
No office tool in the history of business life has had the capacity to cause as much disruption, reduce productivity or get as many people fired as email has. You could add up all the hours spent looking for staples, fixing the photo-copier or wrestling with spreadsheet formula for a year and it would not equal one day’s worth of time wasted in the UK due to email.
But seriously, this tool that is designed to make us quicker and more connected is dangerous when put in the wrong hands. And who teaches anyone how to use email? In an attempt to make my life easier, and maybe yours, here is my five-step email charter:1. Reply all… really?
2. WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?!?!
If your email is important enough for me to read, then you shouldn’t need to capitalise words or include exclamation marks. It makes you look impatient and irritating. If what you’re saying is that important, then pick up the phone. The good old tradition of actually speaking to people is dying out. We’re humans and (most of us) enjoy verbal communication – go on, have a chat!3. Cut the text speak 🙂
4. Are you angry?
If so, take a break and reconsider sending. No good ever came from a moody email. Sarcasm doesn’t translate on email either, and smiley faces don’t actually mean you can get away with insulting5. “Think before you print”
If your email includes 18 lines telling me to “think before I print” or “please save the planet”, delete it and consider applying for a job at Green Peace. Equally, if you have a long legal disclaimer in your signature, get rid of it! Nobody wants to sift through pointless information. At PEER 1 we prefer this: “UNDISCLAIMER: We mean everything we write in our emails.” Dominic Monkhouse is managing director of Peer 1 Hosting.Share this story