If any of your staffers are more sensitive than usual to minor spelling and grammar slip-ups, you may have bigger problems lurking under the surface.
From text messages to billboard advertisements, examples of mangled English are everywhere today. So why should certain employees be more affected than usual right now?
Answer: When times are tough and everything seems out of control, people cling to things they can control — i.e., the proper structure of a sentence. Experts believe on-the-job stress can manifest itself in the form of staffers barking about things like improper semicolon usage in routine e-mails.
If a normally laid-back employee is harping on you about a missing comma in a “How was your weekend?” e-mail you sent, you may want to touch base just to make sure everything is all right at work.
Of course, avoiding mistakes in the first place is a great way to appease any purists. Previously, we outlined some of the most egregious examples of spelling and grammar gaffes. You can find them here and here.
