GOSSIP AND MALICE
39, says when she has a disagreement with her supervisor, she jots down her thoughts on paper before transfering to mail. “I also ask a colleague to read through my email and give me feedback.” This is a useful practice as a third impartial party can detect if you’re overeacting. Mofokeng advises: “Avoid slang and foul language, and do not insult anyone or respond to insults. Don’t send an email to substitute the need for verbal communication. If it’s someone in your office, call them to the side and discuss privately.”
If you have a problem with a colleague, email your supervisor for an appointment to discuss the conflict in person. In addition to reading what you write before sending an email, always check your spelling and grammar as it can lead to confusion; this will also show that you really thought about what you want to say. Office gossip is unavoidable, and some of it really might be harmless, especially when shared by the water cooler. Thando, 37, a receptionist at a printing company, is always the first to know when something is happening in the office. This time she walked in on her boss giving her surbodinate a hug. She started circulating an email that she saw them kissing. “One of the people I sent the mail to responded and blind CC’d my boss,” she says. “That was the end of me.”
If you start writing an email out of spite or with the intention to get a colleague in trouble over something you overheard, you are being malicious. Author of in the email, she’d still be employed. Kallos suggest that if you do blind CC, someone make sure that your intentions are proper. “Do not send BCC copies to others as a way to talk behind someone’s back as it is inconsiderate,” she wrote.
Email communication is as much an extension of you and your brand as what you wear, so your reputation depends on those few lines you type. Always ensure it is a positive reflection of you.
“There is an incorrect assumption of informality when it comes to email,” says Kallos. “When it comes to writing business emails, take care about the impression you make because your contacts will form opinions about your business based on the way you express yourself online,” she concludes. 1. Ask for a raise: