Evolving e-Etiquette in the Workplace - Roanoke College

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Technology has drasticallychanged the rules in theworkplace, so much so thatwe cannot imagine what a day wouldbe like without a desktop computer,laptop, PDA, flash drive, and cell phone.Recent college graduates coming in tothe workplace are adept at using thistechnology, accomplishing their work inrecord speed while accessing a tremendousamount of data through researchand creativity. However talented thesenew recruits are, they often find there is anew set of rules governing their technicalskills in a workplace that values theirtalents but limits their freedom.For many interns or new graduates,this radical change from campus tocorporate requires a paradigm shiftfrom a “free-range” approach to usingtechnology at their will to a morecontrolled, company-centered, andproductive approach. Instead of beingable to spend as much time as they wantchecking their Facebook or MySpaceaccount, or responding to every textor e-mail message when it appears ontheir screen or phone, these new hiresare suddenly faced with rules andpolicies curtailing their use behavior.In the current campus culture whereinstant communication, individuality,and creativity are valued, and, moreoften than not, expressed electronically,this adjustment can be difficult.Switching from using computers forpersonal and social purposes to businessand professional purposes duringworking hours is challenging for manynew hires and interns. With 85 percentof college students logging on to socialnetworking sites for several hours on adaily basis, this generation must realizethat the company computer is companyproperty and consequently needs to beused with a whole new, and often verydifferent, set of rules. 1Security of company information,often a huge concern to employers, isa concept that may seem foreign to newhires who are accustomed to swappingflash drives, sharing passwords withclose friends, and often leaving theircomputer screens unlocked for longperiods of time. Unfortunately, manynew hires only discover they haveviolated their organization’s security or“general use” rules governing electronicdevices after they make the mistakeof logging on to an unauthorized site,leaving a company laptop unsecured,or downloading forbidden programs.Other potential landmines the new hirehas to navigate are the expectations ofcommunication within their new workenvironment; i.e. is it okay to send awallpaper or border with messages;address their boss in an e-mail as “HeyJessica”; or forward one of the ubiquitousmass e-mails or YouTube videosto a few co-workers? Unless shown ortold otherwise, many new hires mayassume that although the scenery haschanged, their freedom to spontaneouslyexpress themselves hasn’t.Using E-mail at WorkOne college student interning at abranch of an investment firm in a smalltown was called by the company’s corporateoffice more than a hundred milesMeg Langland has served as director of career services atWestminster College in Fulton, Missouri, since 1998. Langlandhas served as a consultant/facilitator in the areas of professionaletiquette and job-searching skills, and was a presenter at the2004 and 2008 NACE Annual Conferences. To develop professionalcommunication skills amongst Westminster students, shechartered and serves as president of a Toastmasters Club thatmeets weekly on campus. She holds a bachelor’s degree fromthe University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in educationalcounseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She canbe reached at meg.langland@westminster-mo.edu.10 Tips forSuccessfulE-mailing in theProfessionalSetting• Carefully read e-mail andanswer all questions, to avoidgoing back and forth.• Avoid sending confidentialinformation via e-mail—makea phone call or ask to discusssensitive issues in person.• Don’t use text message or chatjargon (such as “BTW”) unlessit is widely used within yourorganization.• Include a brief greeting thatis appropriate for status ofsender (“Hey Lori” may befine for a friend but not fora supervisor). Also include aclosing (“Thanks,” or “BestWishes, John”).• Watch the tone—rememberno body language can beinterpreted, only your words.• Use spell check and read messagefor errors before sending.• Respond promptly; if youcannot respond at the time, indicatethat you will do so later.• Use proper color, fonts, layout,and formatting (ones that fitwith your work environment).• Avoid “casual speak” or slang;use abbreviations and emoticonswisely.• If you e-mail back and forththree times, and the problemis not resolved, pick up thephone.38/JOURNAL MARCH 2009
away and reprimanded for logging onto his college e-mail account only anhour earlier. For many new to the sceneof corporate employment, the fact thattheir online activity may be scrutinizedby sophisticated software programs isoften a rude awakening to the harshreality that unacceptable behavior canresult in termination. An example of thisoccurred when a nuclear plant on theWest Coast terminated a newly hiredengineer after he had already receivedone warning for using his work e-mailaccount to run a part-time businessduring working hours.Following are many employers’ tope-mail pet peeves in the professionalsetting:• MESSAGES IN ALL CAPS• messages in all lower case• Incorrect, punctuation• Responding messages that don’tanswer the question• Writing the Great American Novel(e-mails that are too long)• Sending unnecessarily large attachments• Forwarding non-work related jokesor chain e-mails• Discussing personally sensitiveissue• Forwarding offensive or off-colorjokes or attachments• Not using the subject line—ornot changing it to agree with thetopic.Social CommunicatingAt WorkFurther highlighting Generation Y’sreliance on electronic devices is thefrequent use of MP3 players, personalcell phones, and text messaging as ameans of social communication. Newhires may not realize that when the bosstexts during a meeting it usually is forbusiness purposes and that many of hiscell phone calls are work-related. Havinggrown up in a “headphone culture,”where they have been free to listen tomusic almost everywhere except inthe classroom, they can be unaware oftheir employer’s expectations to “tuneinto” their environment to be availableto those around them.And, these issues are global: Managementin a law firm in the UnitedKingdom said the use of MP3 playerscreated an environment where staffmembers were not communicating witheach other. Senior management feltthe use of MP3 players would “havea negative impact on the business.”However, it is possible that the youngeremployees felt that listening to musicwas a way they could inject work-lifebalance into their workday and bringmore enjoyment to their job. 2Suggestions for using cell phonesand MP3 players in the workplaceinclude:• Use may be restricted to breaks—know your company’s policies.• Select a ringtone that is appropriatefor your work environment.• When talking on a cell phone, speakin a normal tone of voice.• Record a professional greeting, not“What’s up? This is Todd.”• Stand apart from others whenspeaking so as not to interfere withothers’ work or conversation.• Avoid discussing personal issueson a cell phone when co-workerscan easily overhear you. Keep yourcell phone strictly as an accessory,avoid laying it down on a deskor table in front of co-workers orclients (have a holder or specialplace for it).• Turn it off when in meetings;even a vibrating cell phone canbe distracting.• Do not text during a meeting unlessit relates to the topic at hand.• Check text messaging for spellingand grammar before sending.• Think twice before taking photoswith your phone camera; doing somay be against company policy.E-mail: Use of Subject Line, CC, BCC, FW,and So On...• Write a short and direct subject line—it is the “hook” to getting themessage read.• Take off “FW” from the subject line if the message has been forwarded.• Modify the subject line to fit the topic if it has changed.• Do not share others’ e-mail addresses unnecessarily (use a distributionlist or blind cc).• Use “reply all” judiciously; do they all really need to know?• Avoid overusing “urgent” and “important” (remember the boy who criedwolf?).• Save “read receipt” for crucial messages—would you request a receiptfor every phone call?• Do not forward others’ messages without their permission.Corporate CultureIncludes TechnologyThe challenge for career services professionalsand recruiters is preparing thistechnically savvy Generation Y to enterthe workplace and advising them thatwork environments vary greatly accordingto industry, company culture, and thenature of the job itself. Organizationsneed to define their own expectationsof professionalism as pertaining to theiruse of technical or electronic devicesin the workplace and then formalizepolicies that govern such hot issues asinformation security and personal useof electronic devices on the job. Often,the first step in this process is trainingwithin the hiring organization, eitherMARCH 2009JOURNAL/39
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