Workplace experts have warned how the language you use in work emails can have a gravely adverse effect on your professional reputation, while revealing four phrases that should never be used in your online business correspondence .
Sending notes via email has become second nature to most working adults, so much so that many people are now entirely unaware of the correct etiquette that should be adhered to when sending an electronic message, and the long-term damage that can come from sending a badly-worded note.
According to one business etiquette expert, the areas where most people stumble are at the beginning and end of an email, explaining that these are usually the most important element of any message.
Without even realising it, the way we word emails can significantly damage your career and professional reputation, particularly when it comes to how we open and end the message
US-based business expert and author Barbara Pachter explained that the key thing is to strike the perfect balance between formal and friendly, without seeming too rigid and stuff, or overly relaxed and casual.
Workplace expert Karen Gately told Whimn that Australians have a unique style of tongue and cheek interaction that they need to be mindful of in a business environment
Opening an email with ‘Dear Sir or Madam’, for example, is often perceived as being far too proper, and can therefore be off-putting to the recipient.
‘This salutation tells the recipient you have absolutely no idea who they are,’ Ms Pachter told Business Insider, explaining that it may leave the reader feeling like a complaint or something negative will follow.
She suggests that the perfect way to start a professional email is to keep it simple but respectful.
Opening your correspondence with with, ‘Hi [person’s first name]’ would be a good starting point Ms Pachter notes, or, if you want to make things slightly more formal, she suggests beginning with ‘Hi [person’s full name]’.
The business author said this is a safe and familiar way to address someone, whether you know them or not, and will be received positively by all.
Speaking on the other side of the coin, Melbourne-based workplace expert Karen Gately told Whimn that people should be careful to avoid using slang phrases and colloquial greetings that are specific to their home country, particularly when they are emailing people in another country.
For example, she warned that Australians have a very unique style of tongue-and-cheek interaction that they need to be mindful of in a business environment.
When it comes to the sign-off, make sure you are leaving a positive lasting impression – and ‘don’t communicate in ways that can make people thing you’re grumpy or demanding,’ she warned.
‘Just be yourself and write with authenticity,’ Ms Gately added, before revealing the four phrases that should never be used when finishing up an email.