You might answer that question differently on any given day, depending on your love/hate relationship with email at that moment. Rather than begin with a personal story as usual, I’m sharing others’ stories – with their permission. Here are the most frequent email complaints expressed by participants in my training workshops, along with some suggestions.
An attendee sighed, “Our manager wants to keep us in the information loop, but all 25 people in our department don’t need – or want – to know all the details of every decision she makes. I wish she would quit wasting my time with her emails and let me do my job!” (I’m sure you’ve figured out that her boss was not in attendance!)
Suggestion: Busy people get frustrated wasting time reading emails they don’t need to see, and being pulled into email conversations in which they don’t belong. Before you send that next email ask yourself, “Who really needs to know/see this?” And when you respond, should it be “reply to all” or just to the appropriate people?
Another comment had lots of heads nodding. “In our company we use email as the primary means of communication – even to announce major changes. Sometimes all the facts are not explained as thoroughly as they should be. Then some people get upset and overreact when they misinterpret the message.”
Suggestion: Decide if a quick meeting, a face-to-face conversation or phone call could help keep confusion to a minimum. Planning ahead can prevent miscommunication – and stress levels – from escalating.
A manager spoke up. “My emails seem clear to me. But someone often misunderstands, goes to a colleague for clarification (instead of simply coming to me) and then sends me an angry email. After I explain what I meant, the response is usually, ‘Oh, sorry, I should have asked you first.’ This leaves me feeling a bit resentful at times.”
Suggestion: What makes perfect sense to us doesn’t always come across that way to others. Use the same approach I shared in an earlier blog, “Who Has Time to Communicate Any More?” for some pointers. When you finish composing your message ask yourself, “What questions might people have after reading this?” Then tweak as needed to provide clarification before you hit “send.” And don’t forget to take “difficult personalities” into account as you create your messages. (You know who they are, don’t you?)
One person mentioned a frustrating issue for many. “Email is driving me crazy. People who never write or call have put me on their email list. They’re sharing everything that’s going on in their personal lives, and we’re not even close friends. So leave me alone already!” That comment evoked lots of laughter, along with agreement that the “delete” button is our friend.
Suggestion: If you wouldn’t write a note or call someone to share personal information, reconsider if it’s appropriate to share that information through email.
Like any other form of technology, email communication can help or hinder productivity and create more problems than it solves. If you’re experiencing any of these issues in your workplace, this article could be a valuable topic of discussion at your next team meeting… or you could send it to everyone by email. It’s your call!
