What You Should Never Do with Official Email

An email is quick, easy, and immediate, which makes it a great communication tool, but it is also a potential career-killer. Email presents numerous pitfalls for anyone who is careless, cantankerous, or impulsive. We therefore offer the following list of things you should never do with email. 

1. Hiding behind the Monitor.

Never use email to avoid difficult conversations that should be held in person. This includes chastising your colleagues, reprimanding your employees, or breaking up with your romantic partner.

2. Try to resolve a conflict.

Bruised feelings and serious disagreements should never be discussed at length through back-and-forth emails. If you have had two email exchanges and the issue remains unresolved, pick up the phone or make a visit and talk to the person.

3. Respond when you’re angry.

Email makes it all too easy to fire back immediately when you are aggravated, irritated, or frustrated. Many people have later wished that they could “unsend’ an irate retort. If an email makes you mad, wait at least an hour before sending a reply. 

4. Forward emails without checking contents.

Forwarding an email is fine until there is no hidden bomb in it. Blindly forwarding may cost you a client, a promotion and even your job!

5. Using the 'CC' as a weapon.

If you want to become quickly unpopular, just make a habit of routinely copying management whenever you send a critical email. Your colleagues will soon become resentful and find creative ways to retaliate. 

6. Assume that formatting remains the same.

The fonts and symbols on your computer may not exist in your recipient’s software. When they don’t, the receiving computer will simply substitute something else. For example, the bullets on one resume turned into little lips. And the creative font on a brochure became something completely illegible. So stick with standard fonts in your emails and attachments. 

7. Forget to double-check the “to” line.

With auto-complete, it’s easy to type in the first few letters of an email address and wind up with an unintended recipient. Emails may contain sensitive information which may be received by unintended recipients. Not advisable.

8. Assume that others will appreciate your political, religious, humorous, or inspirational messages.

First of all, many people don’t want their already-crowded inbox further cluttered with emails unrelated to work. But more importantly, they may very well not share your views. 

9. Broadcast others’ email addresses.

If you are emailing a lengthy list of disparate recipients, remember that many people don’t want their address shared with strangers. Hiding addresses doesn’t require special software or settings. Just use the BCC line on the message.

10. Provide no other contact information.

All business emails should include a “signature” listing phone number and physical address. People outside your company need to know how to get in touch with you. A signature can be easily added with Outlook settings.

Bonus

Never, never, never write anything in an email that you would not want to see in print, in court, or in your boss’s hands.