Business Holiday eStress Syndrome | Business Email Etiquette

With three weeks to go, the Holidays are in full swing! With that comes the pressure and stress of all the Holiday issues that hit us every year. Entertaining details, gift buying, business and personal responsibilities colliding, Holiday cards and the list goes on.

In my experience, many begin to type e-mails in an abrupt way when they get stressed with a tone that is, well, snippy. That is why I post this e-mail etiquette reminder every year.

This less than courteous intonation generally comes from not taking the time to include all those little details we talk about here (greeting, closing, TIA!, proper sentence structure and grammar to name a few). Things that take only a few seconds more…

I am already experiencing terse e-mails from those site owners under pressure at this time of year. Busy folks, with too much on their plates, whipping off e-mails with their thought or emotion of the moment and neglecting E-mail Etiquette.

Hey, I know what it is like at this time of year! Especially if you have Web sites that rock during the Holidays. Or, if you have a business that ramps down during this time of year leaving you with other not-so-fun issues to deal with. With over 15 Web sites, I have a healthy combo of all the above!

But what I do is always look at the big picture. It is the Holidays after all and every e-mail I send ends reflecting good cheer. I don’t let the multitude of e-mail requests (some nice; others not so much), orders awaiting processing or sites requiring updates ruin my mood. And if I am having a bad day, which we all have at some time or another — those I communicate with via e-mail never know about it!

Don’t fall prey to the annual Holiday eStress Syndrome. You’re better, smarter and more considerate than that. Now is not the time of the year to let your evil-twin take over your e-mail communications because you are feeling rushed, stressed or overburdened.

Get in the spirit and don’t use the fact you are not face-to-face with the person on the other side to indulge in narcissistic emotions. Instead be an example of happiness and good cheer — even if you are having a bad day.

Let’s have a Happy eHoliday Season!