Say you’re an office manager, and you’ve heard from several employees about a problem with the way people use the break rooms. You need to write an e-mail that helps resolve the problem. What’s the most effective way to write it? A few decades ago, a formal tone was proper for memos. Today that same tone sounds cold to most ears.
A reader recently wrote asking about the usage of “per.” It’s common to see sentences such as: “I’ve attached a copy of the contract, per your request.” Some reference books point out that “per” is correctly used to mean “by the,” as in “per hour.” And other guides recommend using more familiar English words.
Nearly half of U.S. workers work for someone younger than they are, according to a recent Career Builders survey. Is it a problem to work for someone younger than you? Only if you happen to be young: Among 25- to 34-year-old workers, 16% said they found it difficult to take direction from a younger boss while 7% of age 45 to 54 workers find it difficult.
Are you in touch with your company’s core values? And what about your team? Have you sat down as a group to talk about what your core values mean? If not, suggest to your boss that it might be time. Here’s the potential payoff for you and your boss:
Make your e-mail easy to read and respond to with these four tips: 1. Limit your e-mail messages to one topic. 2. Make sure your headline is clear, strong and descriptive. 3. Include all contact information within every e-mail. 4. Encompass all relevant information the person might need to answer the e-mail.
Is it possible to give feedback to your boss in a way that improves her performance as a leader? Or is it better to keep quiet than put your relationship at risk? The ability to give upward feedback depends on the relationship between you and your boss. Without trust, the feedback will be impossible to receive. Tips for giving upward feedback:
Interviewing for a job? Ask whether this is a new position or whether you are replacing someone … Avoid misunderstandings by asking others to repeat what they heard … Trade in old electronics for cash or discounts … Humanize interoffice communication by relaxing some of the grammar rules you grew up with …
Listen to novices, as their fresh eyes can provide insights that you are unable to see. Young staffers or those who have recently joined your business may see things that are odd, wrong or could be done differently.
If there’s one technique that can instantly improve your business writing, it’s this: Trim and simplify. When writing in a hurry, it’s easy to include unnecessary words or cram too much into a single sentence. Result: Business writing easily becomes cluttered or “grandiose” sounding. Trimming can eliminate redundancies, while simplifying can make sentences easier to understand.
E-mail, that revolutionary productivity tool, has a dark side. It can create divisions between co-workers, hurt productivity and destroy focus, say critics. Some even draw a comparison between e-mail and gambling. To counterbalance the negatives, companies have been imposing “no e-mail Fridays” or “no e-mail weekends.” Anyone can take measures to keep e-mail addiction from getting out of hand, though.
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