Is email helping us or hurting us?

After that very positive post about technology, I have to explore something I think is really becoming an issue in the world – email.

I prefer to communicate mostly through email in all of my negotiations and communications. I realized while I was unable to type on my own, that I communicate almost exclusively through email or in person—more often through email. I use the phone to talk to my family, when I have to have an answer immediately, or when forced by the fact that someone else doesn’t have email (seriously in this day and age, it should be a rule that you have to have email). But for all of my own leanings towards the use of email, I think it is a detriment to a successful working environment. Everyone talks about it ruining the way people write, but I am talking about erosion of the work environment.

First and foremost, the tone of an email is normally indecipherable. We add all sorts of hint to our readers as to what tone they should read the email with J, tee hee, L, ALL CAPS, etc. Yet each day I find myself puzzling over what someone might have meant when they said something really simple like “That’s great!” Do they really mean that is it great, are they being sarcastic and they are really pissed off? I waste hours on this weekly.

Second, I find myself and others I know employing email as an offensive strategy. I send emails to make sure I have it in writing and that the person I am sending it to knows a deadline, an interpretation, or an opinion. I often find when a staff member brings a problem to me, I say “well write an email so you have proof of what you were saying. It is back-up for some imagined future conflict – which I often think we will into fruition.

Third, reply all is the biggest contributor to misunderstanding and to endless confusion. People don’t read all the responses before replying. It makes conversations that should be had in person a confrontational environment for no reason, except that people frustrated, are up in arms, defensive, and plain old over it because of all the emails and confusion.

Fourth, people send out these large group emails to everyone they think should be involved in a discussion or decision or need to know when something is decided. This brings a whole group into discussion instead of going to the one or two people who should make a decision efficiently and then send the SOLUTION to all that need to know. This makes things simply drag on FOREVER. Or worse, people who didn’t need to be involved in the first place are mad at the fact they weren’t listen too. (Sorry folks the world can’t be run by a giant committee).

Fifth, who cares about phones, but when I am emailing with the person who is sitting in the next room shouldn’t I just go meet with the person and discuss it. Am I being lazy? Am I using it as an offensive stance to make sure that I have it in writing and there is no confusion and documentation? Am I afraid where the conversation will lead? If so, should I address that not hide behind an email?

I could go on and on and on about this, but I think we as leaders need to break free of the albatross.

From here on out:

I hope I can send emails to the appropriate person or people so that I can find the answer and then let the group know what the solution is.

I will try to break the reply all chain.

I will get out of my chair and seek out folks to have a conversation, and if necessary, we can take notes the old fashion way. Imagine writing with pen and paper!

If I feel I need to confirm something, I am going to actually confirm it with the person and make sure we agree and understand each other.

I will be conscientious of the “tone” of my email and try to be concise but kind.