{"id":8285,"date":"2023-02-01T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sage-people-scraping-gb.local\/?p=1252"},"modified":"2023-02-07T14:31:04","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T14:31:04","slug":"hr-guide-email-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hr-guide-email-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Email etiquette: How can HR guide employees in effective remote communication?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEmail etiquette: How can HR guide employees in effective remote communication?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-02-01T11:00:00+00:00\">1 February, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Email etiquette: How can HR guide employees in effective remote communication?\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hr-guide-email-etiquette\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/charlottepenny\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/03\/charlotte-penny.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Headshot of Charlotte Penny, looking directly at the camera\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Charlotte Penny<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Emoji or no emoji? To sign on with a \u2018Dear\u2019 or a \u2018Hi\u2019, or nothing at all? What about whether to use \u2018Yours sincerely\u2019, or a \u2018Cheers\u2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Emails can be hard for employees \u2013 especially when many are working 100% remotely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A well-crafted email can make the difference between a successful working relationship or potential confusion, insult or conflict \u2013 all of which can be heightened if your employees aren\u2019t working from the same place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here&#8217;s what we cover in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#hr\">HR\u2019s own role in effective communication<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#how\">How can HR guide employees to communicate effectively remotely?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#top\">10 top tips for email etiquette<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-a37fa7ea-ea38-4c63-a74f-1f061404a164\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-a37fa7ea-ea38-4c63-a74f-1f061404a164\"\n\t>Request a free, live demo of Sage People and discover how it can help your organisation attract the best people, retain your key talent and increase productivity<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hr\">HR\u2019s own role in effective communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">There\u2019s no doubt that those who work in HR are great communicators; it\u2019s part of the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Whether it\u2019s email, face-to-face, instant messaging, calls, through the intranet or an HR and People system \u2013 HR and People teams communicate through many different mediums in order to support their employees effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">By setting an example, HR and People teams can guide employees in the different internal communication styles and set the tone for the organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Better still, if you have an intranet or an HR and People portal, you could share communication tips so that they\u2019re easily accessible for your people \u2013 irrespective of where they work in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how\">How can HR guide employees to communicate effectively remotely?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As well as having the responsibility of communicating to employees effectively, what role can HR and People leaders play in guiding employees towards best practice in how they themselves communicate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here\u2019s some ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Encourage coffee breaks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Some of the best ideas come from water cooler chats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While you\u2019re working remotely, it\u2019s impossible to do this in the same way as you would in an office. Encourage coffee breaks amongst teams and their leaders, as well as among project teams to get to know one another better, spark ideas and spend time away from the work-related chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You may even want to consider introducing work quizzes or Friday team catch ups so employees can get together.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-78fc26be-8d59-499a-93e7-ead30160521a\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-78fc26be-8d59-499a-93e7-ead30160521a\"\n\t>Download your free report: The changing expectations and perceptions of HR<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phone rather than email<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Email is just 7% as effective as talking face to face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While working remotely, video call or phone are employees\u2019 best alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s especially important for employees to consider this if they need to hit a deadline or explain something in more detail to get the job done, so work with managers to encourage employees where possible to pick up the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reward and recognise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Everyone likes to be recognised for a good job well done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When it comes to remote working, you can\u2019t do this in person, so instead, consider ways employees can send kudos among each other; whether that\u2019s via a recognition platform, the intranet or nominating employees to be called out during a conference call with the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">By doing this, it means that both employees and managers can record these recognitions so that when it comes to their continuous conversations and reviews, this can be something that can be tracked and recognised officially through this process, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A good HR system will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/product-capabilities\/payroll-compensation-benefits\/\">enable employees and managers to share recognition<\/a>, be it by virtual \u2018high-fives\u2019 or shout outs. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Educate on feedback types and styles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Every employee is unique, and the way they want feedback is only naturally going to be different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Educate managers on feedback types and styles either via a live or virtual training session, or a guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You could also look to doing some personality assessments, such as the Myers-Briggs indicator, so managers can find out more about their employee, how they work and how they like to be fed back to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlight the benefits \u2013 and downfalls \u2013 of video call<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Video conferencing is a great way to stay in touch, but it has its downsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While it can be great for having a chat, being in back to back video calls can be exhausting. In fact, video calling is causing a widespread phenomenon known as &#8216;Zoom fatigue&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If the meeting could work as a phone call or group chat, employees shouldn\u2019t feel obligated to use their cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Make it clear to employees and managers that video calling isn\u2019t mandatory but if they want to use videos, it can be a good way to stay in touch.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-78fc26be-8d59-499a-93e7-ead30160521a\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-78fc26be-8d59-499a-93e7-ead30160521a\"\n\t>Download your free report: The changing expectations and perceptions of HR<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Establish an effective meeting process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s a fact: poorly organised meetings can be detrimental for employee productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A study found that 44% of respondents said that poorly organised meetings meant they didn\u2019t have enough time to do the rest of their work, and 33% said unclear actions lead to confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Provide some tips for effective meeting management that work for your team, such as suggesting they circulating an agenda ahead of time and some suggestions of how everyone can be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Share best practice email etiquette<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With a predicted 306.4 billion emails sent and received each day in 2020, it\u2019s vital for employees to get email communication right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Share top tips and best practice so they have some guidance as to what an effective email looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"top\">10 top tips for email etiquette<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here\u2019s ten email etiquette tips for HR and People teams to share with employees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Include a clear subject matter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Short and snappy summary will likely be more effective than a full sentence. If it\u2019s for review, put that at the beginning of the subject line to make it more eye-catching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Always use an appropriate greeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you\u2019re writing to a close colleague, an informal \u2018Hi\u2019 will likely be sufficient, but if you\u2019re writing to someone you don\u2019t know so well, then always add a formal salutation and an introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Only use shorthand if you know your recipients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you\u2019re writing to your own team about a project that you\u2019ve been discussing, then you can write short emails with a list of bullet points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Be wary of using humour or colloquialism across cultures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Be aware of funny sayings or colloquialisms. Instead, keep your emails to the point and as clear as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Consider the purpose of your email<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Always state if your email needs an action and by when. You could even bold this or italicise a due date or the action needed so it\u2019s clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Think before you use an emoji<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If you\u2019re sending them to people you know well, and you know will understand them, then that\u2019s fine. If not, then consider if they\u2019re really needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Don\u2019t hit reply all or CC everyone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">By replying to people who don\u2019t need to be copied, it\u2019ll only clog up their inbox \u2013 and potentially yours if they reply to something you don\u2019t need them to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Reply in a timely fashion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Always reply within 24 hours, even if it\u2019s to acknowledge an email and explain that you will revert with an appropriate response within a defined timescale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Think about where your email could end up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Never use inappropriate language in a work email. The reality is that your email will remain on the server long after you have deleted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Always spell check<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Take the time to re-read your emails, make sure they make sense and have the right tone before you send them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This article was first published in November 2020 and has been updated for relevance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Sage People live demo <\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Want to attract the best people, retain your key talent and increase productivity? Request a free, live demo of Sage People and discover how it can help you achieve your goals.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-a37fa7ea-ea38-4c63-a74f-1f061404a164\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Request a free demo<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"999\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The appropriate email etiquette can vary, however, there are some basic dos and don&#8217;ts that HR and People teams can use to guide employees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1660,"featured_media":3386,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[45,41,159],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[69,71],"imagine_tag":[163,92,217,96,218],"coauthors":[406],"class_list":["post-8285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-employee-engagement","tag-hr-process","tag-midsized-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Charlotte Penny","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-590171259_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"163":"Employee benefits","92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes","96":"Medium businesses","218":"Top HR resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice 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