Emails from manager

[sootysweets]

I am a fairly new manager and my team are complaining that I send too many emails. Looking at the past week, I send between 2-4 a day (bear in mind we are working remotely and so I don't see them in the office, and I work 4 days so they have one day without any emails at all from me).

Most of them are one or two sentences/ for info emails. Max one a day is an actual request to action something. If it's a complicated issue I call or wait for a team meeting.

I manage 3 staff and 2 of them get very upset that I send too many emails but I can't see a more efficient way of communicating with the team, I am not going to call round all of them every time a little thing comes up.

Do they just need to accept this or AIBU?

How many emails do you get from your manager?

Or if you are a manager, how many emails do you send your team?

I think you maybe need support or training re your new role. And your team are either delicate flowers, or (more likely, frankly) swinging the lead a bit because you got promoted? The amount of emails you send is defo not excessive and if you need to use that comms method to do your job (as part of a range of ways you communicate) then so be it - you are the manager now.

Definitely not reminding them of things I have already asked them to do - I leave them to get on with it. I don't micromanage.

I think what's underneath it is the fact I have been promoted and am younger than them both.

Four emails a day cause them anxiety? Really? Unbeliviable.

I would suggest a 10 minute meeting promptly the morning is vital no ?

It's hard for me to get the balance right. I think a daily catch up would feel like micromanagement to them when they have always previously got on with their jobs. Previous manager used to do a monthly catch up and that was it, so I already do more than that (weekly half hour catch up, plus team meetings, plus monthly supervisions).

They already feel the teams calls/ communications we have are a lot.

2-4 emails a day is not excessive. My boss sends me however many she wants, she rings me on teams whenever she wants and so does my other boss. Sometimes it’s just information, other times it’s asking me to remind her of something for next year 😂.

Yes you do want to think about the needs of your team but they’re being ridiculous.

2 - 4 emails, most of them very short and just fyi? This is a them problem tbh.
We got complaints at our last place about the amount of emails (3 - 7 a day ish, and if they wanted to take time to focus on emails they could) but none of them had any better suggestions than 'just tell me verbally' but then we'd get a constant stream of 'oh i forgot' or 'noone told me' when they didnt follow what was asked of them. We needed the emails to prove we'd actually told them something - plus then they had something to refer back to!
We tried roundup emails - people complained they were too long (most memorably about one that contained 8 bullet points, of a single sentence each... too this day i dont understand why that was too long or how they expected us to make it shorter)
Id chuck it back to them - how would they prefer this stuff be communicated.

@sootysweets

you number is very low.
they need to get real!

@sootysweets

oops your number

My previous manager was a nightmare, for various reasons. Like you she used to send several emails a day and insist on a weekly meeting.

Posted too soon!

My new manager in exactly the same role sends possibly 2 emails a week and has a team meeting every 2 to 3 weeks. He is hands off but there immediately if we need him

Guess which team has better productivity figures and happier staff?

@NoodleDoodleDo I don't insist on the weekly meeting at all. It's actually optional and we didn't used to have it - brought it in because the team were upset that they felt 'disconnected' - and it has actually helped with that.

There are certain things that are essential for me to tell them, especially as our project is closing in a few months there are things we all need to do and know about. I can't change that.

I feel like whatever I do/ however I communicate I cannot please them because they are just annoyed that I am their manager.

I probably get 2/3 emails a week but we do have 2 team catch-ups a week plus a team meeting. Also have some fortnightly meetings for specific tasks.

We also have a team group in teams chat so people can ask questions, give updates, make suggestions etc. this is used more than email.

I get 100-150!emails a day, at least 10 of those from my manager.

Transitioning to managing people who used to be your peers is hard. They are testing you. Implement the daily call if it works for you. Send whatever emails you need to send.

I'm kinda surprised that the people who report to you were bold enough to complain about how many emails you send (2-4 per day is NOT a lot in any professional context) and to reject your suggestion of having a short daily team meeting. You're the manager... don't you wear the pants?

This.

Given you know the role because you've been promoted out of it, I suggest you get on and Manage as you see fit and don't allow these people to make you doubt yourself. You know what is workable and fits around the job.

I also was promoted from my peers, and it took a while to make the adjustment and find the right line. But don't be led by them.

I know 😫

Decisions I make are met with a huge amount of emotional backlash and like I said it is telling that it's all from the two people who I used to be on the same level as. It's like whatever I do I can't get keep them happy so I am beginning to think why should I bother trying?

I've had no issues at all from the person who has only known me as their manager so I think that says something.

It depends on the content of the email. My old manager used to micromanage and every time an email came from her I thought 'what now' and was really anxiety promoting.

An alternative would be for you to send them one email a day which outlines everything, but that's really bad for record-keeping.

You are the manager - these people are resentful of you yet it would be interesting to see what they would have done if they had been managers instead. Every manager I've had would have thought I was crazy if I'd said that number of emails was excessive.

Also, what's this about voluntary attendance at meetings? If the meeting is necessary then all participants should be present, whether they want to be or not.

@ICanHideButICantRun You are right....
The voluntary meeting is more for 'connection'.. it's like a coffee chat type thing.. because they were feeling isolated working remotely. It was their request (again after a lot of emotional outburts/ hard work trying to get to the bottom of what they were actually upset about). It was a nice idea and it is one thing that actually works.

We have a team meeting which is compulsory where we share work updates etc.

Stop listening to them and send as many as you need to, you're the manager!
I get anything from zero to 20 a day

We have a department manager (department = 11 people) who saves ALL FYI/updates for a weekly team meeting.

I manage a smaller team (4 people). If I have a whole team FYI/Update I’ll also share it in this weekly team meeting, as the extended department finds it helpful/interesting to know what we’re up to. And vice versa.

Project, rather than team specific FYIs/updates I give in a weekly 1-2-1 on Teams. I find the back-and-forth of reaction and discussion to updates really valuable with team members.

It is rare that I would commit an update/FYI to my 4 team members to an email. Only if I’m too stuck for time to be able to hold the 1-2-1s or if it’s something process/procedural that they’ll need to be able to refer to in future. We try to do no clutter. That includes unnecessary cc’s. And sending a “thank you” to all on a cc is punishable by stoning.

Wow I can get anywhere from 0 to 20 emails a day from my manager. Some will be sharing corporate updates from their manager down the chain, some will be copying me into something they're doing just so I know about it in case it later creates more work for us, some clearing things I've sent, some with steers on tricky situations. we have a daily 30 min call with manager, myself and my 2 direct reports plus weekly meetings with the wider division

I dont think it's a lot, but clearly they do Maybe have a team meeting to discuss how best to do this?

Wow! Must be such a stressful job if they can’t cope with under 5 emails a day…

Meanwhile, back in the real world, you’re the manager and so manage! If you’ve done the job, then you know what your old
manager could have done better. It’s not up to your team to dictate!

Also - emails don’t have to be answered immediately. That’s the beauty. Upthread someone mentioned they were sent an email on Boxing Day. To me, that’s fine so long as the sender accepts I will respond in my own time and not on a bank holiday.