IM + Etiquette = Netiquette: a guide to using IM at work.
Colleges all over America are blocking standard Instant Messaging ports, yet strangely more and more businesses are encouraging employees to use IM. Especially in large offices, IM is much quicker than using the telephone or sending email.
While many companies have been quick to embrace the IM technology, they've been reluctant to integrate any set policies for its use; and this can turn out badly for the employee who over uses IM.
Here is a straightforward guide to using IM in the workplace:
- Don't overdo it. A lot of employees tend to over use IM, and waste valuable hours talking to friends and family. Chats with employees should be short and professional ("here's that website link", or "can we meet over lunch to discuss this proposal?").
- Use your away message. If you're working, use your away or status message (or at the very least your profile) to let people know you're busy, then just glance at it to see if a coworker is trying to talk to you.
- Don't talk about confidential information. IM isn't secure, so you shouldn't be using it to discuss company secrets.
- Make sure you stick to company policy. Ask your supervisor if you can install an IM client like AIM, MSN, Yahoo, or ICQ. While some companies understand the huge benefits of using IM at work others severely frown upon its use as a waste of time, so make sure you find out which category your company belongs to.
- Don't use slang. You won't impress the boss by using "lol" instead of a period (.) after every sentence, and we're pretty sure he doesn't know what "afaik", "ianal", or "poets" means. While you may get away with blaming all of his computer problems on "PEBKAC", supervisors just aren't impressed by IM slang.
