Stop sending to all if all do not have a need to know.

“Reply All” is convenient. It is easy. BUT – If all don’t need to know, you’ve just intruded. Yes, every unnecessary email IS an intrusion.

Some companies have actually removed the ‘Reply All’ button. What a novel idea!

Be frugal with who’s copied on your responses. Not only will it save them time, YOU won’t get their response – so you’ll get less email too.

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Okay. Now it is time to rant. This past week I received at least 15 e-mail messages with this simple one or two word response, “thanks” or “ok.”

Hey, I know folks are just trying to be nice. BUT – We have got to let go of our need to keep the trail going. With the average worker receiving anywhere from 100 to 150 e-mail messages daily, let’s do everyone a favor and stop with the one word responses.

I actually received this response — “Thanks — and how are the kids?”  Puh-lease! It is bad enough that you send me an e-mail I didn’t need, but now you are asking me to comment on something absolutely and totally unrelated to the original stream of information.

The one exception that I can tolerate as a one-word response is something that relates to a meeting or scheduling or timing. I actually do like to receive a message that says “Confirmed.”

What are your pet peeves?

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Dixie disciplines and critiques by e-mail.

E-mail is very easily misinterpreted.  When you use email to discipline, reprimand, or criticize, chances are that the recipient won’t receive it in the way you meant it.  You are opening the door to a multitude of emails in reply.

Dixie’s Antidote:  Because of the possibility of misunderstanding or miscommunication, as well as a lack of face-to-face interaction, email is not appropriate for disciplining co-workers or pointing fingers at wrongdoers. Though it may seem like a fast and productive way to deal with the issue, it can prompt a myriad of emails back and forth, involving many more people than necessary. In addition, the trail of emails can leave a written record of the transaction, which may work to be detrimental to the emailer or the company in the future.

The best practice has always been to reward in public, and discipline in private. Email is not the proper tool for private criticism.

Excerpted from Inbox Detox, Acanthus Publishing, 2009

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Manny sends e-mails in the middle of the night. Regularly.

Have you ever received an email sent at 3:30 am? What did you think of the emailer? Was it positive?

Some employees actually think they will impress their bosses and co-workers by sending emails while others are sleeping.  Most people do not view this practice positively. It raises questions about one’s inability to sleep: is this person running on all cylinders at 3 o’clock in the morning; and why is he or she obsessing about this anyway?

 Manny’s Antidote:  Be cautious about this practice. Just as important as managing your work, it is important to manage the impressions you send.  If you are one of those rare folks who does his or her best work in these off hours, your email program most likely has a feature that allows you to delay sending until more conventional business hours.

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Penelope checks her home e-mail account regularly, and uses the company email for personal things.

Many employees make the mistake of using their business email for personal reasons. Whether it’s emailing the babysitter to check on the kids or keeping up with college buddies, personal emails are scarcely warranted from your workplace email account.

Penelope’s Antidote:  Don’t do it.

A word to the wise: your employer owns your work email account, and has a legal right to every piece of information transmitted over its business network.  Even if deleted, sent emails can be “mined.” In addition, remember that emails can constitute a public record; this is yet another reason not to use them to transmit sensitive, argumentative, or personal information from your work account. Even merely accessing your personal email through your business’s internet system can be dangerous, as records and logs of those transactions can be accessed by the company.

Excerpted from Inbox Detox, Acanthus Publishing, 2009

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Evan gets upset easily.  When he gets upset, he bangs on his keyboard.  Evan sends emails that create controversy, upset others, and tear down relationships.

Evan’s Antidote:  Send informational emails, not emotional ones.  If angry or upset, Evan should wait til he cools off to compose the email, or to decide if it is even necessary.  If he suspects that his emotions may have tarnished the message, sleep on it.

It is really important that the sender read and reread the e-mail before sending so that misinterpretation is minimized or avoided. That’s why keeping e-mails simple and informational is a very good rule to follow. 

Excerpted from Inbox Detox, Acanthus Publishing, 2009

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Keyboard Kim’s fingers are locked to her keyboard.  That’s all she does – tap away on those keys…

When I ask clients if they have ever e-mailed to the person in the cubicle or office next to them, nine times out of ten, the answer is yes.  Sometimes this is appropriate – in the case of simple questions for which people don’t want to interrupt or impose – but other times, it’s absolutely ridiculous because the item requires discussion.

This practice isn’t happening with only the person in the next cubicle, but applies to anyone within reasonable range of contact. Some people are said to “hide” behind their email, using it prolifically even when other means of communication are more appropriate.

Kim’s Antidote: Many times, face-to-face or telephone discussion is much preferred over email. Simply taking the initiative to meet with a person, and getting the issue resolved with dialogue enables the employee to convey the facial expressions, body language, and feedback that can make an interaction more useful. Just remember, email can never replace conversation.

Excerpted from Inbox Detox, Acanthus Publishing, 2009

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Somewhat related to the copy happy emailer is the person who sends blind copies of emails to “interested” parties.  This practice is akin to “playing rat.”  It can be viewed as tattling and its use as a valuable tool is questionable.  If your organization is not open and trusting, the use of BCCs will evidence the symptom.

And they can be a source of awkwardness too.  One of my clients lamented his using “Reply All” on an email for which he received a BCC.  At the time he responded, he didn’t realize that he was “blind copied”. The recipients of his email raised a lot of questions as to how he got the email, and destroyed the trust of the original emailer.

Callie’s Antidote:  Don’t BCC.  Deal with issues in the open.

Excerpted from Inbox Detox, Acanthus Publishing, 2009

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Harry loves email. It is fast, inexpensive, and he can add anyone and everyone who might have even a smidge of interest in his topic or project, and it doesn’t cost him a dime!  So he does.

He has group lists, he has a huge database of… everyone.  And he uses it.

Although Harry thinks this practice doesn’t cost anything, it does.  Everytime a recipient has to open an unnecessary email, it costs the company money.  And most of them will respond to Harry, so it costs Harry more time.

Harry’s Antidote:  Copy ONLY those people who really need to receive the information.

Excerpted from Inbox Detox, Acanthus Publishing, 2009

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Forwarding Frank forwards e-mails indiscriminately, without editing, or explaining the forward.

Another practice that seems to get people’s goats is to receive a long strain of e-mail correspondence — I have seen some with more than 10 appended e-mails — with the simple statement, “see below.” How will the recipients know which part of which e-mail was important?

Frank’s Antidote:  By taking just seconds to “clean up” the forwarded e-mails, and highlighting or even summarizing the most important points, you will save your readers time and confusion.  Even more so, you may save yourself from unnecessary return e-mails with questions asking for clarification.

Excerpted from Inbox Detox, Acanthus Publishing, 2009

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