To think everyone who uses email in their work should learn how to manage it effectively?

[FireworksAndSparklers]

I'm so tired of colleagues and managers never replying to emails until days (sometimes weeks) later, usually with the excuse that they have hundreds of unread emails backed up.

I just think there's no need for it. Find a strategy that works for you and do it. Don't just let your emails back up without dealing with them. It's rude and it's counter-productive for both your own efficiency and that of the people you work with.

I know my own strategy wouldn't work for everyone, but I would never just ignore an important part of my work because I haven't taken the time to figure out a system for managing it.

AIBU or is it ok to just let your emails build up and up and leave correspondents hanging for ever for responses?

I've tried. Some people, who like productivity and efficiency, get better - those who just didn't realise there may be less 'winging it' ways to manage email traffic. Some people love the drama, I think, so don't want to not be always far too busy. And some will just never be efficient workers.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/11/still-filing-your-emails-science-says-its-a-waste-of-time?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

I think this is a great system but I think in some workplaces there is a problem with workload or culture and the volume of emails is just unmanageable

I’d imagine they’ve ignored it because they don’t think it’s important

And if no one chased it for weeks presumably it isn’t?

I think you sound judgey.

Shit happens in some jobs. It's not always possible to respond to emails promptly.

What I want to know is why people reply to an email with something that's nothing to do with original email, but is to do with something you already have an email thread going for.

Don't make changes to what you want in a report in an email thread about training courses.

(I answer most emails the day I get them, but I only get maybe 30-40 day max, usually less.)

OMG, I wish more of my colleagues would use Teams messages just for the kind of quick queries you'd ask in person if you were nearby someone. I think emails should be for formal communication that needs an admin trail, personally.

So you have 480 minutes in a working day, and let’s say 400 emails.

How long do you spend on each “quick win”?

How long on each “non urgent” (twice, once to put in a little folder and allocate a deadline, and once to spend more time on them)

And how much for the urgent?

I'm guilt of this sometimes.

If someone wants my help, especially on something they should know or could look up, I'm not tupelo our a long email when a quick call resolves it.

Or where the email query has insufficient information to answer correctly, or my response may vary depending on the full details.

If someone wants my help, then I chose to give it in the way that works best for me. If someone doesn't like that, then they should ask someone else.

Similarly, If I want someone's help, then I'll happily accept it on whatever form they want to provide it.

I have a great email system. But I do de-priotitise people who are a pain in the arse and send emails for emails sake for no real reason.

Yes, this! This isn't about MY emails. It's about people who can't work productively and for whom email management (or lack of) causes them major issues.

I read emails on the way to work/over breakfast when I WFH. I flag everything and give it a deadline if it’s not going to be today. As i work as the preview comes in I either flag them or dismiss them. On the way home I review them quickly to ensure I haven’t missed anything.

My previous job involved getting tons of email even though I was in an in person job so I just looked at them twice a day. I had a similar system but I also had rules set up so that certain emails from senders would go in certain folders. These were usually automated ones that could be quickly checked on a weekly basis from their folder.

I totally agree. It's not an issue where I work, though.

I used to work with someone who never read any emails. They worked on the basis that if it was important, eventually someone would come and speak to them about it.

That's an extreme example (and they were very senior so could get away with it). But it's a system I have oft envied.

Why are you firing so many emails off instead of dealing with them? If it’s because you need information, how much and is this constant. If someone is constantly emailing me to ask questions or for information they can get themselves and I’m busy, my work comes before theirs.

Yes, I work with someone who deletes their inbox every day whether something is answered or not. They're pretty senior and retiring soon so clearly not caused them any problems.

For those who have asked, I use my own version of the Getting Things Done system, basically, that I've adapted to suit me, my hugely varied workload and how my brain functions. If any system isn't working for me, I find a way to adapt it to make it work otherwise I get seriously ill with stress! I don't do this to mitigate shitty employer culture etc., but to feel productive and happy in my work. And, yes, I am judgy.

My first thought reading this was 'oh fuck off'. Then, 'is that you, Sheila?'.

Some of us are actually concentrating on things for periods of time, which means we cannot immediately respond. Concentrating is part of my job. If you need a response the same day, make a phone call!

Definitely not, as this is absolutely one of my own bugbears. I'm often having to hold myself back from using that 'let me Google that for you' passive aggressive link 😂

If any system isn't working for me, I find a way to adapt it to make it work otherwise I get seriously ill with stress!

And their system may work for them. You're just not a priority for them.

I am not even waiting for replies to emails, I just have to hear certain colleagues moaning about how they are oh so busy and their inbox is so full and I am sometimes copied in on emails where I can see they’ve taken months to reply. We do the exact same role. I think it’s like a badge of honour for some people to have a bursting inbox.

The only system I have would be to delete them all. Which I can't do. So there

"Find a strategy that works for you and do it."

I do this - my strategy entails seeing emails as a tool to help me do my job to the best of my ability. Rather than seeing emails as my actual job.

Maybe that’s what OPs colleagues are doing, and doing effectively - seeing emails and their inbox as a tool that’s part of their job, not the job itself. Which means some emails will go unanswered.

Of course, this doesn’t work if your job is to constantly respond to emailed customer queries, or similar!

😂😂😂 I love that people think I'm posting this as someone who does a very easy job with very few emails and masses of time on my hands. I promise you, I'm not.

Your managers probably have a lot more emails than you do and less time to respond to them due to meetings or travel.

It is frustrating, but I don't think it is an email organisation issue, I think it is an employer issue insofar as they don't properly calculate the number of hours needed to do some jobs. Most managers at my company are still responding to emails late into the night as their office hours are taken up with meetings.