mails. “The principles of etiquette are consideration, respect and honesty,” she said “these never change.” Example: Sign your e-mail with your full name, title, corporation and contact points such as phone, fax and, yes, e-mail address.
Recognize there is no privacy.
According to the Federal Electronic Communications Act of 1996, companies and government organizations have the right to monitor their employees’ use of corporate e-mail and Internet systems. Since employee use of these tools leaves employers open to liability, be familiar with your company’s policies on “reasonable use.” Be judicious about your personal communications at work.
Proofread before sending.
Although e-mail is a very fast-paced medium and users are prone to typing errors, bad grammar and poor spelling should not be forgiven so easily. E-mail is a permanent record of corporate communications and presents a corporate image that others can, and will, judge. You can’t take your words back once you click “send.”
Don’t distance yourself.
E-mail should not be used to the exclusion of other communication tools or as a substitute for personal communications or confrontation. Use as many personal means of communication as you can.
Don’t discuss sensitive or confidential matters in e-mail.
This permanent record is not the place for speculation on personnel and other issues where privacy is legally protected.
Don’t meander.
“Work-related emails should be direct and to the point. And, don’t forget the value of a wellplaced phone call. Speaking on the phone often is more time efficient and the personal touch can go a long way,” points out Anne Corry, Senior Director of External Affairs, New York Cares.
Don’t be cute.
Limit your use of emoticons—those little expression faces so popular with the IM (Instant Message) crowd. Also, limit your use of acronyms.
Observe the chain of command.
In general, copy your boss on major matters taking care not to clutter her e-mail box with the mundane. If an assistant screens your calls and snail mail, make sure that e-mail correspondence you generate is copied to your assistant so she/he can stay in the loop. If a colleague’s name or department function is mentioned, copy the person named and the head of that functional area.
Develop clear policies; publish them; train everyone to use them.
Employers take heed! It’s up to you to develop policies, definitions of “reasonable use” and to ensure that your employees understand, have access to and are trained on your policies.
Be informed.
There are some great books out there on e-mail. One book you might enjoy is E-SPEAK: Everything You Need To Know Before You Hit The Send Button by Michael Bednarski and Maureen Sullivan. Bednarski’s background in Jungian psychology is evident as readers discover e-mail styles and apply communications’ strategies by personality type. The book comes with a card deck that offers e-mail pointers by style.
References
1. E-Mail Etiquette for Employers and Execs by Paul Eng http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/ story?id=561845&page=1
2. Toward an Ethics and Etiquette for Electronic Mail by Norman Z. Shapiro and Robert H. Andersen http://www.rand.org/publications/R/R3283/
Rosemary Azzaro is a consultant who likes e-mail. Contact her at razzaro@comcast.net or RoeA@aol.com