What is appropriate email etiquette in the workplace? Sending emails is a daily task for many employees of today’s. Managers use it to send memos, schedule meetings, and send documents. Like everything else, however, there is “a time and a place” and emails are no exception. Let’s explore some do’s and do not’s of email etiquette in the workplace.
Email Etiquette in the Workplace
To ‘CC’ or Not To ‘CC’
Work emails are tricky. Sometimes it is considered fine to have a private conversation between two people, other times third or fourth parties should be included. It is never, however, acceptable to ‘CC’ every single person in the company in one email.
To figure out if you should ‘CC’ others in the company, ask yourself these questions beforehand.
- Do multiple people actually need to read this?
- Is this a good use of company or employee resources?
Consider your employees’ or coworkers’ time and whether or not this is a task that would benefit from multiple staff members’ involvement. Find out if including multiple people incurs a cost for the company.
Typing in Caps
Unless there is a keyword that emphasizes the point of the email, typing in caps is another faux pas of business. Typing in all caps implies a hostile attitude. It appears as though you are berating your coworker(s). Studies have also shown it is more difficult to read documents that have been typed in all caps.
Calling to Ask, “Did you get the email?”
Immediately calling someone to ask whether or not they received your email may be viewed as unprofessional. To begin with, your recipient might be in a meeting, talking with a client, or another business errand. He or she may not have had time to view your message. Secondly, failing to allow someone the appropriate time to respond will only aggravate them and cause tension in the workplace.
Sending Sensitive Information
Unless you know or have confirmed that you are emailing a trustworthy party, you should never include personal information in an email. That includes things like addresses, contact information, passwords, social security or credit card numbers, or trade secrets. Email is not always secure. With the right tools, anyone using your personal network can access and view your emails. Your provider’s staff and even your own IT department can possibly access your emails as well. Emails are also considered to be copyrighted by the original author.
