By Maria Krowicki - Stop The E-Mail Madness
This morning I received my daily edition of…The HR Daily Advisor, and the top story had to do with peoples’ pet peeves regarding e-mail. I thought I would share a few, as they were right on the money.
Of course one of my favorite e-mails that I receive on a daily basis is the one where I have to forward to ten people within five minutes, including the one who sent it to me, or else something bad will happen. I have tried to find supporting documentation to back this claim since I posted my last blog, and have yet to find anything. The bad thing that will happen is the loss of focus and productivity. Delete them and move on.
When sending an e-mail, please give the recipient a chance to open it up and read it. I can probably bet that if you stop by their desk 5 minutes after you have sent it to ask if it has been read, chances are it hasn’t. This also puts the person on the spot because not only do they have to read it while you are standing there, they also have to give a snap response to something that may require a thought process. Give the person a chance. They will respond in a timely manner.
Please, please, please do not send an e-mail in texting form. If you can text shorthand on your cell, great for you!!! I’m still trying to learn from, as well as, decipher the texts my tweens send me. However, there is a time and place for it…..and it’s not on the work e-mail. “Ima goin 2 c da boss n wil call u l8r” HUH?? Sending e-mails in text shorthand really takes away the professionalism and message of your e-mail.
I’m sure there are many more pet peeves that can be added. I bet we all have an e-mail story (or two) worth sharing. We can commiserate together and know we are not alone in the world of e-mail madness.
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Don't Duplicate
Along the same lines of Maria's posting regarding giving an adequate time to respond, I want to add a bit about voice mails. It's an annoying practice when someone leaves you a voice mail with information that you need to write down...and then they send an unannounced e-mail summarizing that message five minutes later.
Not long ago I picked up such a voice mail while traveling on business. It was important, so I wrote down the minute details in order to accurately and promptly respond. I replayed the message three times to make sure that I had all of the details...and as I sat a moment thinking of the necessary responses, that person e-mailed the summarization which I saw on my BlackBerry while sitting in the rental car! There was no need for a long, rambling detail-filled voice mail!
We all make mistakes, but...
It has happened to all of us. You click SEND then the light bulb comes on. You forgot the attachment that your e-mail was referring to, or you forgot to mention some little tidbit of information. There's no choice at this point - you need to send another e-mail. Next time you're faced with this situation, try to keep in mind that the recipient may be storing the e-mail in a project folder for convenience so it can be dealt with later. The "convenience" is quickly lost when you have to keep track of a string of e-mails all referring to the same project.
So what can you do about it? I would suggest going to your "sent" folder and forward the message to the recipient again, but before doing so make any corrections or additions to your original message. That way the recipient can confidently delete your goofed message because the information is all still there in one place.
Great web site and information
Maria,It was great to "stumble" on your web page and to read some of your articles. They are luck to have you as the HR leader! Keep us in mind if you are ever looking for staff programs or trainings. We can also support you on a case by case basis with any Coaching needs!
Take care and have ag reat weekend.Sharon KellyConcern ServicesMorristown,NJ