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 COLUMN
Seven guides for good sense keep your meaning clear when managing via e-mail THE E-MAIL MISSIVES from a colleague seemed slightly insulting. I seethed. But then seeing that was probably a knee-jerk reaction, I decided to trash my clever response. Good thing, because after giving the messages a little breathing room, common sense prevailed. E-mails -- no matter how carefully crafted -- can be interpreted in ways writers never intended.
Gartner predicts that by 2003, 40 percent of IT professionals will work remotely at least half the time. It's not hard to imagine that misunderstandings between managers and staffers, between IT and end-users, between vendors and clients will increase -- all on account of misinterpreted messages. One step to preventing such miscommunication is to understand what managing via e-mail can and cannot accomplish. E-mail messages, when concise and clearly worded, are yesterday's memorandums in shorthand. Although e-mail can enhance established relationships, it can as easily break weak ones. Sacha Cohen's article "Thought Cop," illustrates the point that office culture is as important to communicating via e-mail as are the surrounding legal issues. Devising an office e-mail policy is a step toward protecting a company legally, but it doesn't go far enough. IT managers need to lead by example and use e-mail in a way that is productive for day-to-day operations, builds team camaraderie, and yet keeps the IT department out of hot water. Here are seven rules for managing via e-mail. 1. Make your mother proud. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. That goes doubly for e-mail. If you can't write anything nice about colleagues, staff, bosses, clients, or competitors, then don't write at all. 2. Don't embarrass your mother. Funny thing about moms: With them, reputations mean a lot. Funny thing about bosses, companies, and plaintiffs: With them, too, reputations mean a lot. If you wouldn't tell that joke, use that language, or make that innuendo in front of your mom -- or a jury of your peers -- then don't put it in e-mail. 3. Be a leader. Make mothers everywhere proud. Remind staffers of rules 1 and 2. 4. Hop to it. As a remote worker, receiving prompt responses to my e-mail questions helps me get my job done. A good manager will answer staffers' and colleagues' e-mails within 24 hours. A staffer who truly needs an answer from his or her manager sooner than that will include "urgent" in the subject line. 5. Take it outside. Don't let disagreements and accusations continue unchecked in a flurry of ugly e-mails. Take them offline immediately either by scheduling a conference call on the subject or speaking directly with those most affected. As a manager, it is in your staff's and company's interest not to memorialize discord and misunderstandings. 6. Be precise and concise. Need something done or an issue clarified? If the topic, questions, and/or your call for action aren't abundantly clear in the e-mail's subject line and first three sentences, then rewrite your message. Remember, too, that white space and punctuation ease tired eyes. 7. Don't make bad news worse. Bad news, bad employee reviews, and bad forecasts become even worse when sent via e-mail. People read between the lines, have concerns, and then find no one to speak with. It's best to deliver bad news face-to-face. Got your own e-mail rules? Send them to me at loretta_prencipe@infoworld.com. Loretta W. Prencipe is an attorney, a startup survivor, and the senior editor in charge of InfoWorld's Management & Careers section. Discuss this article in our online forums MORE > SPONSORED WHITE PAPERS 
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