The following is an
article recently published by Bob Rosner (and used with
permission) on ABCNEWS.COM which I though bears a second
reading by all:
THE USES AND ABUSES
OF E-MAIL
Technology is a wonderful thing.
Thanks to microwave ovens we can overcook food faster than
ever. ATM's let us empty our checking accounts in record time.
And e-mail revs miscommunication to lightening speed.
At least on the e-mail front, it
doesn't have to be that way. E-mail can be a valuable tool.
But many e-mail boxes are jammed with more excess than Imelda
Marcos' shoe closet. They're stuffed with junk mail, jokes,
love letters and sometimes with incendiary material that makes
secret files of the tobacco giants pale in comparison.
TAKING ACTION
Don't Hide Behind E-mail-
Some managers rely on e-mail in lieu of face to face
conversation. It's especially tempting when people are off
site, such as telecommuters or remote offices. The more
dependent you are on e-mail, the more mysterious you become.
Even the Wizard of Oz learned that being a man behind the
curtain only gets you so far. Go down the hall, hang out in the
lunch room at least some of the time.
Use e-mail intelligently-
Just because you can use e-mail doesn't mean you should. Limit
your use to concise messages:
 | Request, confirm or
change appointments |
| Remind people of
deadlines |
| Make announcements |
| Let people know when
you'll be out of the office |
DON'T USE E-MAIL'S
TO:
|
Ruminate
on strategy |
|
Announces
changes in strategy |
|
Announce
major changes such as mergers, acquisitions,
reorganizations or downsizing |
|
Announce
Major policy changes such as vacation time or benefits or
information likely to generate questions |
Don't let e-mail become a
tennis match- We've all known e-mail debates that
have volleyed back and forth more times than a tennis ball at
Wimbledon. If an e-mail goes back and forth more than three
times-and especially if the distribution list gets
bigger-that's a sure sign that the discussion is bigger than
e-mail. Call a halt and bring the people together to resolve
the issue.
Think twice before you
click "send"- E-mail will not protect you
from yourself. Be careful that you are sending what you
intended to send, and that you are sending it to the right
person. One employee read a general e-mail from the boss
and found it insulting. In the heat of the moment she typed an
angry comment to her colleague that ended, "does she
think we are stupid?" Imagine her red face when she
received another e-mail from the boss that simply said,
"Yes, I do." If you can't say something nice....
Don't become dependent-
Its hard to believe, but people actually worked for centuries
without e-mail. That means they didn't check e-mail while they
were at home or on vacation, and they didn't send it during
those times, either. Don't expect people to be chained to
e-mail 24 hours a day, 52 weeks a year. Hardly anything is
that important.
Focus on your own e-mail- Snooping
through other people's e-mail is a risky activity.
STAY OUT OF JAIL
Don't put anything in an e-mail
that you don't want to see in the newspaper or hear in court.
Organizations as diverse as Microsoft and the White House have
learned that even "private" e-mail is not really
private. Nor can it be easily deleted. Don't put anything
confidential in e-mail. That includes:
| Salaries |
| Comments about
employee performance |
| Information about job
candidates and the reason they are or are not hired |
| Personal opinions
about employees |
| Proprietary
information |
| Anything that may be
construed as interfering with union business or union
organizing activities |
Remember, e-mail is a document-
not even a scrap of paper that might get lost or destroyed.
Look at everything you write with the idea that it could be
used against you. That includes personal e-mail sent or
received at work.
Be careful about humor. Just
because you think something is funny doesn't mean everyone
else will. Sending jokes at the office is risky, especially if
the humor is based on race, ethnicity, gender, age or sexual
orientation. Something you thought was hilarious may end up
being used as evidence against you in a sexual harassment or
discrimination suit.
Keep e-mail that may be evidence
of employee performance problems. Hang on to e-mail that shows
an employee is stealing, engaging in unethical behavior,
under-performing, harassing other employees or customers or
otherwise violating company policy or standards. Ideally print
it and keep a hard copy. Yes, experts can often retrieve
e-mail-even if it's been deleted, but it's easier to find if
you've kept it.
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