Managing my Directors e-mail account

I find the protocol needs to be slightly different depending on the person you look after and discussed/agreed prior to implementing anything.

I read all e-mail and leave any deleted items in the folder for six weeks (deletes automatically) giving time for anything to be retrieved if necessary. Some e-mails are forwarded to the relevant managers for action and the Boss can see this in his sent mail folder. Any e-mails that must be read are sorted by priority to separate folders under the in box (Urgent, Personal etc.) and marked as unread. I have also set up sub-folders for each manager together with rules which divert their mail to the relevant folder.

Any appointments I arrange are sent as invitations which the Boss accepts, if appropriate, in order that he has a mental overview. I only drop appointments directly on to the calendar as a last resort. Daily briefings ensure everything flows well.

Hope this helps.