There are times when we start to become too comfortable at work. We may not dress as sharp or adorn our offices with personal items that may not be always appropriate. One sign of being too comfortable at work is to become lax on your emails. Here are some email mistakes you may be making.
1. You’re not holding up your end of the bargain
Some people go through a lot of trouble crafting emails that contain a lot of information. If you’re answering those emails with a single sentence then you’re really not holding up your end of the bargain. Answer emails with the appropriate amount of information otherwise people will know you’re figuratively phoning it in.
2. Your emails are full of typos and colloquialisms
If you respond to an email and it says, “sure thing bro, i will b at the meeting by 9. see u there,” that’s probably the wrong way to do it. Even in business environments that are more laid back, it’s important to keep your business communications professional. You never know when you may accidentally send it to someone who isn’t okay with communications like that and you get in trouble. It may take a few extra seconds but it’s better than calling your boss a bro. That’s not cool.
3. You’re adding smiley faces to your emails
You may think it’s cute and helps denote the tone of your words, but 44% percent of people believe it’s wildly unprofessional to put smiley faces in business emails. Since that’s nearly half, that means you essentially have a 50/50 shot at sending a smiley to someone who won’t appreciate it. Do yourself a favor and simply don’t.
4. Your OOTO messages are too rude
When you’re out of the office, you may leave messages in a hurry so it may be short and gruff. You may not mean any offense or rudeness by it but unfortunately text doesn’t have a tone of voice. Take the extra few seconds and concoct an OOTO message that is appropriate and friendly so people don’t think you’re being mean. It’s a problem that’s easily avoided and solved.
5. You don’t leave OOTO messages
One big mistakes you can make is not handling the emails that come in when you’re gone. If there’s an emergency, someone emails you, and you don’t leave an OOTO message, someone is going to think you dropped the ball. People get downright mad when you don’t let people know you’re out of the office.
6. You send emails before reviewing the entire conversation
These days, emails are shown in threads rather than individual responses. Sometimes you may look at the first email and not notice that there are other replies. If you miss them and respond to an email you may end up answering a question or request that’s already been answered. Aside from being embarrassing, it’ll also cause people to question your competence.
7. You forget to send the attachment or send the wrong attachment
This one is easy enough to do and everyone does it every now and then. If you plan on sending files along with your email, you have to remember to add them to the email. Not doing so can make others angry at you, gum up the work flow, and even cause more problems if you send it at the end of the day, forget the attachment, and don’t find out until the next day! It just takes a little bit of brain power so don’t forget!
8. You failed to include a basic greeting
You wouldn’t believe the effect of saying the word “hi” or “hello” when sending an email. Think about it in real life. Would you walk up to someone randomly at work and just telling them stuff? Of course not, you’d said hi or find a way to get their attention first. Emails work much the same way. When you don’t include a greeting, it’s considered rude which can cause problems even when there isn’t one. It’s just a few keystrokes, don’t forget to include the hi!
9. You don’t use BCC or CC correctly
In an email there are three fields. There is the main contact box where you put the subject in the email. The CC is the carbon copy and those people will receive a copy of the email and the original recipient will know that the other people have been CC’d. BCC is called a blind carbon copy. People in the BCC get a copy of the email but no one else will know that person got a copy of the email. Don’t use this too often because if people find out that others can see these communications then you’ll be the office snitch. Being a whistleblower can be all good but being the office snitch isn’t.
10. Your tone in your email is all wrong
Text does have a tone. The problem is that the tone is dependent on the person reading it but it doesn’t always have to be. The way you craft your sentences guides people on how to read it. If your sentences are gruff and frank then people will assume you’re communicating in a gruff and blunt manner. Take a little extra time to write full, descriptive sentences so people don’t think you’re being a jerk. It’ll go a long way.
Pretty much all email mistakes are simple mistakes that are easy to fix. All it requires is a little bit of attention. Communication is important in all forms and that includes electronically. Just keep it smooth and professional and you’ll anger the least number of people.
Featured photo credit: On Sugar via media4.onsugar.com
