Has e-mail become so ubiquitous that it has changed the way we craft business correspondence? That’s what admins recently debated on our Admin Pro Forum. Some suspected that writing “Dear” or “Very truly yours” has become too old-fashioned for digital—or even printed—correspondence. A bevy of self-proclaimed “old-school” admins protested.
Forget the tirade. Rather than huff and holler when overhearing a discriminatory comment, quash it with poise. Experts share their best strategies for dealing with inappropriate remarks:
Asking for a raise right now is an uphill battle. There still isn’t “enough money around to compensate people for the extra hours they’ve been putting in,” says Ravin Jesuthasan, head of the global rewards practice at Towers Perrin. But it could be the perfect time to ask for a perk.
Your gut tells you to wait a day before sending an angry e-mail or to stay away from the rumor mill. That’s your intuitive intelligence, says best-selling author and UCLA psychiatrist Judith Orloff. By checking in with your intuitive coach, she says in her book Second Sight, you end up making better on-the-job decisions and navigating office politics masterfully.
When used incorrectly, apostrophes are a huge annoyance for readers such as Lynn Crocker of Comcast Spotlight. “What drives me nuts is people using apostrophes for plural things,” she says. “I’ve even seen people make signs that say, ‘We make key’s!’” Make sure you aren’t using apostrophes recklessly. Some tips:
Question: “In my company, applications for promotion are not confidential. If I apply for a position in another department, human resources will send an automatic e-mail message to my boss. The policy also says that I must let her know if another manager invites me to interview … Should I tell my boss that I plan to apply for jobs in other departments?” — Looking for Promotion
Frenemies aren’t just found on reality TV shows; they’re everywhere. Even Apple has one: Google. If you have “frenemies”—colleagues with whom you have cordial, unproductive relationships—don’t give up. Before they become full-fledged enemies, take these steps:
When writing for a broad audience, pay attention to what’s called the “fog index,” which measures the density of your writing. Never mind how it’s calculated—a complex formula tracks things such as word lengths, sentence lengths and syllables. Test your writing by plugging a sentence or two into the text box at www.panix.com/~dhf/fog.html.
Are you more experienced than your boss with social-media sites? You can use those sites to help build your business’s e-mail marketing list, says Julie Waite, an e-mail marketing strategist at Bronto Software. A bigger marketing list equals more potential business, which is probably one of your boss’s top goals. Here’s what she recommends: