Self-Destructing E-Mail

Jul 27

Years ago I worked in a consulting firm where a guy working in our department of a few men and scores of women accidentally hit “Send to All” on Lotus Notes. That would have been fine if his note had been about company business. But you already can guess. His note was about his weekend of debauchery in Las Vegas for his bachelor party.

That event happened long before Sin City used “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” as a sales point. I bet that consultant wished his e-mail would have known that. In 2007, he would have had a fighting chance.

Here are 10 ways to send self-destructing e-mails. That’s a heckuva lot better than sending self-destructive e-mails.

Then again, maybe if you want to send e-mails at work that you wouldn’t want your grandmother to read, maybe you should just hit *Delete*. That should be high on the list of new employee orientation items. That, and an expectation that their performance review will be conducted by adults, for adults.

About the Author

Frank Roche

Frank started IFRACTAL over 7 years ago with Sarah Chambers. Together, they've created HR communications and HR software for some of the world's leading companies. Frank is also studying Flamenco guitar and origami.