What About Forwarding Jokes?

There are exceptions to every rule however, this would be one of the rules I suggest you not break.

Refrain from forwarding jokes or non-business related e-mails on company time while using your business e-mail address and resources. It is important to show understanding and respect for business associate and contact’s time by not forwarding anything that is not business related to their business e-mail address.

Same goes for coworkers. Studies are now reflecting time and time again the decrease in productivity due to e-mail and online connections. Don’t get caught in the trap of using business resources for the forwarding of non-business related jokes, forwards or content to coworkers in the guise of its “O.K.”

My usual guideline advising you to write all your e-mails as if they were on your company letterhead applies here as well. If the material is not appropriate for your business letterhead, keep it to yourself or forward it to your personal account so you can share with others on your personal time (by sending to their personal accounts). The last thing you want to do is compromise how others think about how seriously you take your job, your business and your relationship with them.

Your business e-mail address should only be used for business communications — period. You never know if the person on the other side will have the same sense of humor, nor do you know if they will find the topic in question as noble or as important as you do to want to read it during their busy business day.

The e-mails you send reflect what you find important at the moment. Keep your business e-mails on topic; the topic of doing business!