Professional Communication – Email Etiquette

Professional Communication

Effective professional communication is the cornerstone of a collaborative and respectful workplace culture. At Marymede Catholic College, our communication — whether digital, verbal, or written — should always reflect our commitment to excellence, clarity, and mutual respect. By adhering to established protocols, we ensure that our messages are purposeful, our boundaries are respected, and our interactions with students, parents, and colleagues remain consistently professional and supportive of our educational mission.

General Expectations and Etiquette

Staff are expected to check their College-provided email every work day. While email is often the most convenient way to contact colleagues and parents, please be mindful of email etiquette, as tone can easily be misinterpreted.

To maintain professional standards:

  • Sensitivity: It is often best to provide less detail via email and discuss potentially sensitive matters in person or via phone.
  • Consultation: If in doubt regarding an email (particularly external communication with parents), we recommend discussing it with a colleague.
  • Professionalism: Regardless of the medium, always maintain professional standards of formal language and conduct.
  • All-Staff Communication: Use of the All College Staff email distribution list is restricted. It may only be used with prior consent from the Principal or their designate (a Deputy Principal).

Email Curfew and Scheduling

Marymede operates under an email curfew for both internal colleague communication and parent communication.

  • Hours: No emails are required to be read between 7:00pm and 7:00am on weekdays, nor at any time on weekends.
  • Scheduling: Staff writing emails outside these hours are asked to schedule the delivery for between 7:00am and 7:00pm on a weekday. If you are unfamiliar with how to schedule an email, please see below:

New Outlook (Desktop)

  1. Create a New Email
  2. Go to the Options tab in the message window
  3. Click Schedule Send
  4. Choose the date and time you want
  5. Click Close
  6. Press Send

Classic Outlook (Desktop)

  1. Click New Email
  2. Compose your message as usual
  3. Select the Options tab
  4. … (3 dots)
  5. Click Delay Delivery
  6. Under Delivery options, tick Do not deliver before
  7. Choose the date and time you want the email to send
  8. Click Close
  9. Click Send

Note:

If you are using New Outlook (or Outlook in a web browser), emails scheduled using “Schedule send” will send at the chosen time even if your computer is off. These emails are handled by Microsoft’s servers.

If you are using Classic Outlook (the older desktop version), emails sent using “Delay Delivery” will only send if Outlook is open and connected to the internet at the scheduled time. If Outlook is closed, the email will send the next time it is opened.

Response Times and Signatures

Each semester, the College newsletter reminds families of this curfew and the expectation that staff respond to every email within two school days of receipt.

  • Acknowledgements: If a full answer is not immediately available, a simple acknowledgement of receipt is sufficient while you gather the necessary details.
  • Signatures: All staff must use the auto-signature feature. If your title appears inaccurate, please contact the Human Resources Manager, who will authorize changes where appropriate.