You may be connected electronically with co-workers and customers, but if you drop your guard on etiquette, you might turn off others. Avoid these blunders.
These top five faux pas are from Anne Winters and The Official Book of Electronic Etiquette:
- Paying more attention to the cell phone than the people. When you take a call or check e-mail in front of others, you tell them, “This is more important than you.” Better: Let calls go to your voicemail, and text or e-mail messages wait until you’re free.
- Leaving your laptop open. Everyone can see what you’re doing (whether it’s work-related or not). Better: Fold it when you’re with others.
- Making cell phone calls from noisy places. The people around you and the person on the other end of the line will be annoyed by your screaming. Better: Find a quiet place before dialing or answering.
- Sloppy e-mails. Grammar and spelling may fall to the wayside with friendly text messages, but it’s not OK with e-mail. They’re still professional correspondence with customers. Better: Do a spell check and second read-through (preferably from a hard copy) before sending.
- Allowing e-mail to replace a handwritten thank-you notes. In work and life, a personal note is still more sincere and appreciated than a fast e-mail. Better: Make time each week to write a few thank-you notes.
