Email management guidelines
An overfilled and messy mailbox is a common issue for many office workers. However, it doesn’t have to be this way! To assist you in cleaning up your e-mail storage, Records Management and Archives (RMA) has produced a simple guide to help you get rid of unnecessary e-mails while holding on that what is still useful.
E-mail clean up : what to delete? What to keep?
The key to e-mail management is to delete. Deleting messages frees up server space and makes finding the right messages in your inbox easier. Only keep messages that are still relevant and useful.
What to delete
Start by deleting all personal e-mails that are unrelated to your work.
Afterwards, delete unofficial and transitory e-mails such as : Meeting requests, automatic replies, memos, social media notifications, newsletters and past events invitations.
Empty your “sent” folder and make sure your recycle-bin is emptied as well.
Finally : just like any other documents, e-mails are subject to retention policies outlined in Concordia’s Records Classification and Retention Plan (RCRP). So any official e-mail for which the retention period is expired should be deleted (or archived, in some cases). If you have any questions about which RCRP categories your e-mails fall under, contact us at records.management@concordia.ca! You can also reference the table on this page for retention periods by e-mail types : https://hub.concordia.ca/carrefour/services/archives/records-management/email-management.html
🗑️ Example: Automatic replie, meeting requests, memos (transitory copies), newsletters, past event invitations, personal emails, official emails (eligible for destruction) (retention expired).
What to keep
Emails related to projects or requests that are still ongoing.
⚠︎ Remember that some e-mails should not be deleted but instead moved from your inbox to a more appropriate long-term storage solution (such as a SharePoint site or a shared drive). These are official e-mails and include : final reports, meeting minutes, legal opinions, grant applications and other official communications.
📂 Examples: active project or request emails (ongoing work), official emails (within retention period), official emails (permanent retention) (archive).
After following these steps, you will have a lighter, easier to navigate inbox that only contains relevant messages.
How to transfer emails from your inbox to an appropriate long-term storage solution?
When an email contains official information or must be retained for a long period, it is considered good practice to transfer it to a long-term storage solution. Proposed here are two easy ways to do that. Also note that employee inboxes are deactivated when they leave Concordia. Transferring important emails to more appropriate storage space is thus a good way to ensure important information is retained.
Save the email as a PDF file (this approach will not preserve the attachments)
- Open the email you want to save in Outlook.
Click on File and then Print. Select the option to print as a PDF. (You can also find the print option under the three dots located at the top right of the email message)
Save the PDF to a location of your choice.
Upload the PDF to your unit’s Sharepoint site or shared drive. Make sure it’s filed under the appropriate folder (don’t hesitate to contact RMA with any questions regarding the filing of digital documents!).
Save the email as an MSG file (best for emails with attachments as it preserves them)
Open the email you want to save in Outlook.
Click on File and then Save as. Select the option to save as an MSG file. (You can also find the Save as option under the three dots located at the top right of the email message or by right clicking on the email in your inbox)
The MSG file will be downloaded to your downloads folder. You can upload it to your unit’s Sharepoint site or shared drive. Make sure it’s filed under the appropriate folder (don’t hesitate to contact RMA with any questions regarding the filing of digital documents!).
Other solutions also exist to extract your emails from your inbox to a long-term storage space. For more information you can contact Records Management and Archives at records.management@concordia.ca.
Reducing e-mails at the source
The best way to reduce digital clutter in your inbox is to avoid producing it in the first place! With these tips, you can reduce the number of e-mails you receive, ensuring a lighter inbox.
Avoid using your Concordia e-mail for personal (non-work related) purposes
Consider alternative methods of communication for low-importance messages, such as a Teams chat or a phone call.
Unsubscribe to any mailing lists or newsletters you no longer have any use for.
Avoid using the “reply-all” option in group messages when it is not necessary.
Automate your e-mail management
There are many options given to you by Outlook to automate your e-mail management. Follow these tips to let it work for you.
Use rules in Outlook to sort your e-mails into folders automatically based on the subject line, the send or keywords.
Assign a policy to e-mail folders or even to your whole inbox. Your e-mails will automatically be deleted after a set duration has passed.
You can also assign retention policies to individual e-mail messages.
With all these tips, you are equipped for a cleaner e-mail inbox! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at records.management@concordia.ca.
You can also register for one of Records Management and Archives trainings on e-mail management.
Concordia employees:
Visit Carrefour for more RMA Email Best Practices information
Keep in mind:
- Retention policies apply to all official email.
- Electronic mailboxes are not long-term retention areas for email and attachments.
