In the workplace, effective email communication is a necessity of everyday life. First, remember that business email is not the same as personal email. The style of work-related email should be more formal, making sure spelling and grammar are correct, and always using a greeting at the beginning and a goodbye at the end. The only exception to the greeting rule is when a series of emails go back and forth on a specific topic.

Make the purpose of your email clear

Always use your Subject line and make your subject descriptive without being too wordy. For example: Subject: Follow up phone call with Mr. Smith 12/20/08. If your email needs an urgent response, most email programs have a setting that places a red exclamation mark next to your email when the person views it.

Don’t make others wait for your answer.

Respond to emails quickly in the business environment. This doesn’t mean you have to check your emails every 5 minutes or interrupt other tasks to reply to emails. A better idea is to take a few minutes twice a day to check emails and respond to them. Even if you are unable to complete a task or request that has been emailed to you, let the sender know that you have received the email and that you will be able to respond within (insert time period).

The exception to this rule is when you’re working on an important project and you’re waiting for a critical email to arrive. In situations like that, be more aware of your emails because fast and effective email communication can be key.

Keep it professional and brief

Stay away from jokes, pictures, chain emails, or any similar casual messages that you might share with your friends and family. The workplace is not the right environment for these types of emails. If you receive these messages at your work address, please delete and ignore them or forward them to your personal email address if you want to send them to others.

Email should be used for quick and clear communication. If you have a problem or problem, pick up the phone and speak directly to the person involved. If you’re irritated or upset, don’t use email to vent or try to solve problems. Feelings don’t convey well in email. The information yes. Remember that effective email communication will become a valuable tool in your workplace.