Just Not Sorry: Chrome plug-in to help make employees more assertive in emails

Just Not Sorry is a Google Chrome plug-in that claims to help professionals, especially women, appear more assertive in electronic communications at the workplace. The plug-in reportedly alerts users when they type in words like 'just' and 'sorry' that can be viewed as needlessly self deprecating and not entirely appropriate for workplace communication.

The newest addition to Chrome extensions has been created by Cyrus Innovation, a New York-based software firm. Just Not Sorry is believed to work similar to a spell-check program. Once the extension has been downloaded, it automatically reviews users' emails for trigger words. Words or phrases that are seemingly, expressively modest or undervaluing are highlighted, with a red underline, not dissimilar to how erroneously spelled words are displayed in spell-checking programs.

While the plug-in currently does not provide users with alternative phrases, an educational hint, however, is offered upon hovering over the highlighted words. 'Sorry', 'actually', 'I think', 'I'm not an expert' and 'does this make sense' are among the few words and phrases that are believed to be emphasised by the Chrome extension.

Tami Reiss, co-creator of the extension and CEO of Cyrus Innovation claims that she got the idea of developing the extension when she attended a meeting for the League of Extraordinary Women. Reiss opined that when women used such self deprecating phrases in the workplace, it also led to diminishing other people's confidence in them.

The Chrome extension has apparently been developed, specifically keeping in mind the tendency some women have to use self effacing terminology at the workplace. According to Reiss, this may foster others in the workplace to perceive women as less than self assured.

Commenting on the validity and necessity of the Just Not Sorry feature, Reiss said, "Qualifiers hint to the reader that you don't have faith in what you're saying. The last thing you need is to seem unsure of yourself. We want to make it easy to kick the habit by making it obvious when these qualifiers are holding us back."

Google Chrome statistics reportedly display that so far, the extension has had over 12,000 downloads.