Monday, November 23, 2009

Improper grammar on the job

proper grammar is important not only for the potential employee, but for the employer as well. companies on a daily basis churn out inter-office emails, letters, etc. So whomever the author is, their grammar needs to be correct. Imagine reading an email that includes mis-spelled words or mis-used words. One example of that is the use of the word "bear." Say your boss has agreed to giving you time off, but he's been busy with a number of things and hasn't been able to sign off on it yet. So you send him a gentle reminder and he replies back with, "please bare with me because I've been...." If you're a member of the grammar police, then you read that and think, my boss is an idiot. That particular "bare" means nude, absent. The correct word is "bear." It changed the whole meaning entirely, plus the boss looks like he doesn't know what he's talking about. Now say, that went outside the office to a potential client. What do you think the client thinks? This company is careless and lazy. And that minor mistake may make that client think twice about working with that company. Simply because they didn't take the time to proofread an email. I know there are more important things for companies to worry about, like budgets, overtime and workflow. While I'm not the foremost authority on grammar, it bothers me when it's mis-used. I probably just need to find something else to do.

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