From the Torygraph today:

YES. during the time I read this I got 2 messages on the Blackberry and one on the desktop. And this is supposed to be my lunch break...

I know it's partly my own fault (could turn off the BB during breaks, for example :-) , but I really do think e-mail causes additional stress. Before it was ok to reply to messages within 24-48h. Today, if I don't reply within 5 minutes, the person who sent me the e-mail will call me on my desk phone and 2 minutes later on my cell , just to find out whether I'm still alive.
If my job only consisted of answering e-mails this wouldn't be a problem. I think it's the fact that you're constantly distracted from your actual work that causes stress. I find it very hard to concentrate at times because of this - and my short-term memory is much worse than it was a couple of years ago when I didn't have this "always on" job. And I'm only 30 now, so it (hopefully) isn't dementia yet.

dawiz

Hi,

there are 2 types of mail users. The pickers and the stackers. I know a lot of people who have lots of folders and use mail rules to stack the incoming emails neatly into each folder. There are others like myself who just leave the mails in the inbox and use search in order to find the mails they are looking for. I also tend to flag things. So my email inbox is pretty full but it does not worry me. Which means I don't really fit into either category: I have lots of emails but it does not worry me.

What worries more than the volume of email is that people now expect answers immediately, irrelevant of the time they sent the mail.

Have fun

Martin

You gotta slowly ween yourself off of that. People expect to hear back from you in two minutes because you've gotten into the habit of replying in two minutes. If people don't expect to hear back from you right away they won't be bothered/concerned when they don't hear back from you right away.

It even happens with friends too. You know that one person who always answers their mobile and you know that one person who never answers their mobile. Both responses are expected from both people. But if the person who always answers doesn't answer you start to wonder what is going on.

dawiz, I can better that. Someone emailed me this morning, then called me and then came to my floor after I did not reply to the mail and did not pick up the phone.

"You don't look busy," says she.


Jumped up newly-promoted muppet

I used to suffer from it. Working for a Us company and based in the UK. Then I had both personal and Work email to deal with. Stress overload used to occur first thing in the mrning, when the US had filled my inbox overnight.

Now stress over, well email stress that is. I'm no longer working for now having a little career break.

Laid back dude working his notice ?

I work across a number of timezones, US, Europe, Middle East & India ...

Why can Americans not get the idea that Swiss time is not the same as California time is one of life's great mysteries ...

19½ days and counting, Bob

Ummmm. . . It's because they think you live in Sweden?

Thereby proving the point - Sweden's in the same time zone....

I know, I know. Just trying to be a wee bit of a smart ass. But hmmm. . . that explains why I wake up everybody when I call them. (please note the sarcasm)

Or Swaziland

Email, like all other communication, has it's own built-in priority rating. Boss man gets top priority and then everybody else depending on their position in the company qualified by the urgency of their matter. Otherwise, it's "I'll get to it when I can."

To whom it may concern.
I am constantly receiving e-mails instructing me that this must take priority over everything else. I am therefore working on a military protocol whereby I follow the last instruction to be received and, therefore, if you wish your instruction to take precedence over all others please ensure that it is sent last.

I know.... I was just being a smart-ass too....

And, just to be even more smart-assed, swaziland is also in the same time zone!

I suffer from English Forum stress.

I always try to respond to e-mails within minutes - even if just to say that I'm working on their request and will be back to them soon, and that seems to be the norm in the UK where I've been working the last 2 weeks.

One thing that has really surprised me here is that I can sometimes wait for 2 weeks or more for a reply from a Swiss person. This hasn't happened just once or twice but many times. Is it just me?

I usually deal with them within 24 hours. If it's urgent I pick up the phone and do not rely on e-mail. Am also very, very handy with the delete button, can even delete the whole trash can in 2 clicks!

i get between 70-100 a day. nearly no spam. 30-50 a day are just informative, rest are mails which require an action/answer.

most of them, lets say 90% i can do immediately. because it takes 20sec to read and 1minute to answer.

thats what i expect from my recipient of my email too.
i can divide between stuff that takes longer, therefore i set a dedline amply enough to give me the requested feedback. other stuff that one can handle with 1-2 sentences i want right NOW!

people whom i must step on their toes or that bother me to take a phone call to get a simple information while sitting on their phat arse all day annoy me big time! they should change their approach on communication....