Management consultant Vernon A. Jeffers Sr. is urging employees to be more deliberate about workplace emails, warning that quick digital communication can easily lead to misunderstandings.

In the latest edition of his Thursday Thoughts with Vernon series, Jeffers said workers should consider whether a message is necessary, who needs to receive it and how its tone could be interpreted before pressing send.

He particularly cautioned against routinely copying senior executives into emails. Including a general manager, managing director or board member in a message to an immediate supervisor could suggest that an issue is being escalated or that the supervisor is unable to deal with it.

Jeffers, founder and leading director of Jewels Management & Consultancy Inc, acknowledged that escalation can be appropriate where there are concerns about urgency, risk, accountability or repeated attempts to resolve an issue.

He also advised employees to avoid unnecessary use of the “Reply All” function, saying not everyone included in an original email needs to remain part of the conversation.

Tone, he added, can be difficult to judge in written communication, particularly when a message is sent in frustration. Employees should consider delaying a response and revisiting it later, or speaking directly with the person involved.

Jeffers said effective communication should be judged by whether it brings clarity, supports professional relationships and helps resolve issues, rather than by how quickly a message is sent.

His advice is simple: employees should communicate clearly, respectfully and with purpose before pressing send.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Think Before You Press Send: Jeffers Urges Greater Care in Workplace Communication.