Are your coworkers mean to you over email? If so, it could be negatively impacting your job performance.
Researchers have found workers are not as productive when people are rude to them face to face; now, the co-author of similar study tells KNX News rude emails have the same influence.
Dr. Jone Pearce, the study's co-author and a professor at UC Irvine's School of Business, told L.A.'s Afternoon News, "We started studying the emails because it's easier to be perceived as rude on emails because you don't have the body language to undercut the words. And so, generally speaking, emails are usually seen as more abrupt or more disrespectful than face-to-face conversation."
The study found that not only were people less productive when faced with a rude coworker, but the unsavory interaction led to the person treating others more harshly - even people unrelated to the rudeness, "So essentially, it spread," said Dr. Pearce.
The doctor said that sometimes, it is a case of genuine rudeness, but in some cases, the sender might not recognize they came across as rude, "They may be rushed or have an emergency, and that's what's on their mind, and not really understanding how it comes off as [or is] perceived as disrespectful or rude."
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To avoid unintentional rudeness over email, Pearce suggests starting with a greeting; it can soften a request because "Anything that feels like an aggressive command is usually seen as rude."
Pearce also said email is a variation of a letter, and people expect letters to be more formal and polite. Taking a few extra minutes to think about how your message might be received could help you avoid coming across as rude.
We hope this email finds you well...
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