íE-Calamityí a common workplace hazard

The Liberal Democrats are not alone in regretting sending an e-mail in error, as more than two-fifths (44 per cent) of office workers admit to having accidentally sent an e-mail to the wrong person - often with disastrous consequences - according to research by independent recruitment group Pertemps.

Lib Dem officials were left red-faced last week when it emerged that party activists had sent a draft version of their manifesto intended for internal consultation to a Labour member of the Welsh Assembly.

However, Pertempsí findings, which are based on a survey of staff across the UK, reveal that a large proportion of office workers admit to putting themselves in danger of similar íe-calamitiesí.

Three-quarters said that they had sent confidential information by e-mail, while 65 per cent admit to having copied people into an e-mail by mistake. More than two-thirds (71 per cent) said they had sent an e-mail with the wrong file attached to it.

The poll also revealed the extent of íe-moaningí, where workers let off steam about their colleagues or boss by e-mail. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of workers admitted to criticising a third party on e-mail, despite the risk that the e-mail chain could eventually find its way back to the subject in question.

One company boss who was quizzed reported that he once received an e-mail in which he was described as a íself-aggrandising weaselí by an employee who thought he had sent it to a friend.

Another embarrassing anecdote involved an enthusiastic young lover who sent a highly explicit e-mail, meant for her boyfriend, to her line manager instead. The boss in question immediately responded - again by e-mail - explaining that he was flattered by the invitation, but that he was a happily married man.

Tim Jones, of Pertemps, said: Thereís no doubt that e-mail has made business communications quicker and easier, but carelessness can turn it into an office workerís worst nightmare.

While most e-mail errors arenít as damaging as the Liberal Democratsí experience, there is still ample scope to cause a lot of embarrassment and even damage your reputation - so it pays to think before you press ísendí.

Itís also important to bear in mind that e-mail is still a business correspondence and should be treated as such. In some circumstances it may be acceptable to use abbreviations and a more informal style, but do be wary of causing offence by being too familiar to colleagues, line managers or other business contacts.

Check e-mails as thoroughly as you would check a business letter, because recipients can and will draw the same judgements about your professionalism if they find glaring errors.

Other íe-calamityí anecdotes uncovered by the Pertemps research include:

A new business co-ordinator who attached the wrong file to a group e-mail of more than 80 new business prospects. Rather than the corporate video she had intended, a joke film showing two rabbits procreating (with sound effects) was sent instead.

An unfortunate job-seeker who sent an e-mail boasting about the elaborate lies on his CV - to the HR director of the company he had just applied to.

An office worker who sent an e-mail outlining the finer details of a particularly decadent weekend to her entire department, instead of the friend she had meant it to go to.
More high profile íe-Calamitiesí include Jo Moore sending an e-mail suggesting that September 11th 2001 could be a good day to bury bad news; and PR executive Claire Swire referring to her enthusiasm for oral sex in an e-mail to her then boyfriend, which was duly circulated around the globe, earning her notoriety as far afield as China.

Pertemps top tips for avoiding an íe-calamityí

Count to ten before hitting send - double check the correct people are entered in the address line, particularly so if you are replying to a group e-mail, and click on attachments to make sure they are the right files
Never criticise colleagues by e-mail - it could be forwarded on to others and end up in the subjectís in-box
Avoid slang or inappropriate language in e-mails - the recipient may not be as casual in their approach and could take offence
Password protect any sensitive documents - and send the password on to the recipient separately
Clearly distinguish friends from business contacts when saving e-mail addresses on your system to avoid any possible confusion
Thoroughly proof and spell-check all e-mails to external contacts- remember that an e-mail is a business correspondence, and recipients can and will draw judgements from it
Avoid sending personal e-mails from your work account - apart from being unprofessional, there is always the risk that you might make an embarrassing mistake