Emails should make communication easier. In fact, they often prevent us from concentrating. Rules can curb the worst excesses, but they do not solve the basic problem.
Did you get my email?
Catherine Falls / Getty
There is probably no other practice as grudgingly accepted in companies as the email plague. Most office workers have resigned themselves to receiving up to 100 emails a day and spending up to three hours responding to them. Some simply capitulate: One CEO told me that he deletes all emails when there are 800 unread ones because important messages are resent anyway. Another manager mentioned that her goal was to have fewer than 1,000 unread emails in her inbox. Whether this is really satisfactory remains questionable.
Many people find dealing with the digital mailbox stressful, but the flood of emails continues. This is probably because emails are a blessing and a curse at the same time: they are fast, practical for reaching many recipients, and free. But those are exactly the downsides. Sending quickly doesn’t necessarily mean quick processing by the recipient, many recipients doesn’t necessarily mean much impact, and they aren’t free either if you take into account the costs of processing the emails.
The boss also belongs in the cc
As is often the case in the business world, responsibility for solving problems is shifted to individual employees. You have to get a better handle on your digital communication, it can’t be that difficult. The common advice is to only answer messages twice a day, turn off notifications that pop up and maintain a good folder system in your inbox. But such simplistic tips only combat the symptoms. The root of the evil lies elsewhere.
Most companies lack binding regulations for the use of digital means of communication. The uncontrolled growth is then programmed: emails are used as a collaboration tool instead of a communication tool. You protect yourself against possible consequences by cc’ing your boss as a precaution. And if you don’t receive a reply to your email within half a day, ask on another channel: “Did you receive my email?”
In a workshop about communication in the new world of work, I asked participants what response time they expected for emails. Some said they expected a response within two hours, others said a response within two days was appropriate. Such implicit assumptions and the enormous discrepancy in expectations make it difficult to work together smoothly.
A central database can help
The obvious solution is a company-wide guideline for emails and other channels. This defines what channel is used for, what availability and response times are expected and how communication is regulated in emergencies. Especially for communication via email, it is valuable to clarify how multiple recipients are handled and whether a salutation and a greeting are really needed in every email. Rules for the subject and the structure within the email are also valuable. As soon as the guidelines are in place, the so-called social correction comes into play: If someone does not adhere to the rules, clear feedback should be given. What sounds simple is often a hurdle because many people avoid conflict and shy away from direct feedback.
However, such a policy is only part of the solution. Companies should also ensure that the number of emails is reduced by storing documents centrally and not having to constantly send them back and forth. This also avoids the problem of using different versions of a document. It also means a cultural shift from the obligation to bring information and documents to the obligation to collect them.
Alternative platforms also have their pitfalls
Every email-plagued person has probably wondered what the world would be like without emails. What sounds utopian is actually a reality in some companies, at least for internal communication: there, for example, communication takes place exclusively via the Microsoft Teams or Slack platforms. A consultant friend of mine promises his customers an increase in productivity of around 10 percent. As tempting as that sounds, the impact on reality is hard: the tools mentioned are more suitable for collaboration, but the flood of messages often increases because communication is less detailed but more in short messages.
“Just have to save the world for a moment, check 148 more emails,” sang Tim Bendzko in his hit of the same name. How nice it will be if this line of the song causes confused frowns in a few years. Because floods of emails will then be a thing of the past. Until then, we’ll all probably have to bravely delete our emails from time to time if we can’t manage them with reasonable effort.
Nicole Kopp is a work and organizational psychologist and co-founder of the consulting firm GoBeyond.
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