When is appropriate to use the Cc: (Courtesy Copy) option when e-mailing business associates?
In this day of e-mail overload and lost productivity, one should only Cc: others when it is important that those included in the Cc: field be kept informed. Not just because you want them to know — because it is truly important that they know.
What you don’t want to do is blend personal preferences or ulterior motives when you Cc: (or worse BCc:) as that can be risky at best. Only Cc: those associates who are or were involved in the conversation and need to be aware of the issues currently being discussed because the information could directly impact them.
What many make the mistake of doing is Cc’ing a supervisor the moment they don’t like what a coworker in the office is doing or not. That is conducive to e-tattling. If you jump to Cc: the next in command every time you do not agree with a comment or when you do not get a response as fast as you like from a coworker, you make it very clear that you are unable to work in a team environment.
When used to tattle or CYA, Cc’ing rarely accomplishes anything other than creating unnecessary e-mails and in most cases only serves to negatively reflect upon you.
Some More Info for You:
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