Proper E-Mail Etiquette for All Employees

By Amanda Cohen on May 20, 2018

With summer either quickly approaching for some of you or, for others, with summer fun already in the air, many of you will be introducing new interns or new full-time recruits to your place of work. Even though interns and new employees usually go through some sort of HR orientation, this practice isn’t used with already well-seasons employees and/or recruiters like yourselves.

Something huge that I was always taught before and/or during my internships is how to write appropriate e-mails to fellow employees, especially those who are higher up in the work world than I was. As an underdog (an intern), I was always told to introduce myself in my e-mails, use proper grammar, be concise, and thank the person for his/her time. I would love to spread the understated knowledge of e-mail etiquette to everyone! To learn the art of e-mailing people, read on.

Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/envelope-at-mail-email-e-mail-3413133/

Signature

Once you reach a certain point in your life, it is imperative that you have a permanent signature that ends each and every single one of your e-mails. Your signature should include your name, your position, you work and/or cell phone number, your e-mail address, and the company that you work for. By ending your e-mails this way, you know that you have given your correspondents all of the information they need to contact you and they also know that they are talking to the correct person, in regards to your job position. Another added benefit of the e-mail signature is that it makes you look very professional.

Organization

Your e-mails should be organized in a variety of ways. First, you should always use paragraphs for different topics covered I an e-mail. Second, your sentences should be grammatically correct without any errors. If your e-mail contains many errors, it will look like you are indifferent to the person you are corresponding with. Third, read over your e-mails so that your sentences and paragraphs are not all over the place. You want to make sure that your points are clear so that a variety of follow-up e-mails aren’t necessary. The clearer and more organized you are in one e-mail, the more you can avoid unnecessary back-and-forth that takes up valuable time in your workday.

Concise (as possible)

If there isn’t a need for a lengthy e-mail, don’t write one. Oftentimes we forget that we can cover an important topic in a few sentences, rather than in a whole page. In order to avoid wordiness and unnecessary fluff, read over your e-mails and use the above organization techniques to make sure that you are getting right to the point. There is also no need to show off your SAT-regulated vocabulary when writing your e-mails. Use concise, uncomplicated words and sentences to avoid any confusion. Talking via. e-mail already leaves room for misunderstanding, so being concise and not overly complicated will always work in your favor.

Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/computer-laptop-technology-office-3368242/

Utilizing the Calendar Function

If your e-mail is about booking a time to meet or an event, make sure to utilize the calendar function provided by your e-mail. Even if you are just planning a 20-minute coffee date, inviting the other person using the calendar events page will ensure that you are both on the same page in regards to time, place, etc. Most calendars also will allow you to set reminders so that neither of you forget about the upcoming event. It may seem tedious, but it’s easy to forget about things during a hectic workday and work week, so just trust me when I say the calendar function is always the answer when planning events via e-mail.

E-Mail Purpose

If you need to talk about something personal, don’t try to communicate with the person through an e-mail. If something is personal, oftentimes someone is trying to keep it private and/or it’s serious enough that they want to ensure that the communication difficulties that come through typing instead of face-to-face conversation don’t take place. Like I said above, you can set up a time to talk about the piece of personal information, but if a person seems really reluctant to share something over e-mail, respect his/her decision and don’t try to force the conversation into an e-mail. E-mail and technology are fantastic for the workplace, but some things just aren’t meant to be talked about over e-mail and we need to all remind ourselves of this.

E-mail etiquette is as simple as that! In addition to what I wrote, just remember to be respectful when you are talking to an employee through e-mail and proofread items so that you show that you care about the conversation you and the other employee are having. Lastly, one great e-mail is better than five lackluster, disorganized e-mails, so let’s always try our bests to get it right the first time! Good luck with work and all of the fun that comes with it!

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