Jump to content

Email etiquette at work.


TheScarf

Recommended Posts

I get literally thousands of emails, it's a total pain in the arse.  I need to keep a lot of them as they are notifications and informational so I have to file them.  I spend the first 15 minutes of every day doing it, sometimes longer.  If I'm busy or forget then it gets out of hand and I've soon for 1000 unread.
I think emails can be a drain.  We use them for notifications so they can be useful for that but a lot of the emails that I receive are emails that are sent for the sake of being sent rather than anything else.  People send emails so if someone asks them what they've done about an issue or a piece of work they say "well I wrote a brief and emailed it to all these people" and it kicks responsibility down the line to these other people.  That happened a huge amount in my former job, in a large bank.
You don't really need to use email to share information - you can use something like Dropbox to do that, and if you need to contact someone then you can use Skype or another messaging app, or phone them or just walk up to their desk and speak to them.  I think emails are already outdated - most young people communicate using messenger apps and social media rather than long, letter-type emails.  It's an example of technology perhaps creating non-productive tasks rather than making things easier.
here's an internview with the head of Atos about banning email - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16055310
ETA - all the developers in my current work use Slack to communicate and that is far more effective at sharing information than email.
 


I used the Slack desktop application for a few months last year but it reached Google Chrome levels of memory usage. Is it any more stable these days?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 245
  • Created
  • Last Reply
2 hours ago, MEADOWXI said:

 

Would then make each email and attachment into a bundle, on a scrap of paper would write a list of her managers that needed to see this (she was a Senior Manager), and would expect an Admin Asst to photocopy each one the required number of times and distribute. Trying to explain the concept of forwarding emails was beyond her brain capacity.

 

 

This makes me sad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Master said:

Dunno. Which School are you in?

Medical. Thinking about it now though we most likely don't as I imagine you'd realise if there was a Pars fan in your office

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Medical. Thinking about it now though we most likely don't as I imagine you'd realise if there was a Pars fan in your office

Nah, I'm down on the main campus.

But it wouldn't be that obvious to me. I don't have the keenest sense of smell in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:P 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Shandon Par said:

Not so long ago, missus reading some of my work emails, gets arsey and asks "why is Tracy (name changed) putting Lots Of Love (LOL) in her emails to you?". 

Either 'Tracy' or your Mrs is David Cameron.  Think we should be told.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/26/2017 at 17:18, Rugster said:

They don't have to do it. They won't be disbarred or ignored if they don't. Another one that boils my piss. @The_Kincardine

Dear Rugster

In regard to your reference to me on the 26th inst. kindly GIRFU.

With best regards

The_Kincardine

On 2/26/2017 at 17:27, itzdrk said:

No, the staff have to follow the house style. 

This is an underappreciated point.  I've worked on two long-term projects for City law firms over the past 5 years.  In both cases I was given a firm's email ID as I was communicating with suppliers/contractors on their behalf and in both cases I had to endure an afternoon's 'style guide' workshop for internal and external communications - not just for emails but for all written communications.  The second firm I worked for also asked that all of my external correspondence was passed by their 'media group' first to check it conformed to said style guide.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, The_Kincardine said:

 I've worked on two long-term projects for City law firms over the past 5 years.  In both cases I was given a firm's email ID as I was communicating with suppliers/contractors on their behalf and in both cases I had to endure an afternoon's 'style guide' workshop for internal and external communications - not just for emails but for all written communications.  The second firm I worked for also asked that all of my external correspondence was passed by their 'media group' first to check it conformed to said style guide.  

Image result for sure you did meme

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, philpy said:

My boss is very bad for sending e-mails rather than just picking the phone up to get a quicker answer.

The Project Managers I work with are fucking arseholes for this.

We'll be on a conference call and the boss will go round the 'table' asking the latest on each project and it's always 'Aww I emailed him a few days ago then followed it up with a chase but I've not heard anything back yet'.

Fucking phone them then you utter pipe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

The Project Managers I work with are fucking arseholes for this.

We'll be on a conference call and the boss will go round the 'table' asking the latest on each project and it's always 'Aww I emailed him a few days ago then followed it up with a chase but I've not heard anything back yet'.

Fucking phone them then you utter pipe.

It's arse covering. Project Managers are glorified secretaries who just email constantly chasing things.

They also tend to have a horrendous habit of starting emails off with "Team" which should be punishable by castration.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

The Project Managers I work with are fucking arseholes for this.

We'll be on a conference call and the boss will go round the 'table' asking the latest on each project and it's always 'Aww I emailed him a few days ago then followed it up with a chase but I've not heard anything back yet'.

Fucking phone them then you utter pipe.

This is true in all aspects of life though.

I remember moaning about having to always chase up tradesmen, appointments etc, and my dad gave me the rage-avoiding piece of advice that one should always prepare to make a follow up phone call to confirm or chase up anything. Once you make the mental step that people can't be trusted to do anything for you without a reminder or pie/boot interface, you stress about it less.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Rugster said:

It's arse covering. Project Managers are glorified secretaries who just email constantly chasing things.

They also tend to have a horrendous habit of starting emails off with "Team" which should be punishable by castration.

Sending the initial email is arse covering I agree.  However sending another pishy email 3 days later and then waiting for a reply is terrible form.  Give it 2 days max then phone the hoor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For chasing I use phone calls, emails that cast doubt on the professional abilities of those that are failing to move things on through sarcasm and sometimes bluntness.

My emails are amusing tea-break reading for some of my colleagues.

A 2nd email to chase up will normally have a read receipt. If I get a read recipt back but no update the 3rd will have a copy of the read receipt attached with,

'Thanks for reading my email - any chance you will actually do anything now'.

A couple of your colleagues and bosses CC'd in for good measure and amazing how quickly they respond.

90% of my rudeness is sanctioned by my boss as in this job it is required to get things done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I once worked for a guy who would regularly ask me to do something via email while he was sitting next to me. I eventually took to just bursting out laughing whenever he did it.


I used to get this with people on Skype. I clearly have no headset on, come and speak to me you bellpiece.

Also, my favourite is project managers sending nothing but "ping me"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I once worked for a guy who would regularly ask me to do something via email while he was sitting next to me. I eventually took to just bursting out laughing whenever he did it.


I email certain files all the time tbh. Provides a handy original backup that either of us can access away from the network, plus easily searchable at a later date (with meaningful subject headers).
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...