In this day and age of he-said/she-said and massive finger-pointing, emailing a co-worker is one of the best ways to cover your back. While it may be impersonal, it does have the benefit of laying out fact vs. fiction when the finger-pointing rears up. Granted, not all conversations need to be via email. The casual conversation about what's for lunch, how was/is your day and such are almost always best held in person. But when laying down the facts, put it in writing.

Having said that, it's also just as important to re-read what you have written before you send it off. Grammar and punctuation is just one part of an email. Read the two sentences below and notice by just the placement of two commas, the meaning of sentence changes:

Woman without her man is nothing.

Woman, without her, man is nothing

How it will be received by the intended person also plays a large role. Is the recipient in a bad mood when they open the email? It might cause them to read your email differently than if they are in a good mood. Do you have a friendly relationship with this person? If not, be aware that any email you send may come off as an attack on them, regardless of how it was meant to be taken.

Also watch what you write when you are upset or angry. People write differently when in a bad mood, just like they drive a car differently. And just like driving a car when angry, the potential for a crash increases!

Learn more about this author, Pamela Nielsen.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Office etiquette: When to talk, when to e-mail?
We want to hear your view. Write now!