Emails can come back to haunt you, as Corporate Officer Diane Vaykovich told members of Town council recently.
Be careful what you write in your emails – it could come back to bite you.
That was the advice that Corporate Officer Diane Vaykovich gave Oliver Town councillors last week.
“We need to treat our emails in a professional manner,” she said during her presentation on the Town’s Respect in the Workplace policy. The policy touches on discrimination, harassment, and workplace bullying.
Vaykovich gave a brief primer on email etiquette, saying that email senders should put themselves in the shoes of email receivers.
“Before you hit send, look at it tomorrow,” she said, noting that people on the receiving end often don’t know the emotion you are feeling. That’s why it’s best to review the email before sending it.
Vaykovich also advised councillors to always keep a business tone to their emails and to avoid being clever.
In addition, she cautioned council members to be careful when hitting “reply to all.” She noted that privacy is an issue when sending emails to a group of people.
“We don’t have the authority to send out private email (addresses). We have to protect personal information. If there is a breach, it can come back to haunt us.”
Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes said council is a close-knit group that can be passionate about certain issues.
“It’s better to pick up the phone if you’re passionate or emotional.”
Hovanes said being passionate can be misconstrued as being grumpy. And he reminded councillors that emails can be used in court as evidence.
