How to Write an Email to Your Boss

Communicating with your Boss should always be formal and to the point. Never use slang, and joke about or share your personal life or any irrelevant information.

Although you may be friends and get along well, work communication needs to be strictly business. Your boss is a busy person and will appreciate brevity too so keep your emails brief and concise.

Never complain in an email about your job. If you need to communicate something more sensitive to your boss you should schedule a personal meeting with him, or her.

Keep it Formal

‘Hey’; ‘How r u?’ and any informal communication is fine for your friends, but it’s important to use respectful, business terms when you are sending an email to your boss. Dear Mike/Jane – and remember to include the topic of your mail in the subject line: Re: Leave Application for Jill Smith. Sign off with a formal ‘Regards, Jill.’ Email is an efficient means to communicate with your colleagues and Boss. But make sure that you are not overdoing it. If your boss gives instructions about something, there is no need to confirm it, in writing.

Never Send Spam

Yes, that YouTube video was hilarious and your boss might love it but in a busy working day he, or she, really doesn’t have time to indulge in random links. It also creates the impression that you are wasting your time at work. Also, sharing your family newsletter, the graduation picture of your eldest or favorite recipe for quiche may leave a negative impact on your boss. If your Boss is a keen chef, by all means, drop off a hand-written copy of your recipe. Keep a boundary up between personal and work communication.

Write a Draft First

Even If your writing skills are very good, you should write a draft first. Check for spelling and grammar errors. It is essential that you communicate effectively. Ask the obvious questions – to yourself – what matter do you need to address, who are the relevant parties and what resolution do you need from your boss on the matter. Once you are satisfied that your email is grammatically correct and addresses the appropriate issue you can happily press Send. Don’t forget to CC any other colleagues that may need to be in on the conversation.

Attach Relevant Files Only

Be sure to attach relevant files in the correct format. Check whether they are read-only files, PDF, or enabled for editing. Remember to resize images so that they are smaller and easier to send. Are you using a Mac or PC? You may need to save documents in another format that you can import into Windows, for example, keeping Pages documents as Word friendly attachments. What is the priority of your communication? Is it an urgent matter? You can flag it and follow up with a query if your Boss has not replied in a reasonable amount of time. Be diplomatic and ask for confirmation and get a heads up.