Email stress
New research indicates lack of email protocol fuels employee email stress and wastes up to 1hr per day
The research was conducted over an 18 month period and monitored 3,650 people from 150 UK based organisations, the key findings revealed:
• 77% of people check email within the first 5 minutes of turning their computer on
• People are hoarding on average 2,769 emails each
• 72% of users spend at least one hour per day on email on average
• 39% are spending two hours plus dealing with email
• Users received on average 34 emails per day – 47% of which do not help them do their jobs
• People send on average 24 emails per day: roughly two thirds of which are replies, forwards or copies of emails sent by others. Only one third is originated by the sender.
Many people spend up to half of their working day chained to email, there is no doubt it has become a main way for businesses to communicate. Paradoxically organisations pay almost no attention or provide any guidance on how it should be used consequently this most widely-used medium generates the greatest levels of misunderstanding between people and is a great source of work place anxiety and stress. We are proposing a Global Email Charter that people can sign up to in order to ensure they have given thought to the way they communicate with email.
There is a serious message behind the research headlines.
As a minimum, the charter aims to encourage businesses to establish an email culture that is reflected throughout their own organisation.
From formatting, to tone of voice to expectations in terms of speed of response, email communications are a minefield of complexity.
Should an email always open with a salutation?
What does CC’ing an individual really mean? What is the call to action for the recipient? How many times a day should you check email? Are your own emails actually contributing to the ever increasing amount you receive? These are just some of the common areas most people need to address.
A communications consultancy, today unveiled its proposed Email Charter as a response to one of the largest studies into the impact of email in the workplace. The charter details how people can improve productivity, reduce stress and communicate more clearly through email.
Expert Messaging has trained almost 4,000 people over the past 18 months, who have provided detailed feedback on how they use email and how it impacts in their working practices. This has formed the basis for the charter. A typical employee who adheres to the principles of the charter can expect to save around 40 minutes a day according to the research.
Francine Curry, Chief Operating Officer at Business Link, said: “Email is such a powerful tool for modern business, it connects customers, suppliers and partners and for this very reason companies need to pay much closer attention to the way employees use it. The email charter provides excellent, practical and simple advice which has been easy to implement within our business. Already my inbox is much easier to control and the volume of email overall has decreased.”
“Email is here to stay and is an essential business tool which we rely on more and more; either we learn to manage it, or increasingly it will manage us,” ” explains Bob Hallewell, of Expert Messaging. “. “We have designed the charter to help people achieve this aim. It appears to be basic common sense but our research has demonstrated that common sense often goes out the window when we’re using email.”
Typical principles of the charter include:
• I will make it clear what I expect from the reader
• I will consider the “tone” of my email
• I will structure my email to be read as an email
• I will include the right amount of information
• I will always think about the time elements
• I will make sure my email is easy to read
• I will always include good contact details
• I will consider the legal aspects of my email
• I will send it only to people who will find it useful
• I will consider any unwritten messages I may be sending
