New loyalty: "What have you done for me today?" is current corporate mantra. Not because companies are bad places to work but most are struggling to respond to demands of global competition. Mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and bankruptcies tell us we can’t out run name on door. Regardless of employer, accept that "employment contract" operates daily. The sooner one shifts from a paradigm of corporate loyalty to "profession" loyalty closer job security becomes. Building depth and currency in your chosen field, regardless of company, is new definition of loyalty. Understand role of reputation: Regardless position everyone has an unofficial "book". This is reputation created through one’s manner of relating to management, colleagues, subordinates, customers, etc. It often has very little to do with an employee’s official performance rating. It is how others view you—team player, maverick, cynic, statesperson, employee advocate, etc. Often, it is reputation that determines opportunities. Change your reputation if it is prohibiting advancement or move. Politics is not a dirty word: Careers reach a point where merit becomes a given. It is assumed results will be delivered and factor of corporate politics comes into play. Understanding others’ motivations is critical. Disdain versus acceptance of "political" influences in workplace is naiveté. Acquire skills of transition: Transitioning to a new job requires skills that can be learned. It starts with knowing what one has to offer, determining what market (employer) needs, developing a plan and executing it. The how-to of these steps is at heart of an entire industry and available through corporate sponsors and private purchase. You are your own master: Banish any thoughts that government, union or your company is responsible for you being employed. Career management is about understanding total employment environment, building market-valued skills and having a portable portfolio. When done properly, career management enables you to walk from one company to next with little likelihood of ever visiting unemployment line.

This of course does not apply to someone you know quite well, or informal or social emails with friends and family.

5.Emoticons and graphics ordinarily do not belong in business email. Of course if you’re sending a graph, that’s different.

6.Be concise, brief and to point, while also mannerly. Manners are important, because things in writing are easily misunderstood.

7.Make sure your links link if you’re sending some.

8.If you send attachments, label them. This is extremely helpful to your reader. Bear in mind many people are leery these days of opening attachments and may request you send it in body of an email.

9.Boundary violations.

Don’t compromise person to whom you are emailing by writing something that would cause trouble for them. If you have negative things to say about their company or colleague, consider making a phone call. Don’t share a confidence in a business email. Many companies and firms examine employees’ emails.

Best to keep in mind there’s no such thing as ‘privacy’ on Internet.

10.Consider using a disclaimer.

This states that email was intended for party to whom it was sent, and if it goes to someone else, it should be disregarded as it is confidential.

11.Use your Emotional Intelligence.

Email gives you opportunity to stop and think before your respond, which is one of EQ competencies. Make use of this golden opportunity to not put your foot in your mouth, go off half-cocked, say something you’ll regret, be a loose cannon … all those phrases we use when someone self-sabotages because they haven’t thought it through.

All emails can wait. What a great opportunity for a change, yes?

12.Don’t “cry wolf?”

Remember that Aesop’s fable about little boy who kept crying “wolf,” and finally when one really came around, no one listened to him.

Don’t put “immediate attention” button on their unless you mean it. The first time you don’t, and send something trivial marked important, you’ll be ignored in future.

13.Expedite return of email.

Put in email, if you agree to this, just click “reply” and put “yes” for subject line. Wouldn’t you appreciate if this were done for your convenience? You or your assistant can put that on a macro. 14.Use fonts such as Times New Roman, Book Antigua, Bookman Old Style, Calisto MT or Lucida Bright.

They are seriphed. This means letters have little “feet” to them. Tests have shown this is easiest to read. I know Arial is popular.

Not all “seriphed” fonts will work – Curltz MT, Harrington and Gloucester, for instance, are difficult to read even with feet.

In sum, other people are as busy as you are and appreciate anything you do to expedite processing of their email.

Use your Emotional Intelligence to treat others way you would like to treated, and, I think that gave from another source!