When Email Isn’t Appropriate

There’s no doubt that we’ve become an email culture. Most of the time, email is quick and easy, it eliminates playing telephone tag, and it enables you to get your message across and move on to the next task on your list. But there are times when email just isn’t appropriate.

Last week, I heard about a local law firm which is generally considered to be a great place to work with a collegial atmosphere and a good culture, who made a major partnership announcement to the firm by email. While that kind of announcement may work in some firms, knowing this firm, it just didn’t seem to make sense to me, particularly for an announcement of this magnitude.

When a firm has created a culture of collegiality and a family atmosphere, making this kind of announcement by email creates distance between firm management and staff, while at the same time minimizing the effect of the announcement. Major firm announcements made by email tend to get lost or ignored. They send a signal that the firm didn’t think enough of the announcement to make it in public and personal. The firm missed an opportunity to welcome its new partner in style and to make an impression on those in the firm seeking to advance.

Email is certainly a useful tool, but there are occasions when it isn’t the most appropriate method of communication. Mark Hermann and James Beck point out that some client communications shouldn’t be sent by email, either, in their post entitled “On Communicating By Email.” (Hat tip to Robert Ambrogi for alerting me to the post)

When you’ve got important information to transmit either within or outside of your firm, in person is best, but if that won’t work, at least consider using the telephone – or be prepared for your email or memo to generate inquiries either in person or by phone, and make certain to be available to respond.