Why does my boss write such rude emails?

The last two years have made us all experts in digital communications at work - or so we think. In fact, many of us are unwittingly upsetting colleagues, or even jinxing our own careers, by not practising good email etiquette and Zoom hygiene. 

In this episode Isabel talks to Erica Dhawan, who really is an expert on digital communication, about the common pitfalls and generational differences [be careful how you use those ‘thumbs up’  emojis, everyone]. We relive some of the best/worst digital fails of the pandemic, including the Netflix staff sacked for dissing colleagues on a public Slack channel and the infamous case of the Texas attorney stuck in the Zoom kitten filter. Erica shares some of the strangest things she has to do as a workplace communication consultant - including teaching Gen Z staff how to get over their fear of voicemail and landlines. 

Isabel and Erica discuss practical things we can do to improve the way we talk to colleagues online. Including a definitive ruling on the vexed subject of whether or not it is rude to put a period on the end of texts, emails and DMs…   

Want to read more? 

Pilita Clark on email etiquette  https://www-ft-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/content/3bb151b5-e785-4305-a1f0-6eb71a9dd327

Tim Harford on making email work for you  https://www-ft-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/content/e32ea720-be03-4264-95a2-21696e530e84

Erica Dhawan’s website  https://ericadhawan.com/

Erica’s advice in Harvard Business Review  https://hbr.org/2021/05/did-you-get-my-slack-email-text

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle in 2022? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter 

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Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

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