How are emails handled at your workplace?

[Syt]

In recent weeks it has become absolutely endemic that people in our company don't read emails or don't read them fully which can lead to quite a few frustrations.

It seems there's three kinds of emails that get no or very limited responses:

- Emails to a large number of recipients (= "Oh, didn't realize it was for me.")
The less personal, the less likely it is to be read by the group. Not only company wide emails, but also within our finance hierarchy in the region. If our accounting leader sends an email with info/request to everyone it's most likely to be completely ignored by at least half the folks. Which has led to our manager announcing on tele conferences that she'll send an email on day x that she requests people to read/act on.

- Emails with long texts (= "Sorry, didn't have time to read it.")
The longer the text, the less likely the mail is to be read, or read carefully. Corporate HQ likes to send out long winded emails about changes on the VP level or new business lines or upcoming changes in the organization. No one ever reads those. Similar, though, when new work instructions/procedures are sent out. Procedures/Policies are also on our intranet, but no one ever looks there, either, even if requested to do so via short email (see above). However, even three lines can be too long:
"Please send your reply to X, Y and include Excel sheet Z." Who do they send their reply to? Me.

- Emails from certain senders/with certain subjects  (= "I know that this stuff is not important for me.")
Agendas for staff meetings, corporate communiqués, infos/questions/requests from our office admin team, etc.

Part of the problem is that people receive so many emails (300-500/day is not rare), that they are unable to see through it anymore except for ones from their immediate contacts and don't take the time to customize their rules to have it prioritized/pre-filtered. Another major problem is that many people who have an issue that needs solving cc people who they think should look at it, too. Afterwards, everyone just hits "reply to all".

Myself, I have gotten used to telling colleagues on my floor that I will send/forward them an email that'll need looking at if I can't talk something through with them. A few colleagues have asked I print it out instead, because it would surely get lost in their mailboxes. Besides that I try to get as much as possible solved via phone/face to face/communicator. Sometimes that's just not possible, though (people are out of office, or you need info from a few folks).

How do you cope with those problems? How do you avoid them? Any tips?

[Barrister]

300-500 a day is insane.

Yesterday (when I was not in the office) I received 15.

[Malthus]

In recent weeks it has become absolutely endemic that people in our company don't read emails or don't read them fully which can lead to quite a few frustrations.

It seems there's three kinds of emails that get no or very limited responses:

- Emails to a large number of recipients (= "Oh, didn't realize it was for me.")
The less personal, the less likely it is to be read by the group. Not only company wide emails, but also within our finance hierarchy in the region. If our accounting leader sends an email with info/request to everyone it's most likely to be completely ignored by at least half the folks. Which has led to our manager announcing on tele conferences that she'll send an email on day x that she requests people to read/act on.

- Emails with long texts (= "Sorry, didn't have time to read it.")
The longer the text, the less likely the mail is to be read, or read carefully. Corporate HQ likes to send out long winded emails about changes on the VP level or new business lines or upcoming changes in the organization. No one ever reads those. Similar, though, when new work instructions/procedures are sent out. Procedures/Policies are also on our intranet, but no one ever looks there, either, even if requested to do so via short email (see above). However, even three lines can be too long:
"Please send your reply to X, Y and include Excel sheet Z." Who do they send their reply to? Me.

- Emails from certain senders/with certain subjects  (= "I know that this stuff is not important for me.")
Agendas for staff meetings, corporate communiqués, infos/questions/requests from our office admin team, etc.

Part of the problem is that people receive so many emails (300-500/day is not rare), that they are unable to see through it anymore except for ones from their immediate contacts and don't take the time to customize their rules to have it prioritized/pre-filtered. Another major problem is that many people who have an issue that needs solving cc people who they think should look at it, too. Afterwards, everyone just hits "reply to all".

Myself, I have gotten used to telling colleagues on my floor that I will send/forward them an email that'll need looking at if I can't talk something through with them. A few colleagues have asked I print it out instead, because it would surely get lost in their mailboxes. Besides that I try to get as much as possible solved via phone/face to face/communicator. Sometimes that's just not possible, though (people are out of office, or you need info from a few folks).

How do you cope with those problems? How do you avoid them? Any tips?

I tend to avoid 95% of my emails, too. There ain't enough hours in the day.

[The Brain]

Pro-Tip: include porn in your e-mails.

[Ed Anger]

Other than putting READ THIS AND REPLY, IT IS IMPORTANT YOU BASTARDS in the subject line, there really isn't much you can do.

[Syt]

300-500 a day is insane.

That'd be our senior managers/VPs. They also read a lot of their emails at home, because they usually don't have time to sift through it all at work (meetings, telephone conferences etc.).

[The Brain]

What's with the highly erotic avatar, Malthus? You call that SFW? >

[Syt]

Other than putting READ THIS and REPLY, IT IS IMPORTANT YOU BASTARDS, there really isn't much you can do.

I consdier setting up personalized serial emails. I'll probably sign up for a course in Nigeria for that.

[Grey Fox]

Annoyingly because we use Lotus Notes.

Gawd, I hate that thing.

[Malthus]

What's with the highly erotic avatar, Malthus? You call that SFW? >

It's a 1950s coffee ad.   ;D

[The Brain]

What's with the highly erotic avatar, Malthus? You call that SFW? >

It's a 1950s coffee ad.   ;D

I know it's been posted on Olde Languish. Doesn't make it less arousing.

[Syt]

Annoyingly because we use Lotus Notes.

We used that till 2007 or so. Oddly, since we moved to Outlook 2007 the mail traffic has grown exponentially.

[Warspite]

I've found that, at least in my workplace, you can tell a lot about the sender from their e-mail subject line:

ALL-CAPS, TERSE = ex-military, civil service

Obvious misspelling (eg 'Has anyone lost there umbrella????') = events staff

Overuse of exclamation marks = woman

Expletive laden, lower case (eg, 'slut fuck') = my Canadian boss

Some thinly veiled sexual reference = horny ex-intelligence/military type

Without subject = someone in an actual, urgent work crisis

[FunkMonk]

I usually get a mixture of shotgun blasts and FWD: HAHAHA type emails. Occasionally I get the work-related crisis. People I work with can just get up and talk to me which is the preferred manner. If I get something from another office across the street or something I'll take care of that.

I just plop most things in pertinent Folders and trash the rest. Makes me look important.  8)

[Josephus]

I work in a newsroom and I do get between 250-300 a day. Once I get rid of the viagra and big cock ads, I'm down to about 150 a day.

I get a lot of emails from PR reps and anythign which forces me to do one of two things

1. Click on a link to find out more
or
2. Click on an attachment.

Gets deleted. Its not cause I'm worried about viruses...it's a work computer after all; it's because I don't have the time to do that. If you want to tell me something, let me read it in the view window without having to open the mail.

That's one.

Yeah. it's a nice touch if the email starts off with
Dear Mr. Josephus.
(I know there are programs now that do that). IF it fails to do that, or just says, Dear Sir/Mam also gets deleted.