Suggestions for Proper Use of Email by Staff and Faculty

When school begins, there are always things to review and new things to cover, even for the faculty and staff.  E-mail etiquette should be one of those things.  Most schools now use it extensively, so it is a good idea to review some rules for proper and appropriate use.  This is a good time to go over a few e-mail etiquette reminders for faculty and staff.  Just follow the easy rules below.

State Your Subject
Always fill in the subject line with a succinct, informative header such as: ”Re-schedule Meeting Time” or "Ms. Simpson's phone call".   Some users suggest indicating that a message is URGENT by putting  “SOS” in the subject line along with the topic. For example, if Ms. Simpson just called about her son's medication and needs a quick answer, you might put, "Ms. Simpson's phone call  SOS" in the subject line.  Another suggestion for the subject line is to put "Quick Question" in the subject line to indicate you need a quick and direct response. However, none of these work unless ALL parties in the school know what these coded messages mean!  If you are going to use these or some other coding system, BE SURE TO TELL EVERYONE AT THE SCHOOL!

Be Brief
Lengthy e-mails which are more than a screen long are overwhelming to most users and some consider these emails very annoying. If you want a quick reply, be brief.  Break long thoughts into separate paragraphs or numbered or bullet listings such as:

If you need to send a long message, you might consider attaching it as a WORD document, with the email being used to give the big idea. Again, be sure to discuss this with all parties at school.  Also be very sure that everyone knows how to open a WORD attachment (or whatever word processing program you use) as well as prepare and attach one.

Composition
DON’T WRITE IN ALL CAPS; it implies shouting. Instead, use asterisks (*)  for emphasis. Similarly, avoid writing in all lowercase – it’s very hard to read.  Use correct punctuation and spell-check your email before you hit “send.”  If you have faculty or staff who cannot type, this becomes a problem.  If there is no way to help them learn to type efficiently (the best approach), then be sure that everyone understands that Mr. X or Mrs. X is not shouting in their response.

Attachments
Attachments can can cause problems for certain email program IF users can't open the attached file(s).  Be sure that all of the faculty and staff know how to do this. It's an important skill.

Signature File
Create a signature file that automatically attaches to your e-mails. Include your full name, title, phone number, address, and any pertinent information about your school. This will be helpful for people who may forget exactly who you are.  Here's a tutorial on signature files that include a POWER POINT that you can use. Click on the appropriate link.  It's a good idea to help each person make his/her own signature file and, in fact, for there to be some type of template for that. Here's an article about how to help your staff do this: Setting up an email signature file , an earlier article from the Principal's Electronic Desk.  Another article on the Principal's Electronic Desk's archives is: Email Strategies for Teachers, A Good Way to Start the Year.

Answer Promptly
When you receive an e-mail that needs an immediate reply, do so within a few hours, definitely within the day.  Try to be conscientious with your response time. If you are going to be away from your email for a day or more, set up an automatic reply such as:  “I will be away for x days. or I will be away from September 9-13, 2002” Urge staff to use a specific time period daily to do email; model this responsiveness.
 

School Accounts and Personal Accounts
School e-mails may not be private if the school system monitors e-mail messages. Send only school related matters via your school email account.  Personal emails or emails that might be embarrassing should be sent from your personal account. If you don't have one, open a free account at Yahoo! or Hotmail.  Review this point with the faculty and staff; be open and honest about this.  Help them understand the potential problems inappropriate use might cause for everyone.

Email Documentation
Emails are permanent in that they can be printed, forwarded, and filed by your email recipient or even read to your friends and colleagues.  Deleted e-mails can be resurrected from your hard drive and used as evidence in a court of law. Never write anything in an e-mail that you wouldn't want plastered on the front page of your home town newspaper.

Junk Mail
Almost no one likes emails coming in that clutter their mailboxes.  Resist forwarding chain mail, jokes, etc., these unless they seem highly relevant. The sharing of jokes can be viewed an inappropriate in the workplace. Discuss this in faculty meeting; come to some kind of consensus about this, if there is no policy; if there is a policy, share that with the group and talk about it.

Emoticons and Shorthand
Don't use shorthand such as TTYL (talk to you later) or BTW (by the way) in your email.  Most people won't have a clue as to the meanings.  Don't use  emoticons, such as :( or  in your emails.  Both the emoticons and shorthand are considered unprofessional when writing school related emails.

Suggestions for Appropriate E-Mail Use in Schools

Don't Use E-Mail in Schools for These Purposes