Why Email Management and Netiquette is Important

By Karen Porter

Publisher/Editor, The Effective Admin

Something occurred to me when I was writing the last publication for The Effective Admin Store about Email Management tips and Netiquette. That was that in general I don't think a large majority of people, including business professionals, feel compelled to purchase such skill improvement publications like "how to write and manage your email."

People often feel driven to buy publications with titles such as" how to make x dollars in two days" or "x ways to ask your boss for a raise tomorrow". Quick, easy solutions that have them picturing, essentially, make-believe stuff.

But buy a booklet on how to write better email or how to manage your email? Well, maybe later if I'm real bored.

But the truth is that an administrative professional who MAKES time to learn, advance AND perfect BASIC skills in hard and soft topics such as communication, interpersonal relations, software proficiency, decision-making, web design, handling conflict, database management, and so much more will be sitting pretty now and in the future. She will have more choices of jobs and employers within and outside of the company; she will have work days filled with satisfaction, not stress due to competency in those skills; and she will get home on time even.

Email is a basic COMMUNICATION tool. It's not just something to make your job easier (or harder, depending on how you view it). Microsoft Outlook, Eudora or whatever email client management application you use is not something the IT department stuck on your computer as a perk.

I'll repeat, email is a COMMUNICATION tool, and communication is the core of your relationships (and often any problems you have) at work.

And with the exception perhaps of general word processing tasks, email usage and management is probably the main SKILL you perform on the computer as an administrative professional. In fact, reading, writing and managing your email and those of your boss probably consumes a LOT of your daily time (especially if you're doing it carelessly or wrong and don't know it).

Email usage seems so simple on the surface. You open email, read it, write something in it, and hit send, right?

WRONG!

I wrote a 15 page tip sheet on email management and netiquette (and I didn't repeat myself in it). If you can pull out 15 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper right now and fill them in an hour off the top of your head with tips on how to write and manage email, you understand it. If not, well, start perfecting your email writing and management skills now.

As you can see, I believe in explaining "why" to people and not just saying you "should" do this or that. So while I couldn't fit this into the tip sheet I wrote on the subject, I still wanted to explain a few more reasons about why perfecting email skills is important to administrative professionals:

Specific benefits of email management include:

1. Time Saved (or better managed) - You'll spend less time writing, reading, checking, sorting and filing email messages when you develop better email practices and put in place email management systems right for you.

2. Company Money Saved - Anything that improves your work performance and saves you time while at work saves the company money (or at least helps them to spend it efficiently). Why? Because your time on the job is company time. You're paid for your time. That's company money.

Also, when you improve your email management performance you improve performance with projects that involve email as a tool. And you have more time to improve your performance on other projects or aspects of your job.

3. No Lost Opportunities - Too much incoming email leads to email overload. This usually results in you not reading some email messages or scanning others really fast. That leads to lost opportunities.

For instance, you miss reading about a project or event someone copied you on (for whatever reason). But if you had known about it earlier, you might have considered volunteering your services to help with portion X of Project B. Why? Because doing so is a chance for you to gain more visibility in the company. (And visibility on the job and in your career is important for reasons this report won't stray into.)

4. Deadlines Met - You wait all day for Sally to return your call with the information you told her you needed by 5 p.m. You left your phone number on her voice mail and spoke with her once about this. She doesn't call. And she's not answering her phone now.

Later you realize that she sent the information by email three hours ago. It was mixed in among a lot of other email messages and you didn't see it earlier. Now you have to work overtime to put the information Sally gave you into your report. Plus you'll be giving the report to your boss later than he expected. And it IS your fault.

Email etiquette is simply about using manners when using email. Specific benefits of email etiquette include:

1. Better Communication/Less Miscommunication - Perhaps many, many years ago when someone wrote you a letter, it was a delight to receive it. But everyone is writing you these days---through email. And it's not always that delightful or poetry to your ears. Why?

Because when writers do not use proper email etiquette or take care with their wording, the intention of the message by the recipient isn't always perceived correctly.

And once you're on the road to miscommunication with an email recipient such as a coworker it's usually downhill. However, you can reverse the situation. But you have to recognize it. And you can't unless you know about email etiquette in the first place.

2. Individual Respect - Your email message represents you. It makes an impression on the recipient. It tells them that you're informed and educated or not (even if you are you won't seem so if your email doesn't reflect that).

3. Company Respect - Your email messages through the company email system represent your company or employer. For example, if you respond to customer service issues with little thought to email etiquette and without taking the time to write thoughtful wording, customers will assume your company does not care about them.

4. No Burned Bridges or Embarrassments Later - You've heard about how much having a little too much fun at an after-hours office party can damage your career. So can a poorly written email, even if it's written during work hours.

You'd be surprised about how that little ole email you sent had a big bad impression on the recipient. And it's one he won't forget, especially if he saved it and it reappears at a most inopportune time.

Resources:

Tip Sheet #7:  The Administrative Professional's Guide to Email Management & Email Etiquette

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