What are the most common mistakes with e-mails?
People are too vague so you don’t understand what they want, they ask for information they might not need and tend to be too emotional.
What are your tips for improving e-mails?
Be specific, use the subject line well, don’t just put ‘a question’ or ‘hello’. Put your request at the top of the e-mail, don’t bury it. Mirror the other person’s formality; if you receive a casual e-mail, send them an informal one and vice versa.
Do people e-mail too much?
Yes. When an e-mail exchange enters its sixth round, you need to give them a call. Informing and confirming are the two best uses for e-mail; it’s best not to use it for negotiating. If ten people are choosing between four venues for a meeting, you can have a million e-mails before a decision is made.
Why are people too emotional on e-mail?
We’re more sensitive to the pain that’s inflicted on us than the pain we inflict, so when we get something mildly hostile and think we’re replying in a mildly hostile manner the person on the receiving end is likely to think we’ve gone way over the top. With an e-mail we’re under the illusion we’re in a conversation but it has a disinhibiting effect. Without a person there we get carried away.
Is being sarcastic on e-mail ever a good idea?
No, people are very paranoid when it comes to e-mail. If anything can be read sarcastically, it will be. Avoid rhetorical questions, too. Saying ‘I didn’t like the work you did on this project’ is probably acceptable but saying ‘Did you really think I’d like the work you did on this project?’ will just cause offence. Whenever you start writing a series of rhetorical questions you’re going to be irritating someone.
Do all companies monitor their employees’ e-mails?
We surveyed major companies and found they all had increasingly sophisticated monitoring . It’s not just searching for key phrases such as ‘insider trading’ or ‘al-Qaeda’ but they can look for changes to your normal e-mail pattern. If you e-mail outside your regular work hours they may be looked at, or if you always write short e-mails and suddenly write long ones they may be looked at. When people misuse their e-mail they often write ‘delete this e-mail’ so companies just check for ‘delete this e-mail’. People also try to cover up using swear words by using asterisks, which isn’t effective as companies can just search for that.
What are bosses looking for?
One of the most common reasons is to check for hostile work environments, people being racist or sexist. In the US, if someone leaves their job, then sues, saying it was a hostile work environment, and it turns out people were sending dirty or racist jokes around the office every day, the company gets in trouble. Even forwarding those jokes can get the individual reprimanded.
When can misusing your e-mail get you sacked?
I had a friend who was fired because he’d send vicious things about his boss to his friend who had the same surname as the boss. One day he hit the wrong key and e-mailed the abuse direct to his boss – that was that, he was fired. Aside from that there are things like ‘inappropriate sharing’. You may think you’re just chatting about your day to your friend at another company but that e-mail could look like you’re funnelling your company’s secrets to their competitors. There have also been examples of corporate executives being sacked for making unwanted sexual advances to employees via e-mail. Something else to watch out for is asking questions that could come back to haunt you. Things like: ‘Do you think our new product damages people’s health?’. Raise it if it’s a serious concern; if you’re just idly musing at your desk, avoid writing anything down.
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