They say you can’t shit where you eat. It’s a common phrase used as advice of why you shouldn’t mix dating with your career. But as I skip and run and tweet and yes, sometimes stumble along in my twenties I’ve seen so many similarities between the two, but that’s really for another blog post. Or a memoir. A collection of essays. I’ll crowd-source it.

Here’s the thing: In perfect relationships, the same “they” who speak of shitting and eating (sitcom writers I suppose) also say that when you fight, you fight perfectly. I can live to say that this is possible in the workplace. You disagree perfectly. You communicate perfectly.

I love my team because of our email style and because of our communication over all.

If someone doesn’t like my idea, they say so. An email is signed:

If we are deciding to discuss at another time, that might be phrased:

If someone wants detail, they ask: 

or

It’s direct. It’s emotionless. Emoticons are few and far between. Exclamation points are rare. 

I’m not on a roller coaster. I’m not going from winky faces and a Thanks!!! at the end to a sudden Regards when all of the sudden someone decides to get serious.

If someone disagrees with me, they say so. We hash it out, typing away with our headphones on sitting three feet away from each other never once looking up. It stays on topic. It’s always about the product, the newsletter copy or the blog post. I know it’s not about me as a person. What freedom! I can say what I think. They won’t take it personally, because it isn’t personal. It’s just an email.

Disagreement or consensus, either way the email exchange will probably end with a period. We look up and go to lunch. There, sitting face-to-face we can enjoy each other’s real smiles–not emoticons, our real excitement–not exclamation points, our real laughter–not our lol’s.

That’s because emotions and personalities are better felt, communicated and appreciated outside of a context with such brevity and oversimplification. 

But that’s the thing. It’s email. Why not keep it simple? Free yourself and your co-workers to actually get things done, get decisions made and do things efficiently without having to second guess the hidden meaning behind that signature or mood in that greeting.

Thanks,

Janet