How to Use Email Etiquette in the Workplace

Expressing yourself through email is helpful and many times necessary. But it is important to know the audience you are corresponding with. Read on to learn how to use email etiquette in the workplace.

Instructions

How to Use Email Etiquette in the Workplace

1. Try to familiarize yourself with standard business-letter composition. Use basic business salutations, such as the word “dear,” as opposed to using the word “Hi.” Use the person’s first name if you are familiar with him and his department. If you are not familiar with the person, use his full name or last name. Try to save the salutation “Hi” for people you know on a friendly basis.

2. Create a businesslike tone in the body of your email. After a brief introduction, fill the body of your email with clearly thought-out sentences. This will help the recipient understand exactly what actions need to be taken when working on a project, or what questions need to be answered.

3. Apply the spell-check and punctuation functions to your entire email. Spelling and punctuation are essential to proper email etiquette in the workplace. The worst thing you can do is send an email filled with misspellings and incorrect punctuation to your superiors.

4. Familiarize yourself with the terms and usage of Cc: and Bcc: “Cc:” means “carbon copy” and “Bcc:” means “blind carbon copy.” When you want a third party to see your email, you Cc: them. This lets the recipient of the email know another party has been included in the viewing of this email. Bcc: allows you the option of permitting the third party to view this email without the recipient’s knowledge.

Tips & Warnings

• Proofread your email after you have used the spell-check and punctuation functions.

• A dateline on your email can be saved for formal letters.

• Remember to use a thesaurus and dictionary when needed!

• Remember that misspelled words make you look ignorant.

• Stay away from curses and derogatory statements in the workplace!

• Avoid bold text, italics and the capitalization of words. These could be misconstrued as denoting temper.

• Do not send emails in non-standard fonts and colors.

• Remember that you can be reprimanded for sending unprofessional forwards!

• Do not send other coworkers and departments emails that are meant for your exclusive viewing purposes. In other words, do not include others in your business affairs.

• Stay away from slang.