How to Use Email Effectively at Work and Avoid Potential Career Ending Mistakes  

Mastering email communication in the business world takes years of practice, and I use the word “mastered” loosely, since all forms of communication will forever remain works in progress throughout your career. Perfection cannot be achieved, but some basic email etiquette rules can be taught and others learned through trial and error. I stress error, since I have made every huge mistake possible with email.

When I was in my twenties, my mentor and boss, whom I worked under for five years, resigned to pursue another opportunity. I was heartbroken by her departure and agonized about who would be hired to replace her. I could not have imagined anything worse when my new boss walked in the door.  She was a tough lady with an aggressive and direct style. After a heated meeting one day, I angrily typed out a passionate email to my former boss. I described in great detail how much I hated my new boss. I gave specific examples of how she was mistreating me, micro-managing my every move and of my plans to quit. I had bad judgment to put all of this in a company email. In my flurry of emotion I accidentally sent the email to my current boss. Both of their email addresses start with the same letter and the email address auto-populated.  I didn’t even realize my mistake until about three minutes later when my boss called to confront me. You can imagine my shock and embarrassment. It was such a disaster, and I was lucky she didn’t fire me.

As the years have gone by, I’ve encountered one problem after another with email communication in the workplace. In my role as the head of human resources, I am often asked to determine whether emails are “appropriate” or not. What I have found is that email is easy to hide behind. Email doesn’t force a person to look the recipient in the face and be accountable for what he or she is writing. Direct interpersonal contact often drives individuals to maintain a certain level of professionalism and respect.

Email leaves so much to be desired in terms of the emotion behind the words. When speaking in person or on the phone we can hear the inflection of the other person’s voice. We can laugh when joking or be stern and direct when the conversation is serious. Email doesn’t always allow the tone to come through to the reader, and so much is lost in translation. I’ve seen employees become absolutely irate over an email that was genuinely intended to cause no harm at all. It isn’t about how the words are intended but about how the reader perceives the words.

Over time I’ve come up with some basic email rules which are intended to keep employees out of unnecessary trouble.

• Never, ever, ever email when you are mad, frustrated, or angry. You will feel different after giving yourself time to cool off. I recommend waiting at least eight to twenty four hours before sending or responding to an email that involves a sensitive or heated topic. The safest route is not to send an email at all and simply call or meet the person directly.

• Write emails as if your grandmother, principal, or boss is on copy. Whenever I imagine Big Brother is watching, I write clean emails. Remember that an email is a document of record that can be used for or against you. It’s easy not to care in the moment, but you don’t want an inappropriate email to come back to haunt you when least expected.

• Don’t send crude jokes, pictures, or any other content that would potentially violate your employer’s policies or policies of the recipient’s employer. It’s so important to be aware of what you are emailing your friends and relatives when using a business email address. Many employers audit email for inappropriate content that violates their policies. You don’t want to be the cause of an embarrassing policy violation whether for yourself or someone else.

• Don’t turn on the read receipt tool. People generally don’t like being micromanaged, and using the read receipt tool is a great way to burn trust before it’s built. As a general practice I decline all read receipt requests. I find them highly annoying, as if someone is questioning my competence and ability. I’ve also never seen them used in a productive way by the sender. In legal cases, read receipt doesn’t matter. In disciplinary action, read receipt doesn’t matter. When addressing performance concerns, read receipt doesn’t matter. What does matter is the fact that an email was sent. It’s up to the recipient to read the email or suffer the consequences of failing to take action.

• Don’t ever talk about people negatively in an email. Sometimes it feels good to fire off an email rant to a friend or a coworker. The fun ends quickly when that same email is forwarded to your boss, your coworker, your teacher, your mother, your principal, your CEO, or the person you were ranting about. My rule is to trust no one and never rant about another human being. If you are intentionally documenting a complaint about someone, make sure your email is professional and stick to business-related concerns only.

• Avoid copying and blind copying. The person being blind copied doesn’t always realize it and sometimes responds to the entire list. When this happens, you become a target of laughter, mistrust, and ridicule. As a much safer option, I always opt to forward the email in lieu of the BCC. For copying, copy only those who need to know. Please don’t junk up other people’s inboxes.

• Avoid sending long elaborate emails in lieu of having actual conversations. Email is great for routing documents, communicating quick thoughts, directives, reports, and recapping discussions. Never use email to send a tough message without having a verbal conversation either before or directly after. As a general rule, once an email exceeds a paragraph or two, replace it with a conversation.

I’ve executed so many great initiatives through email, but don’t use email as your only communication tool. Instead, talk first, email second.