Millennials are Killing Email

A great email has the capacity to open doors to new opportunities, initiate partnerships, and establish a line of communication between you or your company and other influential people with whom getting a face-to-face meeting can be difficult. While proper email etiquette is important for both millennial workers and seasoned professionals alike, younger employees often fail to use it effectively as a means of business communication.

Using Inappropriate Language

The use of slang words and phrases can literally destroy the quality of a business email. Millennial workers are frequent offenders of this rule. It is important to encourage younger workers to use excellent English when composing emails, so they are able to make a competent impression on other professionals.

Adding Too Many Abbreviations

Working in harmony with millennial workers who bring a casual texting style to the office can be frustrating for mature workers. Young professionals who use too many abbreviated terms and phrases in work emails can ignite confusion on the other end and strain relationships between baby boomers and millennials in the office.

Millennial workers must aim to keep their emails succinct and clear. They should avoid using slang words and phrases unless it is considered common industry practice. Most business executives and customers do not want to waste time reading lengthy messages, so millennial workers should focus on getting to the point in a few sentences to make their emails more effective.

Lack of Professionalism

Many prestigious enterprises continue to use email as a major outlet of business communication. If an email appears unprofessional, the entire message can be ignored. Some millennial workers neglect to address recipients professionally by not using proper names and titles. Poor email conduct can cause issues, become grounds for correction, or potentially damage a deal or partnership.

Depending on Technology

Mobile options provide several conveniences to present-day employees that were not available just 20 years ago. With technology, professionals can conduct business tasks via tablet, laptop or smartphone. For this reason, many millennial workers quickly send emails right from their phones, without taking adequate time to consider whether their messages adhere to proper email etiquette.

A number of millennial workers also rely on spell-checker and grammar review features to ensure that their emails are suitable. Unfortunately, these kinds of electronic analysis don't always catch every written mistake. This can lead to sending emails that make little or no sense with a few words misspelled or changed. Taking the time to proofread emails carefully can help millennial workers curb these types of avoidable blunders.

Adjusting to Operational Differences

Many large companies continue to use email as their primary method of correspondence, but some younger employees view it as an instant, personal messaging platform. Therefore, millennial workers may face difficulty adjusting to conducting business online.

Paying attention to email etiquette is essential for anyone looking to navigate the business world and hopefully leave behind a good lasting impression while doing so. Knowing this, millennial workers should arm themselves with the skills necessary to effectively and efficiently communicate with their professional peers in the modern age of digital decorum.

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