15 things you should never say over text or email

There are plenty of reasons why this topic of conversation should be reserved for in-person. If at all possible, face-to-face is the best way to share news of someone’s death. This allows for needed hugs and heartfelt words of sympathy.

No matter how much you hate your job – or what led you to decide to quit in the first place – avoid making it official via text or email. “Say it in your head but keep it there and not on any electronic device because it will come back to haunt you,” warns etiquette consultant Jacquelyn Youst. “A resignation via email may feel good in the heat of the moment, but will have long-term consequences.” Instead, she recommends maintaining your professional demeanour and discussing it with your boss either on the telephone or in person.

Here’s how to unsend a text message you wish you hadn’t sent.

Especially at work, email seems like the no-brainer way to remind a colleague of a password. But we can’t stress enough how unsecure emails are. Normally, a password is hidden when you type, but an email leaves the text totally clear. It’s stored in different systems while travelling between inboxes, leaving your login information open to hackers. If someone does send your password over email, it’s best to change it immediately, suggests cloud computing company Connectria.

And if that’s not convincing enough, find out 7 alarming things hackers can do once they have your email address.

These days, it’s fine to share your big news with most of your social circle on Facebook, but your partner, family and close friends should hear it directly from you. Ideally, you should tell loved ones face-to-face or over the phone, using a heartfelt email as a last resort. But the one person who should never hear your pregnancy announcement via email is your boss, who will need to start thinking about maternity cover. Instead, pick a quiet time to have a one-on-one with your manager, Georgene Huang, CEO of Fairygodboss, tells Parents.com. “This way you can gauge your boss’ immediate reaction and get a general sense of his attitude,” she says. And make sure your boss doesn’t find out on Facebook first!

Someone on your team just emailed a finished project … with the same mistakes as there always are. Before firing back details about how to improve, consider meeting face-to-face about areas to work on. “I’ve never seen constructive feedback given over email taken well,” HR consultant Amanda B. Gulino tells GlassDoor.com. “On the contrary, it has created a whole host of new problems, including lack of trust.” Keep your email response upbeat, then delve into the not-so-fun stuff when the other person can gauge your reaction better.

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Source: RD.com