8 Ways HR Can Improve Their Email Communications

As many HR managers are overworked and short on time, it can be appealing to turn to email and hammer out messages to people you need to communicate with. However, as a HR manager may have to deal with a multitude of sensitive topics, it is easy to come across harsh or unsympathetic. As most businesses send thousands of internal emails a day, it is easy for important messages to be lost or overlooked. Fortunately there are eight simple ways for HR to improve how they communicate over email.

1. Never Forget You’re Talking to a Person

While writing an email, you’re staring at your computer and it’s easy to forget there’s a real human who will be reading it on the other end. A person with feelings and their own worries and workload. Bear this in mind and always be calm, kind, and polite in your emails. It will endear people to you, and you will gain a reputation of being fair and approachable.

2. Utilize Your Subject Lines

Robert Jones, a HR manager with Cite It In stresses the importance of ‘being as specific as possible in subject lines. You’ll eliminate a lot of back and forth if people know exactly what you’re talking about.’ Save yourself time, and make life for your co-workers easier by being detailed from the beginning. You’ll also experience a lot less confusion and crossed wires by making this a habit.

3. Get Support for Grammar and Writing

While most HR managers have an abundance of skills, writing may not necessarily be one that comes naturally. When you’re writing something important over email and want to appear professional, the community and forums at Paper Fellows can help boost both your grammar and your confidence.

4. Know When Not To Email

There are certain times when an email, though quick and easy, is just not appropriate. This is particularly true when you’re delivering bad news and need to be able to show empathy and compassion – neither of which is really possible over email.

5. Copy and Paste Important Details

If you’ve been emailing back and forth with someone, make their life easier by copying important points into the current email, rather than expecting them to scrawl back through a chain in order to know what you’re talking about. Amy Foster, a HR manager with Resumention confirms that ‘it’s small details like this that help build great working relationships.’

6. Stay Professional

While you may be fairly friendly with some employees, you are still the person in charge of hiring and firing. Remain professional or the lines can get blurred, and your job can get very awkward. This also ensures that nothing in your emails can be misinterpreted and later used against you.

7. Proofread Everything

This is particularly true for sensitive emails, emails that are company-wide or external emails that will be representing your company. You are representing your whole brand, and can’t afford to make mistakes. For that reason, HR managers often seek external reviews of their writing before sending out such important emails. The easiest way to make sure this is perfect is to hire an expert proof reader via Do My Assignment or Ox Essays.

8. Stick to the Point

Make sure answers to questions or your main points aren’t lost in paragraphs – they should be direct and easy for your reader to find. This makes it impossible for certain points to be lost or misunderstood, and your emails are more productive.

While communicating as a HR manager can occasionally be a minefield, and it’s hard to say on top of the many emails you send and receive every day, the above 8 tips are quick and easy to implement in order to vastly improve internal and external communications.