No one wants to be the person who sends an inappropriate or poorly worded e-mail around the company. Understanding e-mail etiquette and the correct way to compose an effective message is a valuable skill in today’s workplace. Here are some tips to brush up on your e-mail correspondence.

In today’s business environment, e-mail has replaced many of the interactions that used to happen face-to-face, but with the proliferation of electronic messaging there has also been a corresponding rise in its misuse. Accidentally sending an embarrassing message to the entire company has become a too-common occurrence, but the more pervasive problem is poorly composed notes that fail to get their point across and end up wasting coworkers’ time.

“Poor grammar, typos and everything in between have become an epidemic among business people,” business development blog AskTheManager.com explains. “Even when someone is smart enough to employ their spell-checker, it’s clear they don’t understand the first thing about their audience.”

Persistently bad e-mail can actually elevate stress levels within a work environment and eventually degrade performance.

A 2009 study presented to the Australian Psychological Society found that poorly crafted and complex e-mail can contribute to work-related stress and feeling overwhelmed, as well as affect job satisfaction and working relationships. Employees reported that poorly written e-mail can also “create confusion and disagreements over work-related activities and responsibilities.”

In most cases, using one’s judgment can be enough to ensure an inappropriate e-mail doesn’t get passed around, but judgment is a relative thing and it never hurts to be revisit proper e-mail etiquette.

When writing business-related e-mail, avoid making the mistakes on this list from the Wall Street Journal:

• Using vague or misleading subject lines;
• Burying important information, such as dates or deadlines, at the bottom of the message;
• Hiding behind the “blind copy” (BCC) field, especially because someone may hit “reply all” and dispel any anonymity;
• Failing to remove or untangle a long string of earlier replies or forwards;
• Ignoring grammar, syntax, punctuation or precision;
• Writing unnecessarily long messages;
• Not breaking the text into readable, easily referenced sections;
• Being rude, unfriendly or using potentially offensive remarks;
• Using e-mail for an occasion that clearly doesn’t require it;
• Forgetting that e-mail lasts forever, if not in an inbox, then in a server, and can be retrieved when needed.

It can be frustrating to be on the receiving end of an e-mail that makes these sorts of mistakes, but it’s important to remain tactful whenever possible. For example, when you find that someone is sending you messages unnecessarily, BNET’s Business Hacks blog recommends replying to the original sender and saying, “I’m not the right person for this.”

Likewise, if someone is making excessive requests via e-mail or asking for too much clarification on tangential matters, it can be acceptable to simply send them a related link and save yourself the time of a more thorough reply.

Before clicking the “send” button, it’s crucial that you review your message and make sure it follows the guidelines of e-mail etiquette. Use this checklist from online courtesy resource NetManners.com to avoid any last-minute mistakes:

• Ensure the e-mail has a courteous greeting and closing and avoids sounding terse.
• Address the recipient with the proper title, and make sure his or her name is spelled correctly.
• Use the built-in spell-check function and give it your own read-through to catch any typos or grammatical mistakes.
• Read your e-mail aloud to verify it has the right tone, and avoid using formatting (i.e., italics, bolding, unusual colors) to drive home a point.
• Be sure you’ve included all the relevant information and details in the e-mail so you won’t have to exchange a flurry of follow-ups.
• Double-check the sentence structure to avoid common mistakes, and remove any instances of “!!!” or “???” to maintain a professional tone.
• If your e-mail is emotionally charged, walk away from it and review it later with a clearer head.
• When sending attachments, make sure the file size is not huge and try to condense multiple attachments so the recipient won’t have to wade through 50 downloads.
• If using the “reply all” function, make sure that everyone on the list needs to hear what you have to say.
• Make a final check of all the addresses so you won’t have to forward or resend your e-mail.

Even the most conscientious employee makes an e-mail mistake from time to time, but with attentiveness and a focus on readability, you can avoid making the major errors that frustrate your coworkers.

Finally, remember that e-mail itself isn’t always the best solution for communicating with others at work. According to a 2009 study by business efficiency firm Cohesive Knowledge Solutions, American companies lose an estimated $540 billion in productivity due to unnecessary e-mail each year. If e-mail isn’t your best option, don’t add to the waste.

Resources

The Twelve Worst Business E-Mail Etiquette Mistakes Ever
AskTheManager.com, Aug 12, 2008

Unprofessional Emails Cause Workplace Stress
by Rowena Brown
Australian Psychological Society, June 25, 2009

Top 10 Mistakes Managers Make with E-mail
by Tim Flood
The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 4, 2010

3 Time-Saving E-mail Replies for Emptying Your Inbox
by Dave Johnson
Business Hacks (BNET), Jan. 13, 2010

Before You Click “Send” E-Mail Checklist
NetManners.com, Oct. 13, 2008

America Wastes $540 Billion on Low Value E-Mail Each Year
Cohesive Knowledge Solutions, April 4, 2009