When ok is not ok

Nora squinted at her desktop screen, her brows furrowing as she read a single line of text ‘Ok, seen’. It was the latest in a series of emails between her and her line manager about some contentious compliance documents. This last correspondence was the shortest but had taken the most time to make sense of. Did her manager mean ok as in ok, or was it a derisory ‘ok, if that’s how you want to play it, then ok’? She looked across a metre of office furniture to where her superior sat. She thought of getting up to ask for clarification, then read the email again. Maybe ok was just ok? She could feel the beginnings of a headache piercing her skull. Whatever ok meant, she just didn’t feel ok anymore. For all the convenience of emails, the potential for their misinterpretation is enormous. While some of the more popular general rules of email etiquette identify capitalisation as SHOUTING and advocate copying in only relevant recipients, there are many subtle elements that are situation specific and subjective. Unlike face to face engagement, with emails, there is no body language to validate or counter expressed positions. So the recipient is often torn between taking the text at face value or second-guessing the intent of the sender. The lag between pressing the send button and receiving a response could also either fester suspicion, anger, a feeling of being ignored, impotent confusion, or sometimes, quite positively, an opportunity for calm reflection. Of course, it is also possible that the text is simply what it is. One key attribute of emails is the ability to verify and record the specifics of a conversation. Along with instantaneous connectivity, this ability to function as a formal or semi-formal business document was the raison d’etre for employers investing in mail clients. As the dynamics in the workplace evolved, emails became less formal and in many cases usurped face to face encounters. Of course, this transition has led to a confounding of internal communication and some loss of the much-needed face to face encounters that ought to deepen work place relationships. The email is an amazing business tool and along with instant messaging, it will continue to transform how we do business. But man is a social creature and as such the need to physically engage with others will drive face to face interactions. Many organisations encourage a culture of walking up to colleagues to talk in place of non-critical emails. The degree to which people adopt this depends on the sector and the specific workplace dynamics. Clearly articulating the reasons for and importance of face to face will more likely lead to staff compliance resulting in more direct engagement with other teammates. Ultimately, the best way to say ok, is in person, with a smile.