How many is a barrage of emails?

yeah arguably entering barrage territory, supported by the fact they weren’t taking time to read your responses 😂

unless they view email more like instant messaging?

This sounds like the rare occasion when it 'should have been a meeting' rather than the other way round!

You do not message on days I'm not in.
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I received 3 emails in 2 weeks on my day off from the same person.
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What parallel universe is this?!

Honestly laughing my head off at this. I can just see some of the bosses I've worked for dealing with this. I suggest you don't change jobs or you'll be in for a nasty surprise.

A couple if some of the people I know are anything to go by.

Very difficult to get your head around if you've done a job where emails arrive every few seconds and are pinging backwards and forwards.

So she sent you questions, you answered and then she sent up follow up questions? Am I missing something that sounds like a normal conversation to me!

It sounds a bit quick paced, but you must have been replying just as fast. I can see it'd a bit annoying for the others copied in if they didn't need to be, but if she's saying stuff that's wrong she just making herself look bad.

Six in one day.

I work part time . Etiquette ( unsaid - it's become the culture as led by new boss 6 years ago ) in my company is you do not message on days I'm not in .
I have complained about receiving a barrage of emails ... I used this exact word . I received 3 emails in 2 weeks on my day off from the same person . I saw a pattern developing by this person ... I requested a meeting with my line manager and voiced what I wanted ... they do not email on my days off ... they email other sources first

If you came to me as your line manager complaining that you'd got 3 emails in 2 weeks on your day off, and were expecting all your colleagues to remember your work patterns for asynchronous communication tools, I'd definitely be intervening. I'd look to put you on an informal development plan because you don't understand office efficiency. Imagine if the CEO couldn't email anyone on their day off. Lol.

And even if something were an issue, the first question you should be prepared to answer is: what happend when you attempted to fix this yourself? Basic stakeholder management is part of most jobs where you work with people. If you go running to your line manager as the first course of action with nonsense like this, you're performing worse than a new grad on day 1. Honestly, what a ridiculous thing to do in a professional environment.

@NewName24

I've worked PT for years, but would not expect all colleagues to remember all the different working patterns of every person they ever need to contact so they don't send them when that person isn't working. Do expect everyone to memorise when different people are on leave, or are off sick too ?

I completely agree, that is utterly ridiculous. Expecting people never to send an email outside of working hours and never when people are on leave or sick or whatever is absurdly bureaucratic. If this were to be mandated in law and implemented more widely a lot of companies would go to the wall: it's completely unworkable.

I find this sort of growing preciousness about electronic communication really childish and counterproductive. Yes its important to be respectful but etiquette shouldn't trump the need for work to get done. In any case no is holding a gun to your head and demanding you respond to email on your day off. Be a grown-up and just ignore it.

I work part time . Etiquette ( unsaid - it's become the culture as led by new boss 6 years ago ) in my company is you do not message on days I'm not in .
I have complained about receiving a barrage of emails ... I used this exact word . I received 3 emails in 2 weeks on my day off from the same person . I saw a pattern developing by this person ... I requested a meeting with my line manager and voiced what I wanted ... they do not email on my days off ... they email other sources first
Haven't had an email since and told I acted professionally and they shared my concern up the chain just in case it was made out I was being obstructive

How ridiculous.

E-mails are asyncromatic. The person with the query sends them when they are working on something, and the recipient opens, reads and responds to them when they are ready to.

I've worked PT for years, but would not expect all colleagues to remember all the different working patterns of every person they ever need to contact so they don't send them when that person isn't working. Do expect everyone to memorise when different people are on leave, or are off sick too ?

This is one of the more ludicrous thoughts I've read on here in a long time.

I wouldn't consider that 'a barrage' - they were different queries, which may have been justified or might not.

I mean, personally, if I were the other person, I'd have come over to your desk / walked into your office / called you on Teams if you were in different places, and said "I've got a few queries with this, have you got 10 mins now to go through things with me?", although, if she were working down the document, and hadn't expected to need to ask about several things, I can understand asking the first question as she came across it.

If the cc'd people can't answer the queries, then that seems a bit of an odd thing to do.

However, 'a barrage of e-mails' suggests to me that you are being asked the same thing over and over because they didn't get an instant reply.

Noticeably more than what you reasonably wanted and expected under the circumstances.

@Thepeopleversuswork

I've opened up emails in previous jobs and there's been at least 50 every morning .

Companies have got better at insisting 'reply all' is not used , email groups are used so there's been a huge reduction in receiving irrelevant emails . There is a culture of assuming people are responsible enough to respond in a timely manner ... we've had one email chasing people up ... and that was related to a new data input system .

Of course if a matter is urgent and needs a response on my day off then that is fine but the company has other systems in place that accounts for part timers .

The person who was emailing me could source the information themselves... there was a definite power play on their part and the time was abrupt and aggressive .

Just to add , my husband attended a tribunal and his company was pulled up
On sending emails at 10pm ( he was a senior director ) although the company said there was no expectation for people to respond ,the tribunal disagreed.

We are very much a schedule send company .

Our company has a team that deals specifically with out of hours issues that arise !

@neonjumper

My company does not email after 6pm anything sent after this ( very rarely) does not require a response.

I always laugh bitterly when I read stuff like this. “Barrage” characterises normal course of business in my line of work. I get several hundred emails a day and probably half of those are orders from my supervisors who will follow up within an hour if things aren’t replied to. Honestly I know it’s dysfunctional but our company wouldn’t work if we had rules about not emailing after 6pm. It is what it is.

We routinely have to hand over to colleagues in the US: if I downed tools and clocked off at 6pm on the dot clients would not be properly serviced.

While I agree in theory that repeatedly chasing and emailing outside office hours are stressful and unpleasant I think having hard rules about this is a bit naive and bureaucratic it makes me think it’s probably only public sector which can afford to be this precious about it.

I also think people are being a bit ridiculous when they say an email on their day off is intrusive. No one is forcing you to open it, let alone respond. Just let it sit there until you get in. Managing email overload in a way that suits your life is absolutely fine. Mandating that everyone follows this even if it’s to the detriment of the business overall is unhelpful and probably not great for the company.

One of you needed to say at the 3rd or 4th email in 30mins (?!).. " email isn't working here, politely you need more support, either seek alternative real-time help or see my diary availability for a meeting".

Then leave it to them..

Just because someone played a tune, doesn't force you to dance, as long as it's not a reasonable request e.g. your boss who should know or be able to help prioritise your tasks if there's a conflict on time.

I think it's when somebody doesn't give you the opportunity to answer but sends another message immediately afterwards.

Context is very important here .
My company does not email after 6pm anything sent after this ( very rarely) does not require a response.

I work part time . Etiquette ( unsaid - it's become the culture as led by new boss 6 years ago ) in my company is you do not message on days I'm not in .

I have complained about receiving a barrage of emails ... I used this exact word . I received 3 emails in 2 weeks on my day off from the same person . I saw a pattern developing by this person ... I requested a meeting with my line manager and voiced what I wanted ... they do not email on my days off ... they email other sources first .

Haven't had an email since and told I acted professionally and they shared my concern up the chain just in case it was made out I was being obstructive .

I think double or triple what would be appropriate in the context.

Colleague sounds like a pain in the arse. Perhaps push back and ask them to collate their queries so that they only contact you once a day on this project/issue. Explain that it’s very distracting to have repeated emails.

I suppose you’re not obliged to read or reply immediately, but I’d find this hard going.

A barrage suggested these are received without reply. You had an annoying exchange with a needy colleague. I suspect they were panicking and looking to you for help support.

if you’d not replied but kept receiving demands for help that would be a barrage.

let it go and be kinder.

I feel “barrage” here implies all relating to same or similar topic, not giving sufficient time to reply and possibly with an aggressive tone to them. I think 3+ in a single day I would be getting a bit frustrated.

We have rules around this sort of stuff so it wouldn’t happen where I am. If it going to take more than 3 emails on the topic then it needs to be a phone call as clearly the comms isn’t working on email.

is there a backstory to you and this colleague? Were they against a deadline and maybe a bit flustered? As a one off I’d be ok with i think. Why was she cc loads of others?

No it is not something google can answer.

It depends

More than two regarding the same topic.

My tolerance would be higher in a professional setting than personal.

One email with a polite follow up is acceptable imo

3 or more detailing similar or asking for something similar or chasing would be a barrage in my opinion.

One or two is tbe limit, unless forwarding on something or a different topic if useful to keep emails separate however I would prep the person in an email or call first...apologies H there are a few actions today, I'll send them through separately to help you move each forward. Etc