Acronyms to increase efficiency in the workplace

Using acronyms on internal emails can be a very efficient way of removing distractions and shortening the time spent emailing.

However, for these acronyms to be efficient both sender and recipient need to understand the meanings.

So before you start sending “FYI NRN FNWD Your turn to bring milk EOM”, make sure your meaning is understood.

Below are ten acronyms to help speed up email efficiency.

NRN - No Reply Necessary.

This is a great way to finish an email to save responses like “okay, sounds good.” Although not used extensively, it can reduce the need for those unnecessary replies sent purely for politeness.

EOM - End Of Message.

Sometimes you need to send a quick email with a message that will fit in the subject line. Rather than simply rewriting the subject line in the email add EOM to the end of the subject so the reader knows they don’t have to even open the email.

TLTR - To Long To Read.

This one requires a particularly good understanding and working relationship otherwise it may be perceived to be a bit rude. However, for those who are on tight deadlines that receive a particularly long email it can be a useful tool for acknowledging the importance of an email while explicitly pointing out to the sender that a summary is needed. In practice, it’s always useful to have a summary or well worded subject line at the top of emails for these occasions.

Y / N - Yes or No.

It seems obvious that writing an email with a question in it will get an answer, but often questions can be lost, particularly in long emails. By adding in a Y / N to the end of a question it clearly points out to the reader that a response either way is required.

EOD / COP - End Of Day / Close Of Play.

Both are often interchangeable, used when setting a timeline as the end of the working day. Although probably less used, EOD is more flexible as it could also be changed to EOW for weekly timelines.

FYI - For Your Information.

Great for forwarding emails, sending a link or copied image, video or text. For your information can replace niceties and small talk to pass information on quickly to a recipient.

ASAP - As Soon As Possible.

This can be used to clarify the importance of a task or requirement. By adding ASAP the recipient knows that this is an action with increased priority. The challenge with ASAP is that it is now often attributed with a more harsh, abrupt tone so it’s important to ensure the rest of the email is suitable to remedy this.

TYT - Take Your Time.

It’s rare that we’re sat at our emails waiting for the next email to come in, we’re normally busy on some other task, however we often end up responding to emails straight away and distracting ourselves from the task at hand. By adding TYT into the subject line of an email it allows the recipient to continue with their task and come back to the email without having to open it and remark it as not read (or whatever organising system is used).

IAM - In A Meeting.

Another subject line acronym to be used for a quick response to let someone know your busy. This is also a good one to be used when sending a quick text such as IAM CUB (In a meeting, call you back)

FNWD - For Next Working Day.

This isn’t actually used at the moment but we believe it’s a great way to solve a more current problem. Most of us have access to our email on our smartphones and tablets which we have with us 24/7. Gone are the days where we walked in at 9am on a Monday morning to a host of emails, most of the time we’ve dealt with them already over the weekend. Although this does have its benefits it can also distract from important family time or down time. Adding FNWD into an email subject lets the recipient know that they don’t need to look at it until they are back in the office after a weekend or holiday.