Professional Email Etiquette

Abbreviations, slang and colloquialisms should never be used when sending email in a professional setting.

Spelling and grammatical mistakes in business-related emails tell the reader that you are careless or have poor writing skills.

Using all capital letters can be a sign that you're angry, displeased or yelling.

Always address supervisors respectfully. You are responsible for contacting your agency to explain any absences and schedule any make up hours. Always include a brief explanation of the reason for your absence. Be candid, honest and straightforward. Contact your agency supervisor as soon as you know you will miss your shift; do not wait until your shift has started or after your shift. Ask about possible make-up times. Say "please" and "thank you."

It is unprofessional not to include your full name at the end of every email message. Do not expect your recipient to automatically recognize your email address. The best practice is to save a standard, professional signature in your email program.

The standards of appropriateness are quite different depending on the recipient of your email. You should adopt a much more professional tone in emails to your service learning agency.

Always use an official, standardized email address when sending emails for work, an internship, or service learning. Email addresses like "[email protected]" are often perceived as juvenile or unprofessional.

Option C is the most courteous and complete response. Option A was sent too late. It does not answer the original questions (Will you be here for your next shift? and When will you schedule your make-up hours?), and it shows disrespect and disregard for the service learning commitment. Option C rambles, provides too much unnecessary information, and does not answer the original questions. Option D is sent too late and inappropriately asks the supervisor to call the student about rescheduling, when it should be the other way around.

You are responsible for all messages and information sent to your loyno.edu email address. It is the official means of communicating with you while you are a student at Loyola. You should check it at least once a day and send any replies necessary.

You must read and respond to all emails from supervisors, professors, or others you're working with on important projects, whether or not they are marked as urgent and whether or not they are the most recent messages at the top of your list. Many new messages can be ignored such as spam and advertising.

Reading and sending email should be efficient and straightforward. The content of the message is what matters, not cute graphics, pretty colors, or fancy fonts. Many recipients may experience technical problems reading your message if you include too many customized features.

You are responsible for knowing the information contained in emails sent to you by Loyola University, your teachers and your service learning supervisors within a reasonable amount of time (1-2 business days). If requested, you are also responsible for replying or responding with appropriate information. Not having read an email message is no excuse.

Immediately stating what you want or need can be perceived as impolite or demanding. It is always a good idea to begin an email with a short pleasant greeting.

Short, to-the-point, concise emails are always better than long, rambling emails as long as they aren't impolite or curt.

It is a good professional rule of thumb to read and reply to an important email within one to two business days of receiving it.