Should busi­ness email be informal?

Why do peo­ple use email for busi­ness com­mu­ni­ca­tion? Because it saves time, phys­i­cal effort, expense, and helps avoid tele­phone tag. But isn’t it an infor­mal way of com­mu­ni­cat­ing? Yes. And some peo­ple think infor­mal means sloppy. Not so, says Gregg Reference Manual, “busi­ness com­mu­ni­ca­tions are busi­ness com­mu­ni­ca­tions, no mat­ter how they are sent.…”

Even if it’s okay to write infor­mally, it’s smart to remem­ber gram­mar, usage, and style. If you’re writ­ing for your­self on a per­sonal basis, any­thing goes. If, how­ever, you’re writ­ing for an orga­ni­za­tion, play by its rules. Be aware that any­thing you write for your busi­ness may some day be used in a legal action. Be careful.