• Due to my chronic illnesses, it may take me a little longer to reply. If your email is urgent, please feel free to prompt me or contact me via WhatsApp.
• Please respond to this email in your own time.
• Our productivity does not have to be at the expense of being human. We live in an age where our capacity to thrive needs to complement & co-exist with ourselves, each other & nature. To honour this balance authentically, our current admin / office working hours are:
• WHY IS THIS EMAIL IN SIZE 14 FONT? Because the smallest of inclusion adjustments can have such a big impact…
• Self-expression and self-identification is one of my professional and personal values. One way to practice these values is to share personal gender pronouns. My name is Ellie and I use she, her, hers pronouns. What pronouns do you use? [1]
• Delightfully dyslexic, excuse typos! [2]
• This communication has been written by a dyslexic person. If you have any trouble with the meaning of any of the sentences or words, please do not be afraid to ask for clarification. Remember that dyslexics are often high-level conceptualisers who provide “out of the box” thinking (Dyslexia Foundation New Zealand) [3]
• Sometimes brain fog makes my communication hard to understand. Please ask if you have any questions or clarifications.
• My health is particularly bad right now so I need a little longer than usual to reply to messages. Thanks for your understanding.
• I’m going through something right now and need a little extra time to respond to emails. Thanks for your patience.
• Email isn’t the best way to contact me right now – I’d rather you call me on…
• Due to ill health I am prioritising the most urgent and pressing matters. As such you may receive a reply from a talented colleague who will be able to help you further.
• Due to ill health I am not taking on new clients at this time.
• Everything hurts right now, thanks for your patience and understanding.
• How can I support you in our communications so we can get the best out of our working relationship?
• Creating a safe space to work as someone with a chronic illness is really important to me and to others in my position. Thank you for helping to create those spaces.
• I am taking the pressure off myself to reply to every email and message immediately. Consider this a permission slip to do the same! I’ll let you know if anything I send is urgent.
• Remember, your work life balance and mental wellbeing is more important than whatever this email says. Consider this permission to switch off if it’s time to or you need to.
• Have I forgotten to reply to you? Feel free to chase me if it’s been more than a few days. Anything less and it might just be that I’ve been busy or ill so please give me some time. Thanks!
• Got an urgent query or a super quick question? Sending me a voice note on WhatsApp is a great way to get a quick response from me.
• Not everyone thinks or communicates in the same way, to celebrate & honour this authentically if email doesn’t work for you, please say & we can communicate in another way…
• Not everyone thinks or communicates in the same way, at times I may request you to contact me via a different method than email. I will make you aware if this needs to be the case.
• I work flexi-hours to balance all my commitments as a human, so please don’t panic if you have received this email early or late in the day. There is no pressure to response straight away to match my flexi hour responses. Working flexibility just supports my wellbeing & productivity.
• To get an authentic work-life balance I work / respond to emails within a Flexi hour arrangement. My flexi hours are not set so you may receive responses outside the 9-5 office hours.
• Please be aware I have set times of the day I check my emails. If your email is urgent please mark it as such so your email can be prioritised.
• We are becoming more open about recognising our individual needs as humans, striving for a better digital vs life balance. Please be aware I check my emails within a flexi-hour arrangement to support me to gain this balance.
• If you have trouble understanding me, please let me know and I’ll contact you in another way.
• I’m open about my strengths and weaknesses so that we can work together better. This is a safe space and I encourage you to do the same.

Sources:

[1] From the University of California San Francisco Lesbian Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Centre https://lgbt.ucsf.edu/signature-samples

[2] Pip Jamieson, founder of UK creative networking platform The Dots via Vogue Business https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/how-fashion-can-embrace-neurodiversity

[3] Diversity Works New Zealand Diversity Manager Dr Guillermo Merelo via Diversity Works NZ https://diversityworksnz.org.nz/news-resources/news/an-email-signature-with-a-difference/