E-mail Etiquette

To start with, this document is intended to offer the guidance to the user on the official e-mails. Personal mails vary from person to person, so it is better to leave them personally to the reader. In our office culture vocal communication is an important part. It is easy for us to convey any message to other person who is in front of us or on the other end of a telephone.
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E-mail Etiquette E-mail Etiquette V1.0 Page 1 of 22 E-mail Etiquette January 14, 2007 Proprietary and confidential Prepared By Anupam Dutta Confidential 3/26/2009 E-mail Etiquette V1.0 Page 2 of 22 Version Author Creation date 1.0 Anupam (anupam.dutta@indiatimes.com) 14 October 2005 E­mail Etiquette To start with, this document is intended to offer the guidance to the user on the official e-mails. Personal mails vary from person to person, so it is better to leave them personally to the reader. In our office culture vocal communication is an important part. It is easy for us to convey any message to other person who is in front of us or on the other end of a telephone. But problem arises when your message is delivered and read when you are not there to interpret. There comes the necessity of proper written communication. It includes mainly two things 1) express the “thinking” in the “writing” 2) abide by the rules and guidelines of writing an official letter. Missing the first point will make your letter purposeless, aimless and by missing of the later one, you may land up with any kind of legal risks. So it is necessary for you to acquaint the guidelines for the written communication. Written communication may be letter, fax, telegram etc. But after the invention of the E-mail and with the explosion in use of the Internet and personal computers, the E-mail is the one which has become the most important mean of written communication. It is not just a quick, easy and relatively cheap way to keep in touch with others, it has also become an essential tool in business, a fundamental part of the way in which we work. • Why Needed? E-mail use has become one of the highest-risk activities facing businesses today. E-mail misuse can lead to loss or theft of intellectual property, confidential information, and claims for harassment, loss of data or trade secrets, lost Confidential 3/26/2009 E-mail Etiquette V1.0 Page 3 of 22 productivity through inappropriate use. E-mail encompasses a potential cocktail of calamity for businesses: from privacy issues, to harassment issues, to online libel, theft of confidential information and productivity-loss. Over three­quarters of all employers report employee abuse of e­mail and / or the  Internet. Practicing “Safe E-mail” is as important for organizations today as any other risk management issue they face. Legal RISKS E-mail is a business communication tool and users are obliged to use this tool in a responsible, effective and lawful manner. Although by its nature e-mail seems to be less formal than other written communication, the same laws apply. Therefore, it is important that users are aware of the legal risks of e-mail: If you send e-mails with any libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks, you and [Company] can be held liable. If you forward e-mails with any libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks, you and [Company] can be held liable. If you unlawfully forward confidential information, you and [Company] can be held liable. If you unlawfully forward or copy messages without permission, you and [Company] can be held liable for copyright infringement. If you send an attachment that contains a virus, you and [Company] can be held liable. By following the guidelines in this policy, the e-mail user can minimize the legal risks involved in the use of e-mail. If any user disregards the rules set out in this E- mail Policy, the user will be fully liable and [Company] will disassociate itself from the user as far as legally possible. A company needs to implement etiquette rules for the following three reasons: Professionalism: by using proper e-mail language your company will convey a professional image. Efficiency: e-mails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded e-mails. Confidential 3/26/2009 E-mail Etiquette V1.0 Page 4 of 22 Protection from liability: employee awareness of e-mail risks will protect your company from costly lawsuits. Confidential 3/26/2009 E-mail Etiquette V1.0 Page 5 of 22 • E-mail etiquette tips In personal relationships the conventions of behavior are called etiquette. In e-mail we have netiquette – a set of rules for e-mail that have evolved over the years. Effective communication gives a professional impression of you and of your organization. There are many etiquette guides and many different etiquette rules. Some rules will differ according to the nature of your business and the corporate culture. Below I am listing what I consider as the most important e-mail etiquette rules. Use of ‘To’, ‘Cc’ and ‘Bcc’:  The addresses in the 'To' are for the people you are directly addressing  Putting one e-mail address in the ‘To’ field is absolutely ok, nothing wrong in it, but problem starts when someone places all the e-mail addresses in the ‘To’ field. In that case (1) th ...