Poor email responsiveness.

Anonymous

August 12,2023 at 1:57AM UTC

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Poor email responsiveness.

I started at a company 9 months ago and I’ve found that the email responsiveness from the people I work with is terrible. I often have to send 3 or 4 emails to coworkers to get any kind of response to even simple questions (and this includes people in the executive suite to lowly accounting clerks). frequently, if I finally do get a response, the response also includes “oh I’ve been slammed.” Guess what makes me even more slammed? Having to send the same person 3-4 emails to get a simple bit of information that I need to do my own job.

I realize that we can all get bogged down in email at times, but honestly I get about 1/3 of the email here as I did in prior jobs, so by my standards, email traffic seems pretty manageable. I can’t imagine I’m getting significantly less email than the people I work with.

I often will get included on emails with external clients/contacts, and I see the same habits - outside people having to email internal people 3-4 times to get a response. It’s just not a good look for a company, in my opinion.

there’s no phone culture here - the company does not provide desk phones or work phone numbers, and people often don’t have a # listed in their signature block, so picking up the phone isn’t an easy option. the only other option is to set up a zoom call, which seems over the top to obtain a small piece of information or a document (not to mention time consuming).

how do I deal with the poor email culture at this job, as it’s starting to drive me crazy?

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AnonymousAugust 12,2023 at 3:44AM UTC
You allow it to impact deliverables. Copy your boss on the second email and their boss on the third
It's impossible to change culture. It's adopted, accepted and there is no consequence.
AnonymousAugust 12,2023 at 7:00PM UTC
Unfortunately, my boss is equally terrible at email. I’m forever having to forward emails to him that he was on in the first place because they are “lost.”
Deb HillAugust 12,2023 at 12:33PM UTC
Agree with other comment from Anon but would add that including a date to respond by will help so they can't say they didn't know it was a priority when it's escalated. Or if seeking permission ask for decision by a date, send it flagged for follow up (with that date in the flag) and state your actions if no decision received. In other words I will go ahead with X unless you let me know otherwise by xx/xx/xx.
Barb HansenAugust 12,2023 at 10:24PM UTC
I would ask the people who are not email-responsive what's the best way to communicate an "urgent or not-particularly urgent but please get back to me today" email.
If asking feels out of place in your company, I would get very direct in the email subject lines:
"Response needed by Tuesday on Topic 123 - 1 minute read"
Or
High priority: project blocked
I would equally tag low priority email accordingly so not every email from me was "high priority" which would make all of my email meaningless.
The subject line could be your friend.
Heather CutlerAugust 12,2023 at 11:16PM UTC
I love these ideas! I also aggressively use this kind of language in my subject lines to help colleagues, help me.
Paula Manczuk-HannayAugust 13,2023 at 3:16PM UTC
I have similar feelings about the “I’ve been slammed” response. We all are. With that said, I wonder whether email is the preferred/expected communication method for this culture.
Is there an internal chat system like Slack or the Teams? During the pandemic that quickly became the way to get quick responses from people in my workplace. I also find it easier to communicate with groups this way.
What kind of emails are you sending? If you are the kind of person who sends an email related to every thought you have, that might me the problem. If issues are not urgent, consider compiling several questions in to one email a day. If you are sending several emails to the same person in one day, it’s possible they’re ignoring you, knowing the most urgent questions will bubble up again if important.
You’re not going to change anyone. All you can do is work on your approach with hopes of a better outcome.
On an unrelated note- lowly? Really? Everyone in the chain is important.
AnonymousAugust 13,2023 at 5:43PM UTC
Well, the I've been slammed response, is a response so why don't they just repIy. Everyone is slammed. I understand this completely and in the age of zoom and slack and other internal chat tools they often take over email. 2 suggestions here that worked for me. Ask each person you interact with the best way to get them to respond to something and come up with a code in the subject line for importance. For example: This weeks numbers for accounting- P0. Then determine a time frame for response to P0 emails. Keep on top of that on both sides of the doing.The other suggestion is find out in a crunch how they prefer to be communicated to. Most companies if they do not provide phones reimburse (it's the law) employees for their phones so you could send a quick text or call and say hey need a reply now please. Email has become outdated to many younger employees thanks to texting so perhaps move the urgent needs to the texting platform instead. I have also sent emails and required read receipts for them or added a reminder to respond (5 minutes) on their calendars if need be. Then they get a pop up reminder for them and can decline or respond to that since it goes on their calendar. Perhaps call a meeting to discuss this or bubble this up to your HR person for help in solving, IMHO this belongs in their camp for help in devising a good solution that works for all.
Liz MilneAugust 13,2023 at 11:44PM UTC
I think OP means when they finally give the answer, they excuse its lateness with the 'I've been slammed' excuse? It's not like they're replying, saying, 'I'm too busy right now, I'll reply later.'?
maria roseAugust 14,2023 at 1:19AM UTC
Since you have only been in this job for the last 9 months, you should have been given a formate for contacting the rest of the team in the same manner that they are use to responding to immediately. Obviously from your description, email correspondence is not working. As others have suggested you need to use a method that everyone can and will respond to immediately, since by your job description, you need the responses to process to the next step. And since you have no phones other than personal cell phones, all work communications needs to occur through the computers. Have a group meeting with suggested messaging apps that pop up to the recipient for immediate action and you can see when they have received and opened the message and then know that they will have to respond back ASAP to remove the message notation on their computer screen. Perhaps someone can suggest the best app to use. I know Slack was suggested as a possible option.
Erin VegaAugust 14,2023 at 4:44PM UTC
Really "lowly accounting clerk"???? The fact that you added lowly instead of just accounting clerk. As a "lowly accounting clerk" working from home I have had to revamp how I handle emails throughout the day. I only check my email three times a day. Also when you send the emails are you sending to only one person or is it a group? Are you putting the name of the person you want to reply to your email?
In my opinion if I knew you thought of me as "lowly" I probably wouldn't put any of your emails to the top of my list to respond to.
IntentionGirl706330August 15,2023 at 12:39PM UTC
Story of my liiiiiife!!
Ive started doing a couple things that have helped me get responses quicker:
1. Leverage the subject line field. Begin with an all-caps level of urgency, ie URGENT, IMPORTANT , NON-URGENT, or FYI. Followed by a concise summary of what the email is about, in title case. Don’t be vague. Here’s a recent example - “IMPORTANT: Shipping Rate Proposed Changes” This tells the reader at a glance that it’s important, and that there are proposed changes to the shipping rates.
2. Utilize CC and BCC appropriately. The main address field is for the people who directly need to take action on the email. The CC field is for other stakeholders who don’t need to take action, but need to be aware of progress made. Use the BCC field to send a copy to yourself at a non-work email address. This is so you will have documented proof of your attempts to engage other stakeholders. In worst case scenario, if disciplinary action is taken and you are terminated, access to your work email will be restricted, but you will still have copies of correspondence.
3. Call attention to the direct supervisors of the people who need to take action, within the email body. For example. “Looping in (dept head) here!”. I’ve noticed that when I CC a person’s direct supervisor and mention them in the email body, I get a response almost immediately.
AnonymousAugust 17,2023 at 7:12AM UTC
Our company uses Office 365, and Teams extensively, so internal quick info is requested and received on that platform. Also, super easy to teams call a person, if you don't have a dedicated work phone, (you can see their busy status and get a ping when they are available to take your call).
There are some who have not adapted to MS Teams, so a simple WhatsApp works. Usually for a quick answer or to flag there is an urgent e-mail in the sea of emails.
I get my answers quickly. Because waiting for some to respond will take weeks.