If people on the respective mailing list know that the person is not representing the company in a humourous mail then it does not reflect on the company they work for - it may even make that company seem less of a bunch of officious fools.

Using smilies is not childish - they're a bit of fun if used in the right situation (lol!) . Unless you work for a funeral director, or similar, feel free to be friendly and lively with those around you - the only people who are against such pleasantness are those with problems in social situations.

Get to know your office network admin if possible - they have usually seen a *lot* worse than you're likely to send in an email and they will let you know what is and what isn't acceptable without you having to FEAR the consequences (yes I was SHOUTING there, by the way).

Basically, any worthwhile company doesn't care as long as you do the work expected. If they do care about such trivial matters as a (possibly) suggestive email then you're probably best finding a better company to work for.

I agree with the part about certain conventions (LOL, XXX) being tacky. As a PA I monitor several senior managers' email accounts - some of them don't realise that I do that, as part of my job - and nothing makes me lose respect for a manager more than seeing an sent folder full of xx oo luv u, txt spk, and platitudes that look like something out of a 12 year old girl's diary. It also tells me that the "manager" is a person who puts their immediate emotional needs over the day's business requirements. You have a personal email account at home and that's what it's for. If you can't put the girly side of your personality away for eight hours a day, you need to rethink your priorities.

also jean, maybe you should make these people aware that you are looking at their emails and maybe they wouldn't send them from work.. you ever thought about that?

All this talk is making me want to watch Office Space again. (Great film.)

I can't see myself taking to the "9-5" office culture at all actually. I'll find some other means of making a living though, or just be a very freespirited office worker, dontcha worry.

I'm glad to see some of the dubious responses to this article. I thought it was just me who'd want very much so to tell my employer to kiss my backside if they tried to get a little too tight with the email system when I saw no problem.

I can't say I'm fond of capitals, txt spk, bad spelling/grammar, or emails peppered with emoticons and web-speak acronyms. But I find that the latter two, used in moderation, are fine. And I'd have no email tsar tell me what to do.

Chris has a point to, in that Jean could let her colleagues know that she snoops in, sorry - moderates - their emails as part of her job, and I'm sure the schmaltzy emails would decrease exponentially.

Heres a tip for you... pick up the phone or get up off your bum and go and look your colleague in the eye and converse with them like human beings.
E-mail should be used to send data where a fax or internal mail would be too cumbersome or would take too long and not as some sort of formalised audit trail of your requests/complaints.
I have actually witnessed colleagues having an argument from their desks across an office on e-mail - ridiculous.
And you wonder why youngsters today are anti-social? You just need to look at the parents and their lack of social skills.

Anyhoo I have to go and empty my Inbox......

well said heather

i was off work recently due to illness and when i was off i got calls from people telling me they were getting read reciepts to emails they had sent even although i wasn't there. turned out my boss had asked for access for business usage and was looking at personal stuff. a bit like jean! isn't that out of order..... what i say is who cares how people communicate, as long as they are communicating then we will all get along a whole lot better....... so heather, what is your age? height? eye colour......... thats communicating is it not?

agree with Andy and Chris. Who wants to work for a co. that is policing you and putting you on edge?

'social email' is more compatible with work than those people who stand at each other's desks gossiping all the time. I spent an entire job with my iPod on to spare myself from these inane conversations.

yeah kev

it is not email that is the problem, i am all for people using email if it stops the gossiping and bitching about people in my ear shot. it won't be the first time i have said to people like this to go and say things to peoples faces. thats when they start sending emails bitching and gossiping about people...... office culture is serioulsy flawed when it comes to stuff like this. my boss is one for the bitching and gossiping...... you wonder what they are saying behind your back when your not looking.

erses the lot of them

Hahaha, Christopher - The scotsman.com moderator(s) will have none of that coquetry!

I'm 5'2", with blue eyes and enjoyed my first legal drink a month and a bit ago.

Wee and young. Now stop grooming me... :P

PS. I found this fantastic spoof of Office Space:

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=628763306406123...

Christopher, this is exactly the sort of stuff that those crusty old prunes in management don't want to have to wade through. It just makes them more bitter and jealous.

Any more of this and I am letting your employer know. You made all of those comments between 9am and 5pm today...

So a quick apology to all the well-meaning people reading this, looking for a serious discussion about email in the workplace, and I fished this out for you meanwhile, Chris:

http://www.dating.scotsman.com/s/view/52422/n

I'd have given you a link perhaps to another site or two that I'm on, but I like to keep the moderator sweet while sailing in the vicinity of the wind.

Christopher you are right it is not nice to feel under suspicion at work and it is disasterous for moral re: moderation of emails, however companies do have the right to do this and look at anything on your computer, hardcopy files etc etc etc generally it is only done if someone suspects something is wrong or if someone in a key position is out of the office and their function in the company needs to be kept running. This includes going through your desk etc. If companies really insisted on full compliance no personal anything would be allowed into the workplace at all never mind emails between colleagues - however it is understood that staff are human beings not machines and a little bit of slack is the norm.

Jean to be honest as a PA your lack of discretion here is astounding. Equally your opinion of your superior’s behaviour is not part of your job. I also think that your opinion is a tad over the top. I suspect that the moderation you claim is nothing more than monitoring email for spam, time wasters, requests that you could deal with and to highlight important issues and requests to your bosses. In other words you are supposed to be protecting your bosses' time and business interests not interfering in their personal lives regardless of what you think of it/them. I have to go along with Christopher here on this.

I am the HR and Operations manager at my work place I write and implement these kinds of policies in line with best practice, current trends and legislation and used correctly they work well and everyone is happy.

Everyone with few exceptions does use text speak, forum code, smilies etc and capitals sometime to good and appropriate effect so a little bit of give and take is the required reaction to all of this. Obviously there are exceptions; however work should never feel like a prison or somewhere you are too afraid to relax and get on with people - even by email. In saying that I am more in favour of people getting to know their

hi heather, i can't access this site via my pc at work, i'll need to wait till i get home! see you later!

*Goes all shy, like.*

I do get the feeling we're being watched...

If you want more on me, just Google "Lord Pasternack" (in quotes). That'll be me.

And after all the bother I've gone to, you had really better be sure you have all your own hair and teeth!

Reading some of the comments above, I bet the writer of the article suddenly realised that she'd neglected to include "all lowercase" in her list of no-nos...

LISTEN YOU LOT..

how much time do you lot of pen pushers waste each day e.mailing each other about each others bitcheness...

grow up you saddos..AND USE A BIRO..

have a nice day now..you hear.....