NSFW = Not Safe For Work? What’s with that!?

Today’s post is short and to the point, primarily because the subject should be common sense, but apparently, it is not to some.

I was recently interviewed about my views on the use of the acronym NSFW. Some felt that an acronym noting “Not Safe For Work” is necessary when sending emails to those they knew were at work to warn them. This is a visible warning that the content or links contained within were questionable and not proper for the work environment.

If that is indeed the case, why would you proceed and click send? By typing those four letters, are you then absolved from any responsibility for the content of the email and the fact that it has nothing to do with someone’s work responsibilities? I don’t think so.

NSFW should be DSTW (Don’t Send to Work)

“Not Safe For Work,” but we’re sending it to a company work email address anyway? What am I missing here?

My reaction is that there is no need for such an acronym. Typing NSFW reflects that you lack the common sense and respect to know not to send emails with questionable content to someone’s company work email.

If you find yourself typing NSFW, stop.

Before sending an email with NFSW, instead, send an email asking for your contact’s personal email address. Then, explain that you have a non-business-related email you would like to send.

When you have friends who send you emails that use this acronym, demonstrate your responsibility as an employee by immediately replying and asking them to refrain from doing so in the future. (Don’t doubt that your email activities may be or can be monitored.)

Inform the sender not to use your company email address for anything not business-related. At that time, you can also provide your personal email address for future personal communications.

Easy! Get a personal email address.

Don’t have a personal email? Get one at Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo — there are several free email account providers to choose from. There is no excuse to use your work email address for anything other than work-related communications. Period.

Better yet, be a real pro and get a yourname.com or yourname.me domain. You can then use that email address for everything except work-related matters. Even your own website, if you choose to have one down the road.

For a few extra dollars a month, you can have a reliable email provider and a separate email address for everything that is not work-related. This approach keeps your personal life off company devices and servers.

It is inexpensive and provides you with the tools to separate your personal from your business communications. You can use it for subscribing to newsletters, your personal social media accounts, and even job hunting.

It is surprising how much time we spend creating justifications for things we know we shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Using company email for anything other than company business should include this acronym: IUE (Irresponsible Unprofessional Employee).