{"id":76,"date":"2018-06-25T09:28:39","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T08:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/health-athena-swan\/?p=76"},"modified":"2018-06-25T10:08:14","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T09:08:14","slug":"email-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/health-athena-swan\/2018\/06\/25\/email-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"You've Got Mail!: The department for health guide to email etiquette"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although email can be a useful means of communication, it has also been described as \"a toxic source of stress\"<\/a>. Due to technology enabling people to be at their email\u2019s constant beck and call, psychologists have warned<\/a> that a culture can develop where people can feel they are constantly available for work. This\u00a0negatively impacts on emotional well-being.<\/p>\n

You don't have to look far for\u00a0tips<\/a>\u00a0on how to to personally mitigate this by, for example, scheduling emails in bulk rather than leaving your browser open all day, blocking or filtering unwanted emails (not including those from your Equality & Diversity team, of course!), picking up the phone!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Useful as these tips are, we know that solutions need to address matters further upstream rather than focusing exclusively how individuals themselves should better manage the mountain of messages that might accumulate in any given day. To that end, we may want to become more conscious of\u00a0how and why email is being used, and the culture we as a department foster regarding the role of email in our work.<\/p>\n

As a starting point, the E&D committee and Executive Committee have developed some guidance notes on email etiquette that we would encourage staff to follow. We hope that these are useful in setting the tone for our expectations around email use and minimises the potential of your inbox becoming that toxic source of stress, which makes you feel \"on\" 24\/7.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Automatic-replies during annual leave and when away from the office (e.g. attending conferences)<\/strong><\/p>\n

To find a balance between becoming a prisoner to emails and still effectively processing the massive number of emails we receive during periods when you are away from the office, creating a generic acknowledgement for email exchanges might be helpful. For example:<\/p>\n

\u2018Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will not return until xxx. During this period, I will have no access (or limited access) to my email.<\/em>
\nIf you require immediate assistance in my absence, please contact xxx on xxx@xxx. <\/em>
\nOtherwise, I will respond to your email as soon as possible on my return.<\/em>
\nBest wishes,<\/em>
\n.....\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

By adding something like the above message as an out of office reply, the email recipients will know your return date and who to contact in your absence, so that you do not feel under pressure to check email and respond while you are away.<\/p>\n

2. Only discuss public matters<\/strong><\/p>\n

Please be cautious about the matter and issues you are discussing via university emails. This is important due not only to potential issues with data protection, but also as there is a possibility that private matters, or conflict issues that should be confidential, are inadvertently passed around to the entire Department, University, or even over the internet.<\/p>\n

3. Using subject lines more productively<\/strong><\/p>\n

Start your email subject line with some keywords so that the recipient knows immediately what the email is about, for example, Action requested, Two minute action please, for info\/FYI, Question, Invitation, Important.<\/p>\n

4. Keep emails short, simple, and tell the readers what to do<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emails can get stuck in our inboxes because it is not immediately clear how to easily deal with the message. Please keep your email simple and focused on a single topic message. A quick tip would be to start your emails with an action verb; for example, Confirm, Approve, Agree\/Disagree, Thank, Get in touch, Circulate, etc. Also, include enough information in the body of the email to reduce the number of back-and-forth messages (e.g., provide available dates for a meeting up front).<\/p>\n

5. Weekends\/Evenings<\/strong><\/p>\n

We recognise that flexibility in work patterns can be beneficial in many instances. However, we are equally mindful that email traffic during evenings and weekends can contribute to an \u2018always-on\u2019 culture, which we do not endorse. We kindly advise all members of staff wishing to send emails outside of working hours, to inform the recipient that a response is not expected nor required during these times. For ease, some staff may prefer to insert a generic message into their email signature. For example:<\/p>\n

\u201cI work a flexible working pattern so may send emails out of 'normal' working hours. Please be assured that I do not expect a response outside of your own working hours.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

6. Refrain from sending one-liners<\/strong><\/p>\n

Messages like \u2018Thanks\u2019, or 'OK\u2019 do not advance the conversation. Please feel free to put \u2018No Reply Necessary\u2019 at the top of the email or in the subject line when you don\u2019t anticipate a response.<\/p>\n

7. TO<\/strong><\/p>\n

Please address the person directly, or a group of people that are relevant to the email.<\/p>\n

8. CC<\/strong><\/p>\n

The main purposes of CC are to increase clarity, transparency and authority, but not to embarrass, expose or promote an individual agenda.<\/p>\n