The Danger Zone: Work Texting. Don't Be a Victim!

Perhaps there is no bigger blessing and curse in our life than the rise of texting. On the upside, it has spared us awkward phone calls, given us the ability to multitask during a boring meeting, and minimized our need to send lengthy emails. How has this affected our communication at work?

I first faced this issue a few years ago, when I began working with a young CEO who would often miss calls -- but text back. A boss texting? Could it be? What a cool guy! I was surprised to see that a convenience that seemed to have developed for social speed was being used for work purposes. And then I started getting texts at 6am. And 10pm. And 11pm. And... you get the idea.

Texting at work...convenient? Sometimes.  Dangerous? Absolutely.  Texting at work brings with it all the inconveniences and quirks it brings to our personal lives- and then magnifies them.  I know better than to assume you'll stop texting altogether, so here is:

                           Damage Control For The Top 5 Dangers of Work-Texting

1) GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Problem:
How you reacted, i.e. when you texted your boss or client back just set the parameters for that leash around your neck.  What's one 9pm text?, you ask.  I'll tell you: it's a sign to the other person. Once you do something, it resets the bar for what that person will expect from you- so, in this case, the next time that person texts you at 9pm, they will wonder why they didn't get a response.  Perhaps your being available to clients constantly is part of your allure, you say! Well don't make it part of your allure. Yes, be available consistently to them, absolutely. But consistently and constantly aren't the same thing. Maybe it doesn't seem like a problem now, maybe he/she doesn't overuse the privilege- but one day they might, and you are likely to snap or ignore it, to equal consequences.

Solution:
Now, I have no problem with creating expectations. In fact, if you're building a strong personal or business brand, you should be creating expectations: expectations that you'll deliver top-notch work.  The problem arises when you create an expectation that you, much like 7-11, are accessible 24 hours a day. And maybe you are, but if so, we should probably talk about how it's affecting (read: ruining) your personal life.

If you are not an ObGyn or a firefighter, I really can't think of a reason you shouldn't have the privacy of a few hours of the day to yourself.

It is absolutely fair to tell people that it's important to you to be 100% focused on your work when you're doing or discussing it, so you are available from 8am to 7pm, and not later (for example).  While it won't necessarily be an easy thing for you to bring up, you must be preemptive on this!  I have colleagues who, similarly, only respond to email during certain time slots during the day. Other people only answer their phone at certain times. We need to create similar texting habits off the bat. 

So, to recap: it's fine to use text for your convenience, but you need to set clear limits on when you will be responding.  Once your boss-colleague (or hey, girlfriend) gets used to you answering within 10 minutes of any given text, the one time you take a couple of hours to do so... looks really bad.  Ignore this suggestion and someday you, too, will wake up to 5am texts and receive 11pm closing thoughts from colleagues.  Just don't go there. I've been there, and it ain't pretty.

Caveat: The Company Phone
This gets tricky because your phone may be provided to you by work (can I get an "Amen" from the lawyers in the house?)  Setting limits is still appropriate in this case, and the earlier the better.  Decide your limits before you ever accept the phone, and articulate your boundaries clearly and politely. If you are responsive during the hours you have said you are available for work-related items, you'll be in the clear.

But remember: you can't have it both ways!  If you are going to limit when you respond to texts from work then you'll need to be equally careful not to use corporate phones for your personal needs.  If you draw the lines, draw them straight across.


2) ILL COMMUNICATION

Problem:
We all break up the day with light, fun, social texts with friends or family.  Hey, maybe you live on the edge and sext - that's your business. But send it to the wrong person and it suddenly becomes their business.  If you're 99% of people, at some point you have sent a casual or informal or off-color text to make a friend laugh or to comment on something that required context. Maybe you snapped a funny picture of something in front of you on the street. The point is, send it to the boss or a client and Houston, we have a problem! Actually, you have a problem.

Solution:
Even if it takes a few extra seconds, check each and every time that you are sending your text to the right person. Otherwise "Ugh, my client is such a pain in the..." could be pinged to the wrong person.  Don't become a cautionary tale. I don't want you to appear in a thinly-veiled anecdote in this blog any more than you want to be here.  It will take a lot less time to double-check who you're texting to (the same way we do with email!) than it will for you to grovel and undo the damage you caused by an overenthusiastic pressing of "send".


3) ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A THIRD GRADER?


Problem:
Many people have taken to casual language in texting. LOL is the bane of my existence, for example. These days many people who are not Prince use "U" instead of "you" - I guess the extra two letters are just too strenuous for them to type.  Unless your clientele is 11 year olds (granted, it could be), this is unprofessional.  Every time you send a text you are displaying your communication skills, and the message you're sending with adolescent abbreviations is that you incapable of writing in the full sentences the rest of America uses.  The result is that you will chip away at your professionalism. Maybe when you have a full keyboard you write briefs worthy of the greatest courts in the land, but when you send texts saying "C U AT LUNCH" you look less than eloquent.

Solution:
Keep up your standards. The fact is, while texts are more casual, your clients-colleagues-boss-targets are still observing how you carry yourself and how you communicate from every angle.  You don't need to use SAT vocabulary in your texts, but basic professionalism will always make you look good, so why skimp?  I encourage you to distinguish your texting "voice" from that of, say, your 9 year old.   Don't assume your receiver knows the abbreviations.

And hear me now: there is no situation in which you should be "ROFL" or "LMFAO" in a work text. None. Unless you just quit and sent it to your boss. Then, maybe.


4) SECOND (THINK) THAT EMOTI(C)ON

Solution:
I'm going straight to the solution on this one: Emoticons are a no-no.  If you feel they are absolutely necessary (I, for one, will be dependent upon them until someone develops a "sarcasm" font), then use them sparingly. Same with excessive punctuation (!!!!!!!). And foul language. A quick test you can run: If you weren't going to be there to explain your text to a third party, would you be OK if the recipient forwarded it? If not, revise!


5) WHO CAN IT BE NOW?

As my parting gift to you, I'm going to give you a tip so basic that I guarantee you half the people reading this post have made this mistake.  (Heck, I have.)  When you text someone on a work-related item, particularly if you are the one initiating a text and you are not in the daily habit of texting with this person, do them courtesy of stating who you are.  Not doing so is the equivalent of someone leaving you a voicemail but no name.  Don't do that.  It is better to be redundant than to leave them wondering and inspired to delete your message.  Because while we have our client phone numbers written across our metaphorical hearts, the truth is we may not have programmed them into our digital hearts just yet. 


While we're on the subject of cell phone etiquette, check out this hilarious video by the gentlemen over at Fog and Smog: Please Put Your Phone Down

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