One of the easiest and most effective ways for employers to reduce electronic risk is simply to require that employees use appropriate, businesslike language in all electronic communications
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ne of the easiest and most effective ways for employers to reduce electronic
risk is simply to require that employees use appropriate, businesslike language
in all electronic communications, says Nancy Flynn, author of The ePolicy
Handbook (AMACOM, 2001).
Here are some of the guidelines she recommends in composing a business
e-mail:
Use a conversational tone. Flynn says to imagine you are attending a
dinner party with colleagues, supervisors, and customers. Use the same language
and tone in an e-mail that you would use at that kind of event.
Dont be overly rigid with grammar use. In business the rules have
changed. Feel free to use contractions, to end sentences with prepositions, and
to use pronouns like I, we, and you. If grammar is too stiff, readers wont
know what the message is about.
No sexist language. This isnt just harassing or discriminatory jokes
and comments, but also the overuse of masculine pronouns. Given the increasing
number of women in the workforce, its important for electronic writers to
avoid language that could rankle clients or colleagues.
Dont incorporate jokes into electronic business writing. Because
e-mail is impersonal and lacks inflection or body language, your joke is likely
to fall flat or to be misconstrued.
Limit the use of abbreviations and use only legitimate and recognizable
ones, not your own personal shorthand. An excess of abbreviations can be
annoying and confusing for the reader.
Dont try to warm up business writing with "smileys" -- also known
as emoticons -- using keyboard characters to represent smiles and similar facial
expressions. Smileys are the equivalent of e-mail slang and have no place in
business communications.
If you have trouble getting employees to adhere to a business writing
standard, you can always apply a technological solution to the problem, Flynn
says, by installing software programmed to detect and report the use of "trigger"
words in e-mails sent by employees. That software can usually be programmed to
track competitors names as well, alerting management to
communication that is taking place between employees and the companys
competition.
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ne of the easiest and most effective ways for employers to reduce electronic
risk is simply to require that employees use appropriate, businesslike language
in all electronic communications, says Nancy Flynn, author of 
