Trigger Happy E-mailers
An Australian report conducted in 2007 of 705 full time workers aged 18 to 64
years identified that over two-thirds of workplace e-mailers considered
themselves „trigger-happy‟.
In the article “Email etiquette key to workplace harmony”, etiquette expert and
author Patsy Rowe argues that people need to reconsider how they use e-
mail.
According to the article, some of the key findings of the report were that over
half of respondents considered e-mail their primary method of communication,
and over half also misinterpreted e-mail. Men were more likely to misinterpret
the meaning in an e-mail than women.
Rowe argues that workers should stop relying on it as the primary method of
communication, and that other ways to communicate should be considered.
Review the article, and respond to the following questions.
Questions for Discussion
1. Which of the common errors to avoid when using e-mail are mentioned
in the article?
1. [Answer: Hasty responses, rude tone, and negative/sarcastic.]
2. Consider your own use of e-mail in the context of this article. Do you
review the e-mail prior to sending it? Why not? How would you rectify
this?
1. [Answer: There is no set answer to this question.]
3. What other methods of business communication could replace e-mail
to do the same tasks?
1. [Answer: There is no set answer to this question, but students
should consider a variety of possibilities.]
KEYWORDS FOR WEB SEARCH: E-mail etiquette, workplace harmony.
SOURCES:
Osborne, D. "Email etiquette key to workplace harmony.” News.com.au,
November 14, 2007.
- Kate Ames, Dec 08