Have
you ever sent or received an email that was intended for someone else? In our fast-paced professional and social environments,
technology has provided us with several tools that encourage rapid
communication. On second glance, perhaps
we rely too heavily on auto-fill or are too quick to send a text without
verifying that it is being sent to the intended. Take a minute, okay a few seconds, to consider
next steps should you find yourself in this scenario.
-Sending emails or texts to the
wrong person. There’s nothing worse than that sinking feeling in the pit of
your stomach when you hit send and the recipient was not who you intended it to
be. As soon as you realize you have made
the error, take responsibility immediately by following up with a phone call or
direct email to the unintended recipient.
Apologize for the error and ask that they kindly ignore your email or
text. In a work setting, depending on
the sensitivity of the email or text content, you may also need to loop in your
boss and/or the legal team, so corrective action can be taken. Just remember to
accept the possible consequences, address them as best you can, and move
forward having learned from the experience.
-Receiving emails or texts
intended for someone else. Those who send emails or texts to unintended
recipients may not immediately realize their error. No action is necessary from
you should you find yourself on the receiving end of a misfire, but as a
courtesy, it doesn’t hurt to send a polite email letting the sender know that
you have received their email and believe it was intended for someone else. This
way, they are alerted of their mistake and can get the email or text to the
appropriate person. I received a “rogue”
email recently, and to avoid further embarrassment for the sender (it was a
group email), I called and left a gracious message to make him aware of the
mistake.
-Make it a habit to always double
check. Always make it a habit to review emails every time prior to hitting
send, whether you are distributing a corporate-wide confidential memo or
confirming your weekend plans with a close friend. Taking a few extra minutes to double check
the “to” line can prevent these particular mishaps and is the only way to save
you from heart burn every time.
It’s
easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, and rush through simple
tasks such as emailing. Most of the time
communication misfires will cause nothing more than minor embarrassment;
however, they can have the potential to cause serious damage or consequences,
especially in work scenarios. Think of
it as having an internal pause button… push it before hitting send.
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