Why Your Colleagues and Work Contacts Are Texting You More

Business communication is the last frontier for texting to infiltrate, but new data shows that it is making inroads, especially as employers increasingly expect their employees to be connected in myriad ways.

Phone-number generating app Burner surveyed 1,000 working Americans through AYTM to see how they felt about texting and work.

Results of the survey showed business texting is normalizing, with 66% of workers finding it appropriate to text for business and work-related reasons. 70% of workers said “at least some” of their business matters or conversations had jumped from email to text over the last 5 years, and over half of workers (55%) text with people they do business with at least once a week.

But mixing business with texting is a mixed bag.

One one hand:

Texting is useful in a pinch

Texts are the critical option if you need to get ahold of a colleague ASAP. Half of American workers are most likely to use texting when trying to reach a colleague urgently or after hours. While 46% of American workers will reply to texts after five minutes, only 11% will respond to emails after five minutes.

On the other hand:

They’re invasive

• Once your business contacts are on your personal phone, you can’t undo it. 30% of workers receive texts at inappropriate hours from business contacts or colleagues, and 11% have received an inappropriate message from a business contact.
• Workers sometimes feel uncomfortable (58%) with the idea of giving their personal cell phone number to business contacts
• Women sometimes feel uncomfortable (62%)  with the idea of giving their cell phone number to business contacts

Don’t forget these business texting rules to live by – including never send bad news via text, don’t change meeting times or venues via text, don’t text after work hours unless it’s urgent, and always sign your texts so the recipient knows who it is coming from.

— Sheila McClear

This story originally appeared on Ladders.