THE 3 CARDINAL RULES OF EFFECTIVE EMAIL COMMUNICATION
DON’ T BE ‘ THAT GUY’
The average businessperson reads and composes more than 120 emails every day, but there’s an overwhelming amount of business emails that seem to be written with no apparent regard for the reader. A massive chunk of people’s workdays is wasted wading through irrelevant, unclear, or incomprehensible messages. To remedy this issue, it’s vital to understand the keys to effective online communication, both to stem the tide of annoying and unnecessary emails and to protect your reputation as a professional. Here are three rules for effective email communication. 1. TIGHTEN IT UP. When your message is sitting in an inbox packed with dozens of others, it’s essential to respect your reader’s time. Make the contents of the message clear from a glance at the subject line. Your subject line is what will draw the attention of the recipient — or lead them to skip over it altogether — so be specific and relevant. In the body of the email, your reason for emailing, as well as all the important points, should be immediately clear. Keep it as concise and as transparent as possible. 2. WRITE LIKE A HUMAN BEING. Many professionals assume that the need for brevity means they can get away with short, robotic
missives. Managers are especially guilty of this, sending out single- sentence messages in all lowercase letters with nary an emotion.
We get it; you’re busy. But it’s worth taking an extra moment of your time to craft an email that carries the human element as well. It’s important to take a professional tone and to keep communication brief, but you can still write, to some degree, like you talk. This will show recipients that you take communicating with them seriously. 3. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, REPLY TO THE EMAILS YOU RECEIVE. Again, you’re busy, and you’ve got to prioritize your work, but consistently ignoring emails is a clear sign of negligence and will make you unpopular among your coworkers. If you don’t have time to think of a clear answer, a simple confirmation that you received the message goes a long way. While you can safely ignore all those companywide filler emails you receive each week, you need to show your coworkers and contacts that you’re willing to put in a little effort and that you’re on top of your responsibilities.
RandomDrug Testing For Cops:
ARE YOU FOR OR AGAINST?
AN OLD QUESTION The recent policy shift of the Atlanta PD certainly brought this question to the forefront of social media, but it’s actually a question the whole nation has been grappling with. There is no unified drug testing policy for law enforcement officers in the United States, and departments vary wildly in their approach. Some require as many as four random screenings a year, while others don’t drug test at all after the initial job interview. Here’s a look at where both sides are coming from. enforcement officers should be held to the same standard as pilots, bus drivers, and other professions where drug use could put lives at risk. When officers need to respond to a dangerous situation or de-escalate a conflict, people want to know their heads are clear. This side also points to a potential FOR Those in favor of randomized drug testing for police argue that law
conflict of interest: An officer may not bust their own drug dealer, let alone themselves.
AGAINST Most people who are against testing don’t argue that police should be given special privileges, but rather disagree with screening for drugs without any probable cause. They point out that arbitrary drug testing, in any profession, is a violation of one’s Fourth Amendment rights. Others go further by pointing out this scrutiny may not be very random in practice. Personal and institutional biases could be a factor in how often individual officers get selected for testing, making the policy a new avenue for workplace discrimination and harassment. We’ll continue to watch this debate as it develops. As a law firm, we enjoy seeing so many people engaging actively in such a nuanced conversation!
Further marijuana decriminalization efforts in Atlanta have sparked an important conversation about the standards we hold our police officers to and their rights as citizens under the law. This March, the city’s police department announced it would no longer be asking candidates about past marijuana use — something that previously kept potential officers from being recruited. Regardless of what you think of this policy shift, it raises a divisive question: Should officers be randomly tested for current drug use?
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Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
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