Social Media – The Humble EMAIL

The humble email is perhaps the earliest of social media to grace our desks – and now of course our other devices too.

We can access our work emails on all electronic devices and often respond in haste. Clients and others expect our quick response. And therein lies the issue!

This self-imposed urgency causes problems, legal ones included. The following are some basic business email principles that you company may adopt as part of an IT policy for its employees:

Consider whether an email is appropriate at all. Even if you have been sent an email, that does not mean that you must reply by email. Some communications, especially those about sensitive or emotionally charged subjects, are best done face-to-face, by phone or by a formal letter.

Slow down! Written in haste, mistakes are inevitable. Yes, use the spell-checker – but that is not enough. Edit… and edit again.

If the email you received upsets you, walk away from the computer and do not respond. Replies written in the heat of the moment tend only to escalate problems, not resolve them.

Use proper grammar (full sentences!) and punctuation. It’s a business communication! Please avoid the temptation to be too familiar or chatty unless you know the counterparty really well.

The email facilities at work is a business communication tool. It has (or should have) your business name, company name, logo etc and business contact details. That means when someone else receives an email from you, they are getting an email (think “letter”) from your business. Your business will be responsible for what was said – and so will you be.

The business monitors the emails sent and received by staff (that fact should be stated). If you use it for personal communications, expect this and minimise personal use.

An email is a permanent written record of your communication. Deleting it does not mean it ceases to exist. Forensic IT experts can find it. So be careful what you say. If you are defamatory or misleading your business (and you) could be liable.

Never use email to bully, abuse or send offensive or discriminatory content.

Be very careful of the “forward” and “copy” buttons. Think about who is getting the material, including the oft-present email chain.

Remember, contracts can be formed (often unintentionally) by email.

The content of an email has just as much legal impact as a letter or anything else. If you would not feel comfortable placing your content in a letter, then signing and posting it – then stop there and then!