Emails, Emails, and more Emails
It’s been a long time since I’ve had something rant about, but I’m about over this whole ‘never get back to me’ emails thing. I get that people are busy, and have their own agendas.
But let’s face it, unless you are in the C-Suite or a SVP/EVP, you’ve got time to respond within the next week or two. It’s not like I’m asking for a miracle here.
And to be perfectly clear, I’m not talking about those times (we’ve all had them) where you missed or forgot to respond to an email from a week ago then remember and finally respond. Nobody’s perfect, it happens.
But eventually you send a response. Key word here is eventually. So, whether you were busy or had a memory lapse, it’s at least forgivable.
Why shouldn’t there be some level of respect for others when working for within a corporation? Especially when it’s small enough and you know you will run into them (maybe not in the halls anymore) but in another meeting or email.
Even more so if you are in the same department, group, or division. Can you say awkward? To me it makes you look extremely inefficient at managing your time and workload. And that you’re trying too hard to look important, which means… you’re not.
Not to mention, what type of work culture supports people never (and I mean NEVER) responding to a request or emails or supports it? Whether you are a VP or an intern, shouldn’t respect be all the same? Why is it accepted that once you reach the VP or C-Suite, you can just ignore anyone you feel like it, with little to no repercussions?
Because if the shoe was on the other foot, and you are the one not to respond to a VP, SVP, or CFO you can bet there’s going to be fall-out from it. I doubt the excuse “I was sooooo busy” will work.
This rant continues along the same lines of people refusing to respond to meeting invites. Or worse, accepting them and not showing up at all. Which leads me to ask – when did ghosting someone become acceptable in the business world?
I thought standing someone up only applied to the dating world. Guess I was wrong.
Emails and Respect
Now don’t get me wrong, do I think if the CEO gets an email from an intern for happy hour, she should send a reply either way? Probably not.
There definitely is a line that you are jumping over at this point, and I’m sure you’ll be ruffling a lot of feathers of your management along the way.
But where do you then draw the line when it’s acceptable and when it isn’t? Does this become just one of those things we’ve done this in the past, so we are going to keep doing it. And is it really the right way of doing things?
What if it was acceptable to email the CFO directly and ask if they have time for a quick chat? Could it possibly help keep employees feel like they matter and engaged?
Challenging Status Quo
There are tons of articles out there that talk about the hidden costs of ignoring emails, or the negative implications for managers that do so. Or even how to handle those who never respond!
But should we really accept this and put up with it? Or should we challenge the status quo for what is acceptable? I get executives are super busy, but where is the balance?
Ever feel like you’re drowning in email? Before you complain, consider the inbox of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who once told Digiday that he receives 1,000 to 2,000 emails per day. NBC News
Obviously we can’t expect a CEO to respond to thousands of emails per day, quite frankly I’m overwhelmed for them just thinking about it.
All I’m saying is, flat organizations work for a reason. And that I’m over non-email responding people in the workplace. Rant over.
