So much of today’s business dealings take place on the internet. We use Skype, instant messaging, emails, Facebook posts, Tweets, and use our phones to send texts and little emoticon thingys – you know, the 😉 and :p nonsense.
But with this relatively new ease of communication, the act of confronting problems with coworkers and clients head on has been lost, and the eye contact that might have prevented us from saying ugly things in the past is no longer an issue. Enter the angry email (or text, Facebook post, etc.)
When you have a problem with a supplier, client, buyer, or whatever, your first temptation might be to unleash a string of such damning venom in a hate-filled message that the offender will surely repent of their sins and come crawling back to you lest they be cast forever into your dungeon of hate.
Right?
Well, even if you don’t take it quite so seriously, writing an email when you are still upset can have lasting consequences. The written word, once posted to the internet, never really disappears. Hurt feelings are never good in a work environment, and written messages can have twice the sting when body language and tone of voice can’t be perceived.
A great article posted to entrepreneur.com gave some advice on how to avoid getting yourself into hot water the next time you are upset about something, so check it out . In the meantime, please don’t write anything too mean in the comments section!