By Chloe DiVita
I should be starting the New Year off by wishing everyone well, but since I’m a bit at late at that I’m going to jump right in to one of my pet peeves. (But I really do hope everyone is jumping into 2007 with a fresh new outlook!)
One of my bigger pet peeves is the abuse of the red exclamation meaning “high importance” when sending emails. I do believe there are times when it is appropriate to use the exclamation. Say if there is something that needs urgent attention, immediate action, or ignoring it could result in major consequences. If that’s the case, by all means use it.
But, if you are simply providing information - even if it’s important information - if your work day (or the recipient’s work day) is not going to explode by not immediately reading and reacting to the email, then it’s not an emergency. It doesn’t warrant the red exclamation.
The main issue I find with the abuse is that the individuals who choose to use it over and over when it doesn’t seem appropriate end up crying wolf. So, if you abuse it, you end up negating its purpose anyway. There are a few individuals I work with who I don’t flinch when I see the little red exclamation attached to the email because experience has shown me that it rarely is an emergency.
I know I’m not the only one who feels this way because I’ve had several conversations about it. If you think you might be an abuser, it’s not too late to change!
Comments