8 Mistakes you are probably making with E-mail
Are any of you old enough to remember when you first started to use e-mail? It is hard to imagine life in a busy law firm without it. In the not so long ago days, office memo’s used to be circulated in hard copy with a distribution list. You would sign it when you had read it and pass it on to the next in line.
The introduction of e-mail transformed office communications and streamlined the circulation of information. Their use also created a whole new area of legal opinion, consideration and discussion.
E-mail has certainly made things easier in some ways. Clients can contact us at all hours of the day or night. We are also able to look through a conversation history to be easily reminded about the history of a matter or conversation.
It can be over relied upon and a great time waster.
Some people take it as a personal challenge to try and clear their inbox.
Others take pride in having access to every note ever written and received.
These are the mistakes we often find people making when it comes to using e-mail in the workplace.
1. Treating it like your full time job.
Many people open their e-mail first thing in the morning or even on the commute to the office to get a head start on their day. They then spend the rest of the day firing off responses and correspondence. They often wonder why they never have any time to work on their case preparation, or project.
A good idea is to allocate 2 small chunks of your day in your schedule to respond to and send e-mail correspondence. That way the rest of the day is spent doing what you are actually employed to do.
2. Spelling
Please spell check your e-mails. Please spell check the names of the people you are addressing. Please use spelling that is appropriate in this part of the world.
3. Copying In unnecessary people.
Your people leader is unlikely to want to see every piece of correspondence you write. Think to yourself do they actually need to take the time to read this document and is it adding any value to their working day. There will be times when copying in an escalation point is appropriate, and it has much more power when it is done with thought and consideration.
4. Responding too quickly and not deleting prior content
Before you press send, review any prior content and consider whether it is appropriate for the audience you are distributing it to.
5. Forgetting a key attachment
If you have used the word “attached” in your e-mail then it should have the appropriate file included. We have lost count of the number of times we have seen follow up e-mails along the lines of “oops…. Attachment now included”.
6. Be succinct and professional
Neither your clients or your colleagues have time to read War and Peace. Keep your wording succinct and remove any unnecessary words. Ask yourself could you have said it with more brevity? Keep in mind that tone can be difficult to read in an e-mail. People can sometimes have a predisposition to what they think you might be feeling. Please don’t use Capital letters as people assume you are shouting.
7. You consider it private
Even working for a law firm or in the legal industry sometimes people forget that e-mail communication on their network is not private. It belongs to the company and is likely to be monitored and archived. It is important to understand the workplace policies that apply to e-mail communication in your own workplace. It is also important to comply with them and any associated Codes of Conduct.
8. You could have walked….
If someone sits on your floor or nearby, why don’t you surprise them by paying a visit. Much better for office harmony and community spirit! Why e-mail when you could converse?
Do any of these mistakes sound familiar to you? We would love to hear about your e-mail mistakes. You can share them in the comments below.
