Do we spend too much time sending emails?
Today is the day that Intel engineers have to say no to email and return to old fashioned means of communication, where you actually talk with people. I can see the benefits.
ü When we want to say something to someone we don’t usually gather everyone we know to listen in so why do people insist on copying in every man and his dog on their emails. It takes up band width and wastes our time if it isn’t relevant.
ü If we want to get a clear answer, talking with someone directly will reach a conclusion quickly, if the other person doesn’t understand you straight away you can both clarify. Isn’t this better than emails going back and forth, with slightly different interpretations of something?
ü Have you thought of the amount of time you waste, peaking to see if you have any more emails, and then breaking off what you are doing so you can get on with answering the new email? This leads to “bitty working” no time to properly structure dealing with a large piece of work because of the distractions. Remember when the post came once a day, maybe twice and you could then plan when to reply and no one expected anything back immediately.
There must be more, can you add to the list?
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October 19th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
I agree. Email has it usefulness to an extent but we need to be more selective and restrained about using it.
I think there is an element of laziness sometimes - people seem to prefer to ‘hide’ behind email perhaps because it feels safer than making a phone call and actually having to speak to someone, perhaps someone you don’t know very well, which can often seem a little scary until you make yourself do it. If one feels even a little apprehensive about phoning someone (as many people frequently do) - whether for business or socially - then email is always there as a tempting easy way to let oneself ‘off the hook’ and avoid making the call. It’s much easier (read: less ’scary’) to fire off a quick email and wait for the reply, but in reality it often delays things and wastes time, when a simple answer or information could have been gained much more efficiently from making a quick phone call.
It takes time to sift through emails, weeding out the ‘rubbish’, assessing what’s important, reading them and then replying. We can save not only our own time but other people’s time too by phoning whenever possible or appropriate.
There is also another element which is perhaps much more important; that of social cohesion and ‘connectedness’. Personally I have realised that living in the world of text messages, email, and social networking sites actually makes me feel MORE isolated than if I was without them. How much more valuable it is to have a good chat on the phone with a friend say, once a fortnight, than frequent texts and facebook ‘pokes’ every other day. Email, along with these and other methods of cyber-communication, removes that critical human connection - to hear someone’s voice and talk with them in real time. Speaking with someone on the phone is the next best thing to talking face to face, and it is vital for building and maintaining human relationships. This is more critical now than ever - in our modern society where people are spread apart geographically - for the maintaining of social networks and connection. Human relationships are critical to the proper functioning of society - whether the purpose is for business or pleasure - and we need to remember that real communication and relationships are about more than simply the transmitting of written information on a computer screen.
It is easy to forget that one needs to feel connected to other people and therefore supported and secure socially, emotionally etc, in an age where everyone likes to feel independent, flexible and free. But all it takes is to experience a bit of a downer or a low ebb in one’s life to realise how valuable are those relationships with people which were fostered over time and whether things were going well or not.
October 19th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Valerie, thanks for a very thoughtful reply, denise
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Denise.
I agree but I believe it’s a much more complicated issue as we probably spend more time reading e-mails & internet web sites than we do talking to our family, friends and work associates.
E-mails are an excellent communication tool. Unfortunately, e-mails at work are generally misused or the limited benefits misunderstood by management who fails to establish appropriate ground rules for its use. Obviously, Intel have had reservations to the benefits of e-mail and after assessing the pros & cons have turned their back on this method of communication. This appears a surprisingly radical decision so there must be previously unheralded working efficiency benefits for the Intel engineers to “restrain from e-mailing”?
If is assumed that e-mails are to follow the principles of netiquette (network etiquette) but are we aware that this requires e-mails to be polite, brief and to the point. We are told to use accurate description for message subjects, but how many e-mail’s fail to appropriately define the subject and are a just a continuation of a diatribe with various unstructured comments?
E-mails appear more often than not appear to be a last minute excuse for not forward planning & communicating correctly (i.e. verbal communication with an opportunity to question & seek encouraging response) to ensure the message or instruction is interpreted correctly.
Maybe I’m getting old and cynical but it seems rather odd and slightly sinister that more people are spending less time talking and interacting with each other yet are aware and concerned that the personal lives are being eroded. More people are working longer hours and then finish up e-mailing work assignments from home. E-mailing, blogs and chat lines are becoming prevalent as part of our private life.
I’m possibly slightly out with my statistics but I believe verbal communication is > 8 times faster than typing an e-mail. Therefore, e-mails must be a less effective method of working & I believe are prone to be ignored or misinterpreted. Yet the verbal communication (i.e. nearly obsolete as it’s non-electronic) enables both parties to question information and clarify misunderstandings. This together with personal feedback is the link missing with e-mails.
I’d be interested to hear the reasons for Intel’s decision. Is it because there’s a tendency to: store each e-mail in files or folders; or because the majority of e-mails are either irrelevant or directed to the wrong people; maybe they have discovered that long e-mails are generally printed, then stored for later rather than read & acted apon; or possibly theres been a “time & motion work studies” which has confirmed what we all suspected (i.e. reading, writing & responding to e-mail is very time consuming and isn’t effective in resolving business problems)?
Work e-mails from my experience can create a type of employee that will abdicate their professional responsibility by sending endless long e-mails & then when you have missed the important fact are informed “it’s in my e-mail”. Which one, & can you just tell me the facts without further searches & delays?
I believe workers benefit from verbal interaction. E-mail doesn’t allow immediate questions to clarify the situation. Verbal dialogue allows questions to be asked & more importantly to perceive whether or not this communication/instruction has worked or an alternative action is needed. Sometimes instructions etc have to be written down but the majority of general e-mail communication appears superfluous to running a business of office. E-mails often include pages of inconclusive correspondence recording all the previous e-mails attached. This can be frustrating if compounded by a large distribution list and secondary comments. Instead of starting the day with meaningful work I’ve a tendency to read and reply to e-mails, which is often counterproductive. It’s hard to ignore the e-mail. Have Intel found the answer?
I used to work with a colleague who occupied the adjacent desk (possibly less than 6’ away). He mainly communicated by e-mail rather through verbal dialogue & discussion. I would receive on average 7 or 8 e-mail from this chap each day. Eventually, I refused to open any of his e-mails unless they were sent when either of us was out of the office. He would have to talk first before he could e-mail information etc. The number of e-mails dramatically reduced, communication gradually improved and the project improved.
The policy that I adopted for selecting & reviewing e-mails is to prioritise under the following criteria:
1. Only open e-mails from within your current work group unless sent by senior management of HR.
2. Don’t open e-mails without a subject. Leave until you have more time. Generally, if unanswered someone will eventually enquire why you haven’t responded
3. If it’s very important then that person will ring. Therefore, arrange for a voice mail messaging system to the phone.
4. New work or clients will if subject is important ring and discuss their problems first.
Senior management generally abdicates responsibilities over the use and abuse of e-mails and attachments/jokes etc. They probably have little clear understanding of how time consuming e-mails have become. Human relationships and good communications are always important to a business or individual. Maybe the Intel engineers have seen the future and realise the benefits of good clear communication and working relationships. Maybe there hope for us all?
October 24th, 2007 at 6:19 am
Thanks Phil for your thoughtful reply and some good suggestions here - I like the way of educating your colleague to talk with you.
I also agree that being able to contact colleagues/clients outside of normal working hours can expand our days. Remwmber when technology was going to give us so much leisure, but it hasn’t happened.
There are good habits, and times when emails are useful - its a quick means of sending information, but we should be conscoius of the impact on peoples time and summarise as much as possible.
November 2nd, 2007 at 6:52 am
[…] know and we’ll agree a convenient time. I wrote about our over zealous use of emails in a blog posting earlier which lead on to a few comments on the blog. Emails are great but sometimes it is much […]