Proper Technology Etiquette

Presented by Christina Corson

Introductions

Communicating through technology can be difficult.

Have you ever received an email or text that offended you?

Have you ever sent an email or text that accidentally offended someone else?

Have you ever sent an email or text that accidently went to the wrong person?

With this is mind, here are essential rules of email etiquette at work which I encourage you to put into

practice.Later, we will talk about texting, and social media.

Reply in a timely manner

A basic rule about email reply speed is the following: reply to any email in less than 48 hours and ideally, in less than 24 hours (weekends do not count). This kind of email response will be greatly appreciated by colleagues, clients and collaborators.

Use an auto-responder When you’re away from the office for more than 2

days, with the exception of weekends, set an auto-responder to automatically reply to all emails, letting people know you are away and you have limited or no access to email (if this is the case).

Leave them your phone number or the email of another colleague for emergencies.

Only add people in Cc if necessary

Just because someone added another person in the Cc field when sending you an email doesn’t mean you have to keep including that person in the discussion. Before putting a person’s email in Cc, ask yourself if that person really needs to get that email.

Sometimes Bcc is appropriate. Be sure you want to send a mass email before

you hit send.

Do not spam people It isn’t appropriate to send or receive spam on

work email addresses. Spam are jokes, requests for donations, motivational stories, chain emails etc. These emails only clog inboxes. Keep them for private/personal emails.

Put your name in the signature

This may seem obvious. However, you would be surprised how many emails are received from addresses typed “office@…” and no one has signed the email. So initially, the person receiving the email has no idea who they are talking with and they get the feeling they are talking with a machine rather than a real person.

Be sure you add your phone number in the “signature”.

Spell check your email

After you write an email, use the spell check, do read it once head to bottom before clicking the send button.

Keep it focused on business

Work emails are not for office gossip or sharing your entire life story with others. It’s OK to communicate in a sincere way using email at work, it’s not OK to fill an email with useless details which make the relevant business information hard to find. Be professional.

Work time should be work time. Don’t send personal emails during work hours.

Don’t Shout Writing in all capital letters on an email is

considered shouting. It is hard to read an email in all capital letters.

Be Aware Don’t send emails when you are angry. Once you put something down in writing it can

come back to haunt you and can be used against you.

Don’t use emails to avoid a face to face conversation.

Watch your Tone Merriam-Webster defines tone as an "accent or

inflection expressive of a mood or emotion." It is very difficult to express tone in writing. You

want to come across as respectful, friendly, and approachable. You don't want to sound rude or demanding.

End emails in a friendly way

Do use ending formulas such as “Best wishes” or “Have a great day”. Even if you use the same formula with everyone and it’s more of a reflex, it will still help. People like it when an email ends in a warm and positive way, wishing them things like the ones above.

Email etiquette at work is definitely an evolving topic. As technology evolves, so does email and so do the rules of email etiquette at work. It is up to you to always use your head, keep your people skills sharp and seek to make the best use of email communication in the workplace.

Texting Etiquette at Work

Technology has come a long way in the last few years. It is a good idea to use this technology professionally at work.

Common Courtesy Texting while face to face with someone is just as

rude as taking a phone call.

Remember that texting is informal.

Texting is an informal way of communicating.

Text messages should be short and to the point.

Sometimes an email is more appropriate. You should not use texting to deliver bad

news. Texting should not be used to send patient

information because texting is not a secure environment.

If you are texting at work, spell out the words instead of using texting acronyms. Not everyone knows all of the lingo.

Popular Texting Acronyms

2moro - Tomorrow 2nite - Tonight BRB - Be Right Back BTW - By The Way B4N - Bye For Now FUD - Fear, Uncertainty, and

Disinformation FWIW - For What It's Worth GR8 - Great IRL - In Real Life ISO - In Search Of J/K - Just Kidding L8R - Later LOL - Laughing Out Loud -or- Lots Of

Love MHOTY - My Hat's Off To You NP - No Problem

OIC - Oh, I See OMG - Oh My God OT - Off Topic POV - Point Of View RBTL - Read Between The Lines RT - Real Time THX or TX or THKS - Thanks SITD - Still In The Dark TFH - Thread From Hell TMI - Too Much Information TTYL - Talk To You Later -or- Type To You

Later TYVM - Thank You Very Much VBG - Very Big Grin WYWH - Wish You Were Here XOXO - Hugs and Kisses

Remember….Anything you send as a text can resurface. Never put down or send anything in a text or email that you wouldn’t want others to see.

Once you hit send, you can’t take it back.

Social Media

Social Media Facebook – 845 + million users YouTube – 490 + million users Twitter – 250 + million users Myspace – 33.1 + million users Google+ - 24 + million users Pinterest – 3.3 + million users Etc.

Consequences If you violate company policy and post

inappropriate material on social media websites you can be fired.

Even if you leave out names. The HR department has grounds for termination.

ProMedica Policy Use of social media should be consistent

with the Employee Standards of Conduct. Content published must maintain

compliance with HIPAA regulations. Commentary published online must not be

defamatory, libelous, obscene, profane, threatening, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, hateful, or humiliating to another party.

ProMedica Policy Continued

If an employee sees or is made aware of an inappropriate or negative comment regarding anyone, the employee should alert a member of the leadership team.

PHS will monitor content posted on behalf of the organization to ensure that it complies with these guidelines.

An individual is personally responsible for their posts; it must be clear that their comments do not reflect the opinion of PHS and that they are not speaking for PHS.

ProMedica Policy Continued

Taking photos or videos of the facility, patients/members or staff in work areas and on work time is prohibited; including such pictures on a personal post would demonstrate a violation of policy and could result in disciplinary action.

Participating in social media at work that is not business-related must be done during non-work time.

The employer monitors the use of PHS equipment and electronic communications; such electronic communications are stored and can be retrieved and reviewed without notice to the employee.

ProMedica Policy Continued

The employer does not monitor employees’ use of personal devices when not on PHS networks, but violations brought to the attention of the employer will subject the employee to appropriate discipline.

Facebook postings are fair grounds for termination at many companies.

You must consider HIPPA issues when posting anything about work.

ProMedica Policy Continued

You must consider ProMedica policies before posting anything about work.

Beware of forming a dual relationship – it is risky to add a patient or relative of a patient as a friend on Facebook.

Ask yourself why you want to post something and is it worth it?

Examples In March 2010, 13 ED nurses and staff at a

Pennsylvania hospital were fired for what they thought was innocent and private online ER group chatting. One nurse was fired for posting “That lady was crazy.” The nurse never thought what she posted in the privacy of her own home would result in such a response. Several weeks later, the hospital established a policy about social networking sites, which says that patients have the right to receive care without being the subject of a Facebook discussion.

More Examples In April 2010, a mortally wounded patient arrived

at a California ER. His throat was slashed so severely that he was almost decapitated. Instead of focusing on treating the patient, nurses and other hospital staff members snapped photos of the man and posted them on Facebook, according to a hospital employee. The man died soon after. A photo was posted on public Facebook accounts for several days before coworkers reported the situation to hospital officials. Four staff members were later fired, but none of the nurses.

More Examples In the summer of 2010, a Michigan nurse was shocked

when she was fired for venting on Facebook. Like many other Michigan residents, she was upset when a policeman was shot to death pursuing a suspect. She treated the shooter as part of her duties as a nurse. The problem resulted when she posted on Facebook that she “came face to face with a cop killer and hoped he rotted in hell.” She was fired for disseminating protected health information about a patient on Facebook. She made it easy to identify the patient without revealing his name. Her employer noted that she used disparaging comments. A hospital representative said that employees have a legal and ethical responsibility to put personal opinions aside and provide care for any patients entrusted to them.

More Examples Five nurses were fired at another California

hospital after managers discovered they had been discussing patients on Facebook. After this incident, the hospital required employees to sign a social media agreement noting that even if a patient is not identified by name or record number in a Facebook posting, other information could identify the patient.

More Examples In November 2010, a community college dismissed a

nursing student for posting a photograph of herself on Facebook posing with a human placenta. However, a federal judge overturned her dismissal a few months later, noting that she had been given permission to take the photograph and there was no breach of patient confidentiality. The community college president said he was disappointed with the judge’s ruling because the nursing program is widely known for its quality of instruction and its graduates. The college president said that sensitivity to patients and confidentiality of patient care are at the heart of its teaching.

 

More Examples Another nursing student was dismissed from a

university because of a blog posting on her MySpace page. The student posted what many considered distasteful and offensive descriptions of her impression of attending a live birth. The university accused her of violating patient confidentiality and other policies. The dismissal was overturned by the U.S. District Court because the blog post was not created or used in a professional context. The court said that if the school of nursing wanted the standards of professionalism as outlined in its honor code to apply to all conduct of a student everywhere, at all times and in all contexts, it must give fair notice and explain this clearly.

Thank you for your time! Any questions?