Not Waving But Drowning

Hurray, Google and Intel have come up with a way to reduce the impact of email on our daily lives. Turn it off - for fifteen minutes at a time. What!?!?! Simple discipline is all that is needed - you don’t have to respond to email the second it arrives, or Instant Messaging for that matter - what would happen if you didn’t? Would the world stop turning, the lights dim, or any other catastrophe occur - no, of course not.

Introduction of ‘no email days’ is also being hailed as a good thing… I remember when a old colleague introduced the same thing a few years ago and was ridiculed in the press for it! What goes around, comes around.

So - let’s put email back in its place, it is a business tool - which helps us to work more effectively and efficiently - it is not ‘work’ in and of itself. Patience from the sender’s perspective must be expected, if you don’t get a reply in 5 minutes, don’t resend or phone them up to see if they have got the email… if you are a recipient, then don’t think you have to respond immediately - and don’t foster the expectation that you always will. Task switching (in this case in and out of email) destroys productivity and therefore effectiveness! Creating the additional stress of believing that you have to respond to every email ‘first’ is not good for you - or the company. Companies should create and communicate email policies which outline good email practice, perhaps that a response will be given in 24 hours, or 4 hours - you decide, but set the right expectations for everybody’s sake.

There are always exceptions, but lets bring back a little old fashioned common sense.

June 30, 2008 | Filed Under Education 

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