In Auckland, New Zealand a recent news item told the story of Vicki Walker who was fired from her job, in part, because of her “confrontational” emails. Ms. Walker had apparently made a practice of using block capital letters, bold typeface, and red typeface in emails.
Her employer was reported to have viewed her habits, including her email style, as creating disharmony in the workplace. Ms. Walker complained to the local Employment Relations Authority, which upheld her complain that she had not been fairly terminated from her employment.
Although the employer’s case against Ms. Walker was unsuccessful, this scenario raises questions about workplace email etiquette. It is, I think, conceivable that employees and clients alike might be offended by certain uses of available font, highlighting, colour, and other email features.
The reality is that, in many workplaces, email is now the primary form of communication, both internally and externally. The result is that employees sending emails must be cautious about not just what they communicate but how they communicate it.