Email is widely used in the workplace, and this is especially true during lockdowns when employees are increasingly working from home. There are several “netiquette” guidelines out there that might assist us to avoid offending others or miscommunicating in our email communications. Let’s pinpoint these and find out how we can dodge the bullet of “negative intensification bias”.
3 COMMON ERRORS THAT MAKE EMAILS SEEM ‘OFF’
- Difficulty to read emotions
Email is so quick that many treat it as a conversation. But because email recipients cannot see one other, there is no way to interpret tone or emotion. Wrath, or worse, may result. Reread your emails before sending them, scanning for unpleasant or ambiguous language.
- Lack of social presence
“Social presence”, or the feeling that the other person is genuine and “present” is similarly lowered in email communication. A lack of social presence might weaken inhibitions and enhance “flaming” or hostile responses when input is delayed.
- Delayed feedback
Sometimes you may be too busy to even notice the emails that you receive, and other times you may even have forgotten to press the send button. Either way, delayed responses to emails can bring about unwanted disputes due to the sender’s patience and perception as to why they haven’t gotten a prompt response from you.
WHAT TO AVOID WHEN SENDING A BUSINESS EMAIL
- Biased Pronouns
Consider gender pronouns while writing emails. Generally, avoid them. Instead of “we gave each employee his own laptop”, use “we gave each employee a laptop.” Instead of “Make sure every doctor trains his nurse,” for example, say “Ensure physicians teach their nurses.”
- Gendered Terms
Gendered words are easy targets. For example, a salesman is replaced by a salesperson. The chairman title is no longer used by many corporations and governments.
MAKING EMAILS SAFER AGAIN
Considering that it is possible to misread a hurriedly written or shortened message, here’s how you can prevent them from happening:
- Employers should train their staff on how to write efficient emails as much as respond well to them, in order to reduce the risk of negative intensification bias.
- Even the most sensitive writer cannot anticipate every conceivable offence. Email communication training should stress the risk for miscommunication and the tendency of receivers to interpret unintended negativity.
- Power dynamics and a company’s culture should also be acknowledged. It may also assist to enhance workplace relationships by demonstrating how internal tensions can be detected in apparently “innocent” email correspondence.
PROPER EMAILS EQUALS PROPER BUSINESS
In light of the number of work emails, it’s likely that there will be at least one unfavourable interaction. This may lead to misunderstandings and escalated conflicts because of email’s inherent limitations on spoken exchange.