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Employment Today™


""CYBERSPACE IS KILLING ME AND MY JOB!" "

Dear Kathryn:

Being in a marketing position, I have come to abhor email. I have so many clients that ask me to "email them my proposal", and follow up via email, I feel I'm married to my computer's in and outboxes.

I don't have a flair for writing, my emails are flat, and I'm seeing my sales numbers plummeting because of my average written communication skills.

In attempting to do business via email, I'm not able to get any immediate reaction to my presentation or pitch, thus I don't have the option of countering the prospects objections. In addition, customers can choose to sit on my email for days before responding and I'm left with no way to follow-up.

The angst doesn't stop with clients-my entire company communicates via email. I get my directives in an email format from my sales manager. I'm expected to respond with snappy comebacks rather than have a sit-down sales strategy meeting like the old days. It takes me ten minutes just to get started on the response and it's always lousy in the end. I can't stand it!

How can I survive in today's workplace that revolves around one's ability to run their job and future via email? I feel I'm doomed.

ROLAND B., Wethersfield, CT

Dear Roland:

I identify with you 100%, however it's a necessary evil we can't escape. There are secrets of emailing I will share, as well as a few positive elements of email you might not have thought of. While I have found a few tricks that have worked all right for me, I invite all of my readers to share their ideas of successful emailing that I can pass on to Rob and others.

+From sales and marketing perspectives, keep the emails as Fox News', Bill O'Reilly suggests-- "short and pithy." Fact is, long emails and too "sale-sy" emails get deleted. The other issue is your reader can print your email, forward it to another party, scrutinize it, etc.

Read your email at least twice, looking for anything that makes you cringe even a little. Be diplomatic. A bit of humor is fine, but get to the point, and always be respectful.

+Ask yourself if you'd be ok if ten other people read the email. Yeah, it's work to craft a decent email, especially for marketing purposes but once you get it down, it's a breeze.

+Keep your attachments pertinent and not fluffy. No one likes rolling through numerous boring attachments. +No matter how tempted, never respond to an ugly email with an ugly response. You can never take that email back. Repeat after me: "I can never take that email back."!

Now, the up side to emails--no one will see your nervous twitching if you're backed into a corner. You can buy time to respond as well. You can ask a coworker or friend to review your email before sending. Your friend will help take the emotion out of a spirited email that you may be unhappy you sent at a later date. Most importantly, never hit the send button without rereading it at least twice.

Again, I extend the invitation to all readers to share your emailing successes and flops with me. I'll keep your name confidential!

Dear Kathryn:

I took a job in a kennel and didn't realize it, as it was disguised as an engineering firm. I've been working for this engineering group as the controller for three years. Last September, my boss started bringing his two dogs into the office. It was annoying as they run around here like this is a playground, but I tried to ignore it. They didn't seem to bother my asthma too much, so I didn't make a stink about it.

His secretary followed up the bosses act by bringing in her cat. She claimed it made her feel calmer and helped her to focus. Her being able to focus better kicked my asthma into an active state and her feline made me sick.

I complained to my boss, letting him know that this was no longer a professional environment and the cat had me sneezing and feeling ill. He said he was the one who determined what was "professional", which is why he owned his own company and that I was "old school." I tried to make light of it and told him if the animal kingdom's newest additions were so terrific, they could help me with the financials and pay my hospital bills when I had my next severe asthma attack. His response was to ignore me.

My asthma is now active and worse than ever, when previously I didn't have attacks but every few months. Obviously, my boss has a vendetta against me, as he knows I'm not only having health problems associated with the cats here, but I've voiced my feelings that it's unprofessional.

Can my boss really put my health in jeopardy just because it's his business and he likes animals? Isn't there any law about providing a clean and safe work environment, free from animals? If he fires me because I complained, what is my recourse?

CONFIDENTIAL PLEASE, Newington, CT

Dear Sneezing in Newington:

You do have some protection here because of your asthmatic condition. If it was the case of your just not liking animals, you would be up a creek.

An employer can decide the kind of work environment he prefers and if it's one that has a zoo-like feel to it, so be it, as long as employees are not harmed by it. As your employer's business doesn't revolve around animals (this isn't a pet store where the animals are part of the operation) and the animals presence is activating your asthma, your employer is responsible for accommodating your illness.

In speaking with Attorney Henry Zaccardi of Shipman & Goodwin, he brought to my attention that, not only would you have this protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but also under the Fair Employer & Practices Act (FEPA). Your employer could accommodate you by offering a private office or air cleaner.

Zaccardi says if you were to be terminated, you would be able to file an ADA claim. I also asked him about the possibility of this coming under workers compensation. While he's not ruling out such a claim, he feels the two Acts he mentions will protect you should you be terminated.

Hopefully your employer will see the light of day and accommodate your illness and pursuing legal action won't be necessary. Good luck.