Email Criticism or opinion on someone's work oftentimes creates a doubt as to whether they will be received well or not. Human nature is often repellant of criticism.
Boss-employee relations are oftentimes not good because of how the superior deals with the employee in terms of his evaluation.
Business Insider shared a very practical tip on how to make criticism soft and compassionate. Jocelyn K. Glei, author of "Unsubscribe: How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done" offers the use of the word "yet." For example, a pissed off boss emails his subordinate about a failure in the performance of duties. If he sends his reaction through email, the employee can adjust his reaction based on the way the email is written.
The word "yet" if used in the email can make it more subtle. The sentence, "I am not planning to implement your suggestion." tells the reader that it is the end of it - no implementation. However, if it is written this way, "I am not planning to implement your suggestion yet." There is still hope that it can be implemented at some future time.
In this situation, the superior can be constructive and equipping while the other one is discouraging and inconsiderate.
Email criticisms can buildup morale if done properly with consideration. But some criticisms can cause self-esteem to be lost. The employee has a tendency to be uncooperative because his opinion no longer matters.
Usually, messages and instructions are done through emails. In this way, there is no barriers and delay. However, there is the absence of a personal touch and the emotion of the sender is not known.
So the secret lies in the proper use of words. In order not to sound like a jerk, construct sentences that sound good even it is critical. Email criticism is also a tool to correct and inspire an employee.
