Most people do not mind if you use improper grammar in e-mails and text messages, according to a new poll. However, bad grammar may have an effect in the workplace.
The poll asked 1,000 respondents to answer if improper grammar, which includes correct punctualization and capitalization in a text message, would be bothersome. The YouGov poll was conducted in partnership with the Huffington Post.
The results of the poll showed that 30 percent of the respondents said improper grammar would not bother them at all. Around 29 percent said bad grammar would not bother them very much.
About 24 percent of the respondents said that improper grammar would somewhat bother them while only 12 percent said that bad grammar would bother them a lot. Five percent of the respondent answered with a "not sure" response.
Improper grammar used in e-mails proposed a slightly different story with 22 percent of the respondents saying that it will bother them a lot. About 30 percent answered "somewhat", 23 percent responded with "not very much", and 21 percent "not at all."
Despite the acceptance of improper grammar in e-mails and text messages, most of the respondents reported using proper grammar themselves. About 48 percent answered they use proper grammar in text messages, and 74 percent used proper grammar when sending and responding to emails.
No negative correlation has been made between text message abbreviations and literary scores. In fact, the study explains that wrong grammar does not indicate a lack of writing skills as most young students can compartmentalize schoolwork from friendly chatter.
In the workplace environment, however, bad grammar can affect businesses. In a 2013 poll of adults based in the U.S., 74 percent of people notice the quality of spelling and grammar on the websites they visit. About 59 percent of the respondents said that they would reconsider making a purchase from a website due to bad grammar and spelling errors.
In addition, the lack of basic literary skills has become a problem fro many businesses especially among young employees, according to News.com.au. Organizations are spending large amounts of money on corporate branding and marketing only to have the good work undone by sloppy correspondence from employees.
Correspondence is a problem because it sets the tone for the culture of the company, according to Anna Underhill, a consultant at HR company Maxumise. The main issue is that employees assume readers would understand abbreviated wording and complicated statements.
