At work, a lot of your time is spent communicating with your coworkers. For most office positions, nearly a quarter of your day is just sending and receiving emails. That doesn’t seem so bad, until you realize emails are where a lot of miscommunication happens, and mistakes are made.
Writing emails is usually done quickly and that can lead to errors. To make sure you get the most out of your office communication, follow a couple of simple guidelines.
Use Clear and Direct Subject Lines
Number one on Business Insider’s List of Email Etiquette rules is to use clear and direct subject lines. When people get your email, they want to know what it’s about. This lets them prioritize it appropriately. If your subject lines are too vague, your emails might get overlooked.
Follow in the Steps of Coworkers
One of the best ways to find out how to write your office emails is to take note of the emails you’re receiving. Are they all addressed to you formally, or are they quick one line emails without a subject line at all? Once you’ve got an idea of how your coworkers use email, follow along.
Be Patient
If you sent an email, but haven’t heard back in a while, keep waiting. While you might need their reply to carry on with your work, remember that everyone is busy. Depending on the urgency, always try to give enough time for your coworker to reply. Most of the time, they’re just working through their projects and will get to you shortly. If you feel you’ve been waiting too long, you can send a follow up email. Make sure to be polite.
Do You Really Need to Reply All?
Reply All is usually seen as the culprit for many, many unnecessary emails. If your boss emails a number of people to make sure a specific time works for a meeting, you don’t need to reply all. Just reply directly to your boss. Making sure you only Reply All when necessary will cut down on extra emails, and your coworkers will be thankful.
Use To:, Cc:, and Bcc: Appropriately
There are three options for sending an email. To: is the most common and is best used for the people you are directly addressing in your email. Cc: is short for carbon copy, this is for people who you want to keep “in the loop”. Usually your boss or the project lead would be people you’d Cc:. Finally, Bcc: is short for Blind Carbon copy. Bcc: is best used when you are sending an email to a large list of people who might not know one another, and might not want their emails becoming public. It’s rare that you’d use Bcc: within your office. Make sure to use each of these three sending options well.
The Email Signature
Most office workers use an email signature. It’s a small thing that comes at the very end of your email. It’s your name, the company you work for and your contact information. Having an email signature automatically added to your email is a good idea, even when you’re just sending emails within your office. You never know when someone might be hunting for your phone number.
Email etiquette often gets overlooked in the fast-paced culture of today’s workplaces, but how you project yourself in office communications can have a huge impact on how your coworkers see you.
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