Question

Don’ts of Electronic Mail

Don’t • Use e-mail to discuss something with a colleague who sits across the aisle or down the hall from you. Take the old-fashioned approach of speaking to each other. • Say anything negative about a boss, friend, or colleague via e-mail. And don’t forward the negative comments of others. • Use e-mail to start or perpetuate a feud. If you get an e-mail that tempts you to respond in a scathing manner, stop yourself. You may be misinterpreting the message. Even if you’re not, take the high road. • Write anything in an e-mail you wouldn’t want published in a newspaper. E-mail with sensitive or potentially embarrassing information has an uncanny way of leaking out. • Begin responding to e-mail messages on your smartphone’s tiny keyboard the minute you get out of a meeting. Get back to your office, laptop, or tablet, where you can craft a better response in less time. Select a one don't of electronic email that you violated and tell a story.

Answer 1

Do not begin responding to e-mail messages on your smartphone’s tiny keyboard the minute you get out of a meeting. Get back to your office, laptop, or tablet, where you can craft a better response in less time

So this happened with me which led to catastrophic consequences.

Whilst working in a publishing firm that caters to primarily the engineering students market, lot of textbook releases are time sensitive. High potential textbooks need to be released into the market just before sessions begin in educational institutions so that every student can readily buy the books. In such an environment, certain times of the year get really busy for editors and sales personnels.

I was inside an editorial meeting which went on for all eternity and in this time, I received about 20 calls from a certain sales person who I knew was following up for the release date of a certain title. Being in the meeting I could not pick up the call and neither could I leave the room because ensuing discussions required my presence.

Sometime midway through the meeting, the MD declared a 5 minute break. I quickly started texting the sales person informing him that “the title will release on the specified date… relax. We have other titles also coming up in the next few weeks”. This was supposed to make the sales person happy. The 5 minute break got over. 2 minutes into the resumption of the meeting, the MD apparently received a mail from the sales person saying that he is quitting since editorial team members are not good at keeping their words. MD was flabbergasted. I could not imagine why such a mail was written so I brought my phone back out. To my surprise, the text said “the title won’t release on the specified date… relax. We have other titles also coming up in the next few weeks”. Predictive typing of my phone decided to change “will” to “won't”. Ofcourse the confusion was cleared immediately, however not without creating whole lot of ruckus for about 10 minutes.