14 email etiquette rules every leader should know

“People often decide whether to open an email based on the subject line,” Pachter says. “Choose one that lets readers know you are addressing their concerns or business issues.”

If you work for a company, you should use your company email address. But if you use a personal email account — whether you are self-employed or just like using it occasionally for work-related correspondences — you should be careful when choosing that address, Pachter says.

You should always have an email address that conveys your name so that the recipient knows exactly who is sending the email. Never use email addresses (perhaps remnants of your grade-school days) that are not appropriate for use in the workplace, such as “babygirl@…” or “beerlover@…” — no matter how much you love a cold brew.

No one wants to read emails from 20 people that have nothing to do with them. Ignoring the emails can be difficult, with many people getting notifications of new messages on their smartphones or distracting pop-up messages on their computer screens. Refrain from hitting “reply all” unless you really think everyone on the list needs to receive the email, Pachter says.

“The relaxed nature of our writings should not affect the salutation in an email,” she says. “Hey is a very informal salutation and generally it should not be used in the workplace. And Yo is not okay either. Use Hi or Hello instead.”

She advises against shortening anyone’s name. Say “Hi, Michael,” unless you’re certain he prefers to be called “Mike.”

If you choose to use an exclamation point, use only one to convey excitement, Pachter says.

“People sometimes get carried away and put a number of exclamation points at the end of their sentences. The result can appear too emotional or immature,” she writes. “Exclamation points should be used sparingly in writing.”

Vary the length of your sentences and paragraphs. “Long sentences or paragraphs are more difficult to read,” says Pachter. “Use bullets to set off points you want to make.”

“Read your message out loud. If it sound harsh to you, it will sound harsh to the reader,” she says.

Avoid negative words such as “failure,” “wrong,” or “neglected.”

Miscommunication can easily occur, especially in the writing form when we can’t see one another’s body language. Tailor your message depending on the receiver’s background or how well you know them.

A good rule to keep in mind, Pachter says, is that high-context cultures (Japanese, Arab, Chinese) want to get to know you before doing business with you. Therefore, it may be common for business associates from these countries to be more personal in their writing. On the other hand, people from low-context cultures (German, American, Scandinavian) prefer to get to the point very quickly.

Humor can easily get lost in translation without the right tone or facial expressions. In a professional exchange, it’s better to leave humor out of emails unless you know the recipient well. Also, something that you think is funny might not be funny to someone else.

Pachter says: “Something perceived as funny when spoken may come across very differently when written. When in doubt, leave it out.”

It’s difficult to reply to every email message ever sent to you, but you should try to, Pachter says. This includes when the email was accidentally sent to you, especially if the sender is expecting a reply. A reply isn’t necessary but serves as good email etiquette, especially if this person works in the same company or industry as you.

Here’s an example reply: “I know you’re very busy, but I don’t think you meant to send this email to me. And I wanted to let you know so you can send it to the correct person.”

Don’t rely on spell-checkers. Read and reread your email a few times, preferably aloud, before sending it off.

“One supervisor intended to write ‘Sorry for the inconvenience,'” Pachter says. “But he relied on his spell-check and ended up writing ‘Sorry for the incontinence.'”

With all the options available on computers, it can be tempting to get carried away using very small or large fonts, bolding, italics, and different colors. “Don’t,” says Pachter. It’s distracting and may be perceived the wrong way.

“You don’t want to send an email accidentally before you have finished writing and proofing the message,” Pachter says. “Even when you are replying to a message, it’s a good precaution to delete the recipient’s address and insert it only when you are sure the message is ready to be sent.”

Pachter says to pay careful attention when typing a name from your address book on the email’s “To” line. “It’s easy to select the wrong name, which can be embarrassing to you and to the person who receives the email by mistake.”

This article is published in collaboration with Business Insider. 

Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: Jacquelyn Smith is the careers editor at Business Insider.

Image: A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Files