How to Effectively use Email at Work

Email is probably the most widely used form of communication today, especially in the workplace. Managers who used to send memos now send department-wide emails. Co-workers who sit near each other often email back and forth instead of picking up the phone or talking in person.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Take a few minutes or so to organize your inbox. Set up folders for different categories of correspondence and file your messages in the appropriate folder. Then go ahead and delete any old or sent messages that you absolutely do not need anymore. You'll be glad you did this--logging into your email is a lot less stressful when you don't have hundreds of messages just sitting in your inbox.

2. Set up a signature for your outgoing email messages, if you haven't already. Your signature should include your name, your title, your department, your company's name, your office phone number, fax number and email address.

3. When sending or responding to email correspondence at work, keep it short and professional. Don't overuse emoticons like smiley faces--it might be okay for a co-worker you're friendly with, but generally it is unprofessional to use them in business correspondence. Always spell-check and re-read your message before you send it to find any spelling or grammatical errors that the spell-checker might have missed.

4. Refrain from participating in chain letters or forwards. Even if you find those kinds of things fun, save them for your personal email. This goes for political jokes, too. Your co-workers might not appreciate something you find funny, and you never know whom you might end up offending. Stay professional and save those emails for your non-work friends and family.

5. Follow up with on email as quickly as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• If you need to quickly find an old email message and you don't have time to sort through all of your folders, you can do a search of your entire inbox by pressing Ctrl+Shift+F and typing in the search terms.
• Staying on top of your email correspondence is as crucial to good business as keeping appointments and returning phone calls. If necessary, schedule time in your day solely for sorting through and responding to your email.