The Ten Commandments

Although often overlooked, this is a professional no-no. Your work email is for you to represent your company. Your work time is for work-related communications. You've seen the news. Politicians and high-ranking executives even make this mistake at great cost. Regardless of your reasoning, using your professional email for personal use is poor form. At entry levels, this is seen as amateurish or faulty judgment. Though it might not be worth bringing up to the employee, it leaves a reputation stain a young professional might not realize is there. For more seasoned professionals, the act looks presumptuous and entitled or ignorant at worst. While using your personal email account on work time seems like a much better choice, watch that time stamp. If you're on the clock and not on your lunch hour, consistent personal communications from any account can present real problems at the office. Now that you know, think twice about the message you're sending both digitally and reputationally.

You probably know the acronyms, 'cc' and 'bcc', but decoding how to use them and responding according to their use is key knowledge. If your email address is in the 'to' line, you are who the email is addressed to. If your email appears in the 'cc' line it means: read this email, respond only if you have something important to clarify, otherwise this is an FYI. It also means: I'm throwing information into your court that I expect you to know later or be able to access.

Now for the ever-sensitive 'bcc' line. Think of it like a weapon. it can be useful and is very rarely needed. It can also kill you—or at least your reputation, credibility, or even career. The blind copy field signals that you are being given information privately. Whatever the covert reason may be, if you see your name in this 'bcc' line you should never—never respond to the email, as your response will out the sender who was trying to give you information quietly. Senders using the 'bcc' line, use cautiously. Alternatively, avoid this mess by simply forwarding your sent email to the intended blind copied party instead of using bcc.

So many things have become outdated as our technology has evolved, however, the subject line is still highly relevant—now more than ever. Choose one word or a very short phrase that titles your email. If getting information on an ordered item is your quest, a purchase order, item number, confirmation number, or some smart look-up information could be the difference between your email rising to the top of the helpline, or being flagged as one that will take longer—so it will wait. People like little wins. It is natural for the easiest items in an inbox to get first attention. General subject lines make emails hard to find in the future. Avoid coming across as mindless with a “hey there” or something too generic.

There is no blanket rule except to use that noggin—every single time. For starters, for the reasons in the previous email etiquette rule. Further, a reply to all is absolutely necessary in some cases and completely ridiculous and annoying in others. Your task is to check yourself habitually. Ask yourself, “Does everyone on the email need this information? Will it help everyone move faster, work more efficiently, know to check this item off their list, or make good decisions about next steps?” If so, definitely hit reply all. If your answer is no, even if you're almost positive everyone wants to laugh at your quick-witted response—it’s probably best to refrain from a reply-to-all. Trust me.

This email is not the platform on which you will prove your lofty abilities through words. No one should be subjected to read a novel of feelings, wordy exhibitions of your vast vocabulary, or an open flow of thought. By now, you know it's obvious to edit your emails for spelling, but the pro-move here is to edit them for content as well. If you think best by writing everything down, by all means, start there. Then, dear friend—do not hit send. I'll explain more in the next etiquette tip, but this is key—emails are not for communicating feelings or long explanations. Emails are binary, black-and-white messages with a potential for disaster when a layer of emotion is superimposed by as assumptive reader. Explanations are best for verbal interactions. Keep emails to just the facts. Here is an example of how to edit an email:

initial response...
Hi John, I received your email on the day we were both traveling and you know my flight was delayed, so that is why I haven't gotten back to you until this morning, which seems completely reasonable to me. I have the info you asked for, which is that we received 10 of the 12 items we ordered and I'll need to call to get more info as to why. I can't get any more info until the office opens today. I will have to let you know after that.

Great, it's all written down. Now that it's out of your system, time to edit...

edited before sending...
Hi John, We received 10 of the 12 items we ordered. I'm getting more info as soon as the office opens at 9. I'll be in touch shortly after.

All caps equals e-yelling. Would you yell in your office? And get away with it? The beauty of emails is the editing capability. The Achilles heel is the send button. The sight of this is unnerving as sends a message that you have a lack of emotional control, just as it would if you yelled into the face of your recipient in person. If you need to emphasize, try using words first. Alternatively—and very discerningly if you need to emphasize a word, try to bold upper and lower case as a (slightly) milder alternative.

In addition to general zombie-typing (did she even read what she wrote?), there are three email offenses to edit out once you have pecked out all your feelings. The trifecta of e-offenses are excuses, verbal aggression, and profanity. I know, you would never! I linked the definitions to these terms for us—just in case you’re not sure if that typed-out message has a certain tone. Seriously, the trick is this: read as the recipient. This taps into your empathy skills. The best emails communicate a message that is easily read by the recipient. As writers, we tend to peck out quickly what we want to say without considering how it could be read. Edit down to short, factual sentences or phrases. If there is the slightest chance information will be received negatively, begin with voice communication and end the call with a polite appreciation for their time, and a mention that you will send the facts in a follow-up email for everyone's convenience. When emotions are high, the phone is where you go—and many tempting adjectives are not your friends in the email correspondence.

What's the secret of earning the respect of your colleagues and clients? Do not use email to drop the proverbial ball. It is a common rookie mistake. The act of sending an email does not check an item off your responsibility list. If you need to send time-sensitive information, or if a follow-up is required of the recipient to ensure they received your communication, your work here is only partially done. Never use email to irresponsibly toss the proverbial ball. It presents as immature and inexperienced, or at worst, irresponsible.

Always begin with an appropriate greeting, according to your relationship. “Dear Anne,” or “Hi Anne,” and then begin your message. If there is a quick back-and-forth exchange between two familiar people (your boss and clients are not familiar, even if they seem to be), during one email string, it might be fair to drop the intro text and get to the point. Do this wisely. In the end, keep in mind that a signature with attachments can backfire. Don't attach an image to your signature, no matter what the designer tells you (speaking as a designer). It slows loading time and impedes searching through past emails for attachments. Use a valediction that is both authentic and simple. My friends across the pond tell me emphatically to inform my fellow Americans to stop using 'cheers' in an email signature. Apparently, it's a Brit-only usage thing. 'Sincerely', 'Best regards', 'Best', are all solid recommendations. I often use “Kindly” or “Warmly.” If you use a phrase, only the first word is capitalized and the word or phrase is followed by a comma. A link to your company website and your contact phone number are very good to include. For work, don't include any personal contact information in your signature unless your personal cell is also used for work. In your personal email, include anything you like—including links to social handles if you choose—however if you choose to represent your work in your personal emails, your boss should know and approve that activity.

The last commandment is certainly not the least. The more you work the more likely it is that you have a glass of wine or an after-work sip or two, then you remember an email you need to send or that thing you meant to say—once your mind has finally slowed from the earlier chaos. Sleep it off. Or, write the email to make progress, and save it to drafts for potential edits in the morning. Never, ever send an email under the influence—of anything. This includes alcohol, prescription or illegal substances, and especially heightened emotions. Sleep it off. Edit. Stay safe.