Basic Email Etiquette Every Professional Should Follow

Being a professional, you are bound to deal with a lot of emails, both at the sending and receiving ends. The language of your email talks a lot about you. When you send an email, the receiver sees only the text, thus it should be handled well. Here are some basic email etiquette that every professional should follow, to avoid being misread or misinterpreted.

Have a Proper Subject Line

Some have a habit of sending an email as a continuation of an old email which is not related to the subject to be discussed. For instance, the subject line would be "Re: Work Status Report For The Day" and the email would be to discuss what is to be gifted for the boss's birthday coming up next week. Please open a new mail and have a proper subject line instead of using the thread of an old one. This will help you in future, when you need the particular mail to be searched and found.

Usage of "Reply All"

It surprises me that some professionals don't even know that something called "Reply All" exists. Well, let me take the privilege to educate you on this. "Reply All" is used when a mail is to be sent to more than one person. For eg. If A sends an email to B and C and if B wants to reply to both A and C, a hit on "Reply All" will send the email's reply to both A and C. Whereas, if A clicks on "Reply", the mail is sent only to A, and not to both A and C. Please make a not of this, if you tend to forget what's taught to you! ;)

Use a Professional Email Address

Thanks to the brands/companies that create email addresses for their employees. I've come across email IDs as weird as barbie_girl78@outlook.com. Please have a proper email ID, you're using it for serious purposes, let's be serious about how you address yourself too.

Use Apt Salutations

When you start an email, please use a Hi or Hello rather than a "Hey" or "Hi guys". This helps set a tone to the email and be taken seriously. There is a class of professionals who don't even believe in using salutations. God save them!

Use a Signature Block

Instead of typing out the signature at the end of every email or sending an email without signing off, have a signature set, so that you can save time on that each time an email is sent.

Use of Exclamation Marks, ALL CAPS and Emoticons

Use a minimum of or no exclamation marks, emoticons and other informal symbols in your official emails. Some have the habit of using ALL CAPS in either the subject line or in the main body of the email. Please be informed that ALL CAPS is generally interpreted as a shout. You may want to shout at your boss, but why let him/her know that?! ;)

Use of Humour

It is better to avoid humour in official emails, unless you are friendly with the recipient. The recipient may not get your tone or get to see your smile, hence don't risk yourself by bringing in a tone that is informal, when you're not sure how it will be read (or misread).

Have the Courtesy to Reply

When an email is sent to you along with other recipients, please ensure that you reply to the email, even if it wasn't meant for you or targeted at you. A reply to an email is as good as returning a smile.

Check for Errors Before Hitting 'Send'

It is better to proofread your emails before you send them across.

Don't Send to the Wrong Person

There would be two different persons with the same name in an organisation. Check for their email addresses and ensure you're sending it to the right recipient. I know of those who tell me that forwarding emails to the right person is one of their daily tasks.

Use a Formal Font

Comic Sans is one of my favourite fonts. That does not mean I use it for all my official emails. Similarly, select an appropriate formal font to convey your messages.

Remember That Nothing is a Secret!

When you type, beware of the fact that nothing is confidential on emails. Every word you type is documented. Use your words wisely, lest they hit you back!

My Connection with God!

We all have our own concepts and beliefs about God. Some even believe that there is no God, and all that happens is bound to have a scientific justification. I'm not against this belief, it's just that I stick to my belief, as I let you enjoy yours. :)

Atheists needn't read further, there is nothing much for you ahead...

Why do you pray? Why visit a temple, mosque or church? Here's the answer I tell myself and those who ask me. I pray to thank for what I have today, for all the happiness I live with. I visit temples only on rare occasions, just to keep others around me happy.

To me, God is not just confined to temples or any other physical structure. If God is in temples alone, how can Lord Krishna be in hundreds of temples at the same time? If he is that powerful, won't he be in my room too? Then why temples? There lies my justification.

If at all I visit a temple, I don't carry money with me. Going to a temple and showering Him with money and jewels will do no good to you. Feed a poor person instead, that person's prayers are enough for you.

Seeing is believing, yet I believe in a power that I cannot see. This is because I feel, hence I perceive.

After reading this, you may have a lot to tell me and prove that my thoughts and beliefs are wrong. I repeat: I respect your beliefs. Let me live with mine.

Thanks a lot for taking your time to read this. Have a wonderful day ahead! 

You never noticed me till it was too late!

You saw me everyday, never cared to bother

I slept by the road side, as none gave me shelter

I lived on what I found, though they were worse than food

You never noticed me.

Kids threw stones at me as you walked with your li'l one,

I cried and ran to hide from being hit,

No one came to rescue, they all were in their race,

You never noticed me.

Years passed as I too had a baby,

I protected him from the paws of human beasts,

I lived with him on the same street that you cross daily,

You never noticed me.

One day your child threw stones at my young one,

I was watching from a distance,

You kept watching, and did nothing to stop it,

You never noticed me.

Your fellow beings keep harming him,

They killed my baby, and I had to watch helpless,

You, your race, your name itself harms us,

I was once man's best friend, you still failed to notice me.

Today when your child got hurt, 

When you could do nothing to stop it from happening,

And when you found that it was one among us,

You finally noticed me, and all of us!

A Morning Walk in the Rain!

Since the past three days it's been raining in Bangalore, making one lazy to even crawl out from the bed in the morning. Thankfully, it was a holiday yesterday and I mentally thanked the management for a day off as I was feeling so lazy to do anything.

Waking up in the morning today and reaching office on time was a challenge. It was drizzling (it still is!) and I only felt like wrapping myself up and staying in bed. Suddenly the thought of a morning walk hit me. How good it would be to walk in the rain, feeling those li'l droplets on your face?! That thought somehow gave me the energy to get ready for office. :)

As I had promised myself, I walked in the rain, smiling as the weather smiled at me, listening to some of my favourite songs loud enough to not hear anything around me. It was bliss, I felt fresh and happy to be out walking when every face I saw was frowning at their bad luck of not carrying an umbrella. Here I was, not taking the umbrella out and enjoying the weather.

I know I may fall sick, but the pleasure I got from my morning walk would be much higher than the pain I would get if I fall ill. I suggest you should try it at least once, it really feels good to stay close to nature! You may call me crazy, but what's the fun in being normal and sober and hating life, why not enjoy it and stay happy? Isn't that a better choice?!

Strange Behaviour in the Corporate World!

Just two years in this so called corporate world, and I have something to share with you all. Whatever I write is from my experience and observation, so you may find them weird and strange too.

There are some people who behave strange at workplace. Let me share with you some of the common kinds of weirdness I’ve noticed.

1. Thorn in the Seat

Some of them just can’t sit at their seats. They behave as if there is a thorn in their seats that pricks the moment they are seated. I’ve felt like giving them a better chair to make them comfortable at their seats. It’s real hard when something pricks you there, isn’t it! :P

2. A Microphone in the Throat

Have you ever met people who’ve swallowed mics? Yes, I have. They talk to the phone as if they are addressing the whole floor! Hey, whether your brother went to Sharjah via Dubai or whether you are talking to your neighbour about the dress you wore for the party last night, the other employees have nothing to do with it. Let them, work!

3. Phonomania

There are some people who just can’t keep their phones down. They also make sure that the stories that they talk to the phone are heard by all! Strange.

4. "Give me a bed, please."

Your desk is to keep your belongings and not to sleep, I hope you agree to this. How odd is it when someone comes, moves aside whatever he finds on the desk n lies on the desk asking you “Hey how is the performance of the website today? Just check na… ” Phew..!

5. "What is the discussion about?"

When two people are found talking, some of our colleagues just can’t stand it. They would come in between to know what the talk is all about, whether they have anything to do with it or not! I thought only women are into gossiping and all, I was wrong. :-o

These are top strange behavioural patterns I’ve come across, I’m sure there are lot more than come to your mind. Please feel free to help me make this a complete list, it’ll also help me in the long run. :D

Hues of My Land!

Kerala is popularly referred to as God's Own Country. I'm not boasting about my land, but frankly speaking, I haven't found any other place so far which is a blend of beauty, diversity and culture. Here are some photos taken from a lesser known place in Thrissur called Enamavu kettu which is around 20km from Thrissur town.

Here are the photos taken when I visited the place to watch the sunset. So this explains why Kerala is God's Own Country. :-)

This is how it looked when we reached there around 5.30pm.

Since I am a sky lover, gazing at the vast blue sky was like a glimpse of heaven!

The green fields and the raw earth along the lake is a sight to marvel. 

These pictures were taken by me using Samsung Note 3 Neo.

Wah! That's the place where I've always wished to live!

The nature changes its shades as the sun is about to leave.

This picture is beyond my words. Let the picture talk!

My camera focuses the sky..

These goats appeared from nowhere and we watched them happily go to their homes, a villager following and guiding them.

Back to nature, see she's not so happy to bid farewell to the sun.

There she stands in ferocious silence.

Her anger glows and the clouds reflect them casting a spell on the lake..

A closer look of the red-hued clouds..

The birds decide to reach their homes before it's too late! Their flight was rhythmic to the eyes.

How better could God welcome you to his Own Country!

The sun sets, leaving a dark shadow behind. 

I could watch this place forever. Such was her beauty. 

I stood there for a while, envying that tree. 

A Beautiful Gift From My Angel

For a change, the Saturday turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever had in my life! Yeah, usually I hate Saturdays and a Saturday reminds me of a Sunday that’s on its way, which is equally boring.
What makes the day a happening one was the Annual Day Celebrations in my kid’s school.

She danced to the tune of the song that asks Govinda to flee (Go go go Govindaaa!!). My angel was just awesome. Among the kids who danced, it wasn’t difficult for me to spot her from a distance. The first thing I noticed is the movement of her hips that gracefully moved to the beats of the song. Without missing a single step, she, my girl, danced the whole song with a smile that showed how fearless she was and how much she loved what she did!

I went on watching the rest of the programmes performed by each class students and enjoyed each of them. I found myself getting goosebumps several times when the children performed so well. I got lost in the music, in the colourful attires each group wore and in the mesmerising dance moves they did with such charm. 

After about an hour, I got a call from my daughter’s class teacher asking me to pick her up from the school gate. I wondered why I was being called separately as it was announced that the parents were not supposed to go to the school gate to get their children unless it was officially announced at the auditorium. No announcement was so far made for the kids of her class. I told the teacher that I’m there in a minute, hung up and went to the gate.
Now here is the surprise. The teacher was waiting for me at the gate with my sweet little angel. The teacher handed her over to me saying that she complained that she isn’t well. I thanked the teacher and took my baby in my arms. The first thing she asked was “Did u see me dance? Did I do well? Did you like it?”. I said “Honey, you were awesome. I just loved your performance. The teacher says you are not well. What happened to you? Aren’t you feeling well?”. The response was a naughty smile that followed “Nothing Amma, I was feeling sleepy and was getting bored. So I thought I’ll tell the teacher I’m sick so that I can be with you soon.”

I was amused and with a surprised smile, I said “What??!! You’re too naughty! You aren’t supposed to lie to your teacher. This is bad. Hmmm don’t do that next time. Okay?” and walked with her to where my mom-in-law was waiting for us. I still had that smile on. My darling is as so mischievous, just like her mom, I thought. 

Bliss

The shadows kissed her in the darkness..
The night was hers, and it shone brightly..
The stars twinkled like the sparkle in her eyes...
The moon enviously smiled at her beauty..
She sat there, serene and content; feeling the bliss of the moment...

My Duggu

This may sound strange to most of you, but it's true. I was in 8th grade then. Since I lived in a village, we had the privilege of a large compound surrounding our house. Hence we had some pets too - a doggy named Judy and some poultry. I was always curious about the fresh chicken hatched. They had the softness of fur, and it felt like another world while holding them in my palms together.

Once when the eggs were hatched, an egg was left unnoticed by the hen. When the hen left the coop with its little ones, I found that the chicken inside that egg was struggling for life. I was scared, but wanted to save it. I called my mom and she helped me crack the egg and take the chicken out. We then cleaned it with a soft cloth and tried feeding it some buts of grain. It didn't have anything. When the hen was back, my mom put the little chicken along with the other babies. Unfortunately the hen started pecking this chicken fiercely. When the hen pecked it n threw it out of the nest, my mom picked it up and brought it inside our home. I told mom "Amma, we'll take care of it. It'll live here with us." We adopted it and named it Duggu, the nickname of my then favourite actor, Hrithik Roshan.

Duggu was a light yellow colour, very active and vibrant. The first few days it was difficult to manage him as he was reluctant towards our feeds. Then slowly he started having grains and water fed by us. He used to sleep with me on my pillow. Early morning he wakes me up with his chirps and I curse him dearly for rising so soon. Slowly he started responding to his name 'Duggu'. When I reach home after school, I call him n could see him flying to me from nowhere. I used to wonder how its mother could abandon such a pretty thing. I was always careful not to let him go to his mother as it was dangerous. I take him to the compound daily after making sure his mother is out of sight. When I return home, he would follow me inside.

One night as usual I slept with him and woke up without hearing my Duggu's alarm. He was not to be seen anywhere. I removed my blanket, he was not there. I looked at my pillow where he usually sleeps. Slowly I lifted the pillow and found my beloved Duggu lying there still. He was dead. Though not intentional, i was the reason of his death. He might have crawled beneath the pillow for warmth, but I never knew it.....

I still feel like I've lost a baby. It hurts when I think of him. After that there was no one to wait for me at home, no one to come running to me, no one to wake me with that dear noise. Years have passed now. Life has moved on. Still, Duggu remains a pain in my heart.

Launching ‘Life Served Hot’ by Shomprakash Sinha Roy

Meeting writers, musicians and anyone related to arts and aesthetics is always a pleasure to me. They all think much wider than what the logically-reasoning people can comprehend. After meeting Preeti Shenoy on her latest book’s launch, meeting Shomprakash was an equally exciting experience. 

Shomprakash Sinha Roy, a person whom I’ve known since his bestselling book The Pink Smoke, had invited me to the event of the book launch, along with a huge of other invitees. Though I wanted to be there, I wasn’t sure if I could make it to the event. Thankfully, my friend Anagha (whom I met on Twitter) agreed to join me. Taking all the pain to travel from her place to mine, which was nearly two hours of travelling, she came as promised. Though 55 people had posted on Facebook that they would be ‘going’ to the event, the total number of the ones who attended is not worth sharing here. I wonder where they were going!! Maybe they got lost somewhere on the way, who knows! I was just smiling and thinking “We all in a such a world that when a new writer calls you for a book launch, you just smile it off and when a known author doesn’t even invite you, you look forward to attend it and get a signed copy of the book. ” 

The book launch was held in Crossword Bookstore, Bangalore. It started off with a small intro about Shom which followed by his unveiling of the book. After that he spoke of how he decided to leave his studies and focus on writing, which led to his writings. He spoke about his dad who misinterpreted his passion for writing and blogging, putting him into engineering, where he struggled and realised he was not made for a world of machines. Literature, stories, imagination, was all he got attracted to and fell for. Though he had to overcome a lot in the process of following his dreams, he did it and you can get a glimpse of it in The Pink Smoke, which has a flavour of the real Shom! 

He also entertained us with his ‘Papa kehte hain’ along with his friend Amit who played the guitar. Shom also introduced three real life characters who were a part of his books! After that sweet song, he interacted with the audience and then gave personally signed copies of his book to his fans, including me. My friend Anagha wanted to buy The Pink Smoke, and to our dismay, the book wasn’t available at the store. Prakash Books (who distributed ‘Life Served Hot’) seem to have forgotten about his previous book ‘The Pink Smoke’! I don’t understand why such lenient attitude is shown towards new writers. On a personal note, I would say “We writers are the ones you should be taking good care of. We have no fear to write down anything!” 

After a few clicks and some chit-chat with Shom and his friends who were a part of Pedestrians, a music band, the evening ended on a happy note. Anagha and I helped ourselves to some melting chocolaty pastries and cold drinks from CCD. It was a sweet, cute, memorable and a cherished day in my life. Having met the Smoky Pink who Served Life Hot!

The Dirty Side of Flipkart

Probably this article would gain me more enemies than friends, as I’m going to talk against one of your favourite brands, Flipkart. Yes, they are one of the leading e-commerce companies in India. The customers that they’ve gained over the years know Flipkart as one of the trusted ways to buy products online, for their prompt delivery and efficient service.

There is something more you need to know about the brand Flipkart. Though they are customer friendly, they aren’t employee friendly. By saying that they don’t favour the employees, I mean to say that they don’t hire young mothers as employees.

I was one of the victims who went through this trauma a couple of years back. Before I was called for the interview, I had disclosed that I was a mother of a 4 year old. They were fine with it and called me for the interview. One whole day was spent there in written rounds. After clearing all, I also cleared the interview with the senior editor. After that the Catalogue Manager (not disclosing his name here) took the interview. He had a mobile in his hand and was behaving as if he was about to break his latest Temple Run record. I was prompted to tell him “Excuse me sir, I suppose this is a round of interview and I expect you to keep that device aside and focus on the interview.”, but kept quite as I didn’t want to screw up the interview reaching the last stage.

The questions shot at me by Guru (the Catalogue Manager) didn't have a professional touch. All I was asked was if I could stay back after working hours if there is a need, if I could stretch till late nights even if there is no cab to drop me, and all such questions, to which I responded in a positive way that my husband will pick me up from office however late it is. I almost felt I was being interviewed for a call centre or a BPO. 

After waiting for nearly an hour, I was informed by the HR exec that I didn’t clear his round. What?! What did he ask me to know my knowledge regarding the work I’ll be assigned?! I asked the exec for an explanation. When she was sure that I won’t leave her till she gives me a reason, she said “Maybe the management thought you wouldn’t be able to handle work and your child together. Please don’t get disheartened. You can still apply after 6 months of a freezing period.” I was totally broken. I thanked her and left the premises.

Here I’m attaching a response of a reader to a Forbes article that spoke against the ethics of Flipkart. To my surprise, her reply wasn’t taken into consideration by the Flipkart authorities. Once a brand grows and reaches a certain level, anything is possible. No bloody person is gonna question you even if you do such shit to the public.

I was stopped by my family against filing a complaint against this. They all feared that I would get into a controversy and ruin my career and my life. For a moment, I thought all these dirty things happened without the knowledge of the higher-ups. I wrote a personal message to one of the Bansal brothers on Facebook. As expected, there was no response.

This post has only one intention behind it – to make others aware of what’s happening in Flipkart and on what grounds the employees are being recruited. Till that day, even I was a fan of the brand, but now I am sure it is one of the words I hate to pronounce. We women deserve much respect. No one can just underestimate a woman only because she is a mother to a young child. If the company is not to recruit young mothers, let them make it clear while calling the candidates for an interview. We better choose to live unemployed than being employed at such an organisation. Thanks.

Book Review: In the Shadows of Death by Sourabh Mukherjee

It's not always that you read a book and get nightmares instead of dreams. In the Shadows of Death, a well portrayed murder mystery by Sourabh Mukherjee,  was one book that managed to make me totally lost in its plot for days!

This is the first time I'm trying crime fiction, partially because I never came across anything of that genre, partially because I never searched for something like that fearing I may not like it.

This book turned out to be a book beyond my expectations. I'm a slow reader, as I generally daydream or visualise the plot every now and then while reading, and this is painstakingly time consuming. This time, however, there was nothing much to daydream about. The book is all about crimes happening one after the other, all of them being linked to each other one way or the other. As a reader, I just was curious to know the killer and the reason behind the series of crimes.

The story is set in the city of Kolkata. The way Sourabh has expressed each sequence is remarkable. I could feel the tension when each crime was being discussed and conclusions met. I switched places from character to character, and finally settled as a reader.

Here's a book that brings out the dirty side of the corporate world. It shows you to what extent the whole system is being corrupt or manipulated, and to what levels one could stoop to ensure a safe career. 

In an article published in The Hindu, I’d read that Sourabh’s familiarity with the corporate world has been an inspiration to write the book. After having read it, I'm still not being able to come to terms with the kind of picture I could draw about the corporate world from Sourabh’s words, and I sincerely hope that whatever was written in the book was more of imagination than of real-life flavoured instances. I also wish Sourabh good luck for his upcoming books, and hope I’ll get to read them too! :)