Emails
Written by Dr. Holly Ward, PhD
It is time for email etiquette.
We have allowed emails to take over our lives. We do it to ourselves, falling into the trap of thinking that each email requires our immediate attention. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we have work to do and it is not only answering emails. Put some structure around your time spent on email if it is taking over your time to complete actual work.
A busy inbox can be a source of additional stress, but you can manage that stress better by trying a few of these common sense email protocols:
Set a time during the workday to check emails and respond. You can be more effective if you allot specific times for email work. Some options include scheduling time at the beginning of the workday, right after lunch, or early afternoon. Block it off so you can respond as needed to the email request.
Don’t allow each “ding” from your computer to take you away from actual work. Turn off your email alarm and notifications. Let your boss know to give you a call if you are needed. This will allow actual uninterrupted work time.
Do not get in a back-and-forth extended email conversation. If you are needing to write more than three complete sentences, instead pick up the phone and call or walk down the hall. In the case of virtual work, give them a call. Too often back-and-forth exchanges consume enormous amounts of work time and prolong issues.
If someone needs a response from you that is important, don’t ghost them. Give them a quick response and an expected time for appropriate follow-up.
Be careful not to “read” tone in an email. This often causes conflict. If tone is in question, call the individual.
Determine why email is used in your workplace. Decide when it is most appropriate as a means of communication. Remember that in-person or a phone call may be a better type of communication for the intended purpose. It does not work for every situation, and virtual work does not give you an excuse to only use email.
If you are a supervisor, do not email your employees after work hours. This is causing great stress on the workforce. They think if you email after hours then they are meant to respond after hours. If it is an emergency, call them. Email can wait.
If you are the boss and want to work at night, set your emails to send during work hours. Be respectful of your employees’ time.
Create a culture for email expectations so that you can use them effectively and not overdo it.
Don’t allow answering and sending emails to become your job. Prioritize your work and communication needs.
You may not be able to overhaul email expectations entirely, but by focusing on what you can manage around your own inbox, you can create more time and space for you to get your true work completed. And this can greatly lower your stress.
Did you try any of these tips? How did it go? Let us know at info@shorecoachingservices.com or email us with a question or topic you’d like to see covered in a future blog post.