Slaves to email

I don’t intend to cross-post regularly between here and OzComments, but the issue of being slaves to email seemed worth mentioning at both places.

Sharon MacNevin from Email Management Solutions issued a statement today after speaking at a conference in Perth. In summary:

MacNevin said the rapid growth of email means that many organisations and individuals have forgotten the business guidelines for written communication, sending, receiving and filing of mail.

“People feel compelled to reply to emails even with just a ‘thanks’ adding to the overwhelming number of emails people receive. A simple ‘NRN’ (no reply necessary) can reduce the overload significantly,” she said.

Before email came along I was a big memo writer. The information conveyed and requests made were precise. In most cases, immediate action was not required. I wasn’t very good at filing memos though.

That’s why I find email useful for retaining a written copy of semi-important things which would otherwise not be recorded, like: did I really approve that request for leave? Scan Outlook to find the answer.

Email demands attention and I agree we’ve become slaves to it. I like MacNevin’s idea to tag emails with NRN if appropriate, and will implement that in my workplace.

As a means of personal communication, I’ve observed that text messaging has overtaken email among young people.