Workplace E-mail and Instant Messenger

Recommended Rules of Thumb for Workplace
E-mail & Instant Messenger Use

How to Write a Professional E-mail:

1. Avoid smiley faces, colored font, and codes such as lol (laughing out loud). E-mails should be written in Arial 10- or 12- black font.
2. Always write in full sentences when possible. Do not use '…' as a separation between sentences.
3. Use exclamation points sparingly. Periods convey more maturity and emotional control which in the professional world equals credibility.
4. Never use all capital letters, it portrays shouting.
5. Always reread your e-mails for grammatical and spelling mistakes.
6. Make sure the subject line is filled in and summarizes the content of the e-mail.
7. Only use workplace jargon if communicating within your organization.
8. Beware of reply-all! Before you send a reply, ask yourself whether everyone on the list needs to receive your message.
9. Only put information in an e-mail that you would not be embarrassed about if it was shown to the whole company.
10. If you are going to be away for a week, make sure your e-mail has an auto response and send an e-mail to all regular correspondents informing them you will be away.
11. Save the forwards for your friends, not your boss or coworkers.
12. Have a signature in your e-mail that states your name, position, organization, address, and phone number.
13. Keep your favorite catchy quotes for your personal signature file.
14. Consider a professional e-mail to be the same as a memo.
15. Always remember that you are a representative of your organization when using workplace e-mail.

Incidental Personal Use of Workplace E-mail:

1. Inform yourself about whether your workplace has a policy on incidental personal use of e-mail. This can vary widely from organizations that prohibit any personal use to those that do not specify any restrictions.
2. Be sure to check your organization's policy. Many times you are not allowed to use e-mail for monetary gains, to spread libel, or to harass others, to name just a few.
3. Consider creating an outside e-mail account to keep in touch with friends and family during work, such as Yahoo, Hotmail, or Gmail. They are all free services.
4. Never send something through your work e-mail that you would be embarrassed about if it were accidentally sent to the whole company.
5. Save those e-mails complaining about work, coworkers, and/or your boss for your personal e-mail account.
6. Don't forward large attachments that may slow down your organization's server, whether it is to recipients within or outside the organization.
7. Many servers block e-mails with curse words in them. If this is true for your workplace, be careful not to write any in your e-mails, and remind your friends to do the same when they send you e-mail.

Can you use Instant Messenger (IM)?

1. Many companies now use forms of instant messenger as a tool to increase productivity in their organizations.
2. It is easy to fall into informal mannerisms when using instant messenger, but remember if you are using it for work that you must always act professional. The same rules that apply to e-mail also apply to IM.
3. Before using IM during working hours to keep in touch with friends and family, be sure to always read your company policy first.
4. There are many companies that view instant messenger programs as a security risk. Be aware if this is your organization's stance.
5. If your policy allows for incidental personal use of IM at work, feel free to use it as long as it does not interfere with any of your responsibilities.
6. Don't interrupt your neighbors by having your sound on. Mute that IM!
7. If you are ever unsure about a policy, feel free to contact someone in human resources to get clarification.

Make sure you read your company's policies. There are companies that monitor all e-mail and internet use. It is generally best to save the web surfing and personal e-mails for your personal time.