Having good email etiquette is a must for today’s professional. Every day the average US worker spends about a quarter of the work week combing through hundreds of emails. The incredible number of messages makes us vulnerable to embarrassing mistakes. Some of these blunders can cause serious professional consequences.

Here are fifteen rules to help you refine your use of email.

Email-etiquette rules every professional should know

Despite the fact that we’re glued to our reply buttons, career coach Barbara Pachter says plenty of professionals still don’t know how to use email appropriately. Read more…

My favorite rule is “Proofread every message”. We need to avoid depending on spellcheckers because they create more headaches than they solve. I read and re-read my email before I hit “send.” I apply this rule regardless of the length of my message–one sentence or one paragraph the rule applies to all.

If I’m replying to a contentious message, I let time pass before I craft my response. If it’s sensitive, I draft my response in another software and send a draft to a trusted mentor and ask his/her opinion. There have been plenty of times that my colleagues have provided me good feedback that kept me from adverse repercussions.